Regan Smith, Olympic swimmer with Illinois Valley ties, advances to 100 backstroke finals

Peru Minor League baseball advances to state

Regan Smith, an Olympic swimmer with family ties to the Illinois Valley, advanced to the 100-meter backstroke finals at the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday night.

Smith, whose mother Bonnie (Moore) Smith grew up in Lostant and who still has her grandmother and several aunts and uncles living in the Illinois Valley, will swim in the final Monday night (Tuesday morning in Japan) after winning her semifinal Sunday.

Smith swam an Olympic record 57.86 seconds.

Peru Minor League baseball heading to state

The Peru Minor League baseball team defeated Moline 12-9 on Sunday to finish 3-0 in the Sub-State B tournament in Elgin to punch a ticket to the state tournament, which starts July 31 in Oglesby.

Peru beat Huntley-Crowe 12-2 on Friday and topped Rochelle 11-4 on Saturday.

Oglesby Major League baseball’s season ends

The Oglesby Major League baseball team’s season ended Sunday with a 6-4 loss to South Elgin in the Section 4 Tournament in Moline.

Oglesby beat Rochelle 5-4 in walkoff fashion Thursday, lost 14-1 to South Elgin on Friday and rallied to beat Rochelle 3-2 on Saturday.

IV High School Golf League nears end

St. Bede’ Aleanna Mendoza and Hall’s Grant Plym won their divisions of the Illinois Valley High School Golf League on Friday at Deer Park Golf Club.

Mendoza shot a 6-over-par 41 to win the Girls Division over teammate Gianna Grivetti (43), Ottawa’s Zoe Harris (44), Marquette’s Kaitlyn Magoonaugh (45) and Ottawa’s Hannah Doogan and Caroline Cooney, who both carded 47s.

Plym won the Boys AA Division with a 41, while La Salle-Peru’s Connor Noramczyk placed second with a 42. Rounding out the top five were St. Bede’s Logan Potthoff and Trenton Acuncius, who both had a 43, and Hall’s Josh Scheri (44).

In the Boys A Division, Ottawa’s Drake Kauffman wpon with a 33, while St. Bede’s Jake Delaney and Mendota’s Ethan Hanaman tied for third at 39.

The final round for the league is Friday at Spring Creek Golf Course with a shotgun start at 8 a.m.

Players take their best four of seven rounds to determine the top three players in each division.

Entering the final round, Mendoza leads the Girls Division followed by Ottawa’s Harris and Duggan; Kauffman leads the Boys A Division followed by Hanaman and Delaney and Plym leads the Boys AA Division followed by Potthoffand Noramczyk.