Hawks’ Schissel named NCBWA Division II Coach of the Year, Napleton first-team All-American

By Matt Schuckman, Sports Editor | June 6, 2023
Quincy University baseball coach Matt Schissel, left, has been named the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Division II Coach of the Year. | Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — Capping a record-setting season with a first-in-school-history honor is quite special. Quincy University baseball coach Matt Schissel earned that. Hawks catcher Luke Napleton earned his All-American honor, too. Schissel, the second-year skipper who led the Hawks to a 47-11 record while winning both the Great Lakes Valley Conference regular-season and tournament championships, was…

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Boys Basketball Coach of the Year: Liberty’s Altmix helps Eagles soar to new heights

By Matt Schuckman, Sports Editor | April 1, 2022
Liberty coach Greg Altmix led the Eagles to the first state championship game appearance in school history. Photo courtesy Steve Davis

LIBERTY, Ill. — For a University of Illinois graduate who has remained loyal to his alma mater and is a basketball junkie through and through, walking out of the tunnel onto the State Farm Center court was like living out a dream. Seeing his players live out their dream of playing for a state championship…

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Girls basketball Coach of the Year: Orne returning to bench brings championship back to QND

By Matt Schuckman, Sports Editor | March 29, 2022
Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball coach Eric Orne, right, has led the Raiders to four state championships and seven state trophies in his 20 seasons on the bench. Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — It’s better to burn out than fade away. Those words are in the lyrics to the rock anthem “Rock of Ages,” released by Def Leppard in May 1983. Four decades later, they still ring true. Eric Orne burned out, but he never faded away. Following the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball program’s fifth…

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