Win puts Youel atop NCC wrestling victory list

Gabe Youel made North Central College wrestling history Jan. 20 in Elmhurst with a historic person by his side.

Youel, a Crystal Lake Central graduate, won his school-record 144th career match with NCC assistant coach and former record holder Adam Johnson looking on.

"I told him, 'You can coach me differently if you want,' " Youel joked. "He told me if I didn't get it this year, he'd be mad."

Youel, a two-time NCAA Division III All-American, has won more than 40 matches in each of the past two seasons. This year, he is 22-3 in the 184-pound weight class.

"I wasn't really keeping track," said Youel, a senior. "It felt good to get the win and get the milestone." 

The record was not something Youel was aware of when he first arrived on campus.

"Not when I started my career," Youel said. "But last year, I definitely thought about it."

Like Johnson, Youel will now be a major part of the program's history.

"It's good to know that kids will know about you in the future," he said.

His pin of Elmhurst's Mike McNeill in 1 minute, 10 seconds, on Jan. 20 earned Youel handshakes and pats on the back from teammates and coaches.

Youel is hoping for a bigger celebration in March during the D-III national tournament in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

"Hopefully, I can win a national championship," said Youel, who has finished fourth nationally the past two seasons. "I hope when the tournament comes around, I'm feeling healthy and feeling strong."

Double duty at Lewis: Junior forward Jenny Turpel has helped D-II Lewis University's women's basketball team to four wins in its last five games while piling up seven double-doubles this season.

Turpel, a Johnsburg grad, leads the Flyers in scoring (15.8 points a game) and rebounding (8.1) while also being tops on the team in blocked shots (18) and steals (26).

Turpel ranks among the top 10 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference in scoring, rebounding and blocks.

Valpo bound: Prairie Ridge grad Bobby Martin will play second base and shortstop this spring at Heartland Community College in Normal, Ill.

Martin's plans for the 2011 season are already set as well. 

Martin, a sophomore at HCC, has signed a national letter of intent to play at D-I Valparaiso. He is one of six Heartland players who have committed to D-I schools for 2011, including Cary-Grove grad Eric Aguilera, an outfielder who will play at Illinois State.

As a freshman at D-I Ohio University last season, Martin started 21 games before transferring to Heartland.

The Hawks finished 42-9 last season and were ranked as high as No. 4 in the NJCAA Division II rankings.  

Barry Bottino writes a weekly column and a blog about local college athletes for the Northwest Herald. Write to him at BarryOnCampus@hotmail.com and check out his On Campus column every Saturday in the Northwest Herald sports section.