Budmayr moves to No. 2 on Badgers' depth chart

Like a blitzing linebacker, the calendar is moving at top speed for Jon Budmayr.

"The summer is going by fast," said Budmayr, a Marian Central graduate. "It's flying."

Budmayr is taking part in a critical summer in his development as a quarterback at the University of Wisconsin.

A redshirt freshman for the Badgers, Budmayr will enter the team's fall camp as the No. 2 QB behind senior starter Scott Tolzien.

A knee injury to backup Curt Phillips in March moved Budmayr to the backup spot for the team's spring practices, though the change in the depth chart hasn't impacted Budmayr's preparation.

"My approach since Day 1 has been to prepare as if I'm the starter," Budmayr said. "The great thing is that I'm getting more (practice) reps."

Budmayr's strong arm already has earned praise from teammates, including senior wide receiver Kyle Jefferson, who came up with the nickname "Chucker Jon," a monicker that causes Budmayr to chuckle.

"I guess I have had some success with the deep ball," Budmayr said.

In the team's spring game, Budmayr was 12-for-25 passing for 84 yards and two interceptions.

Budmayr said interceptions and miscues have been part of the development process.

"It's about learning from your mistakes and moving on quickly," Budmayr said. "I'm still young in the system."

The increased practice reps, along with film study and work with the coaches, have increased Budmayr's comfort level in advance of the team's season opener Sept. 4 at UNLV.

"There's so much to do as a quarterback to slow the speed of the game down," Budmayr said. "Learning the offense is the biggest key."

Late last season, Budmayr got a taste of the gameday experience when he was chosen for the travel team for games at Northwestern, Hawaii and the Badgers' Champs Sports Bowl trip.

"It was a great opportunity," Budmayr said. "It helped me get a little bit more comfortable with everything."

Newest Leatherneck: Western Illinois University announced July 7 that Crystal Lake South grad Steve Kedroski has joined the Leathernecks' 24-member recruiting class and will play baseball for the D-I school this season.

As a sophomore at Heartland Community College in Normal, Ill., this spring, Kedroski batted .313 with 13 doubles, two homers and 37 RBIs. He also scored 35 runs.

ITA ranks Sweeney: Prairie Ridge grad Sam Sweeney, a junior at Naperville's North Central College, earned the No. 13 spot last month in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's final D-III rankings of the season.

Sweeney finished the season with a 23-5 record and won the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin No. 1 singles and doubles titles for the second consecutive season.

In the spring, he became the first NCC player to qualify for the NCAA championships, where he advanced to the second round. 

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.