Elise Beattie set to run for N.H.

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As the oldest of five children, Woodstock senior Elise Beattie wanted to relieve the financial strain for her family by earning a running scholarship for college.

As a prolific runner, Beattie had no problem
finding NCAA Division I coaches willing to make offers. She visited several schools before choosing the University of New Hampshire. Beattie recently committed to Wildcats cross country coach Robert Hoppler, who also assists with the track and field team.

Beattie said her offer, with athletic and academic money, will cover her full costs for attending the school in Durham, N.H. Beattie ranks fifth in her senior class of about 430 students at Woodstock.

“I had a lot of generous offers, and it came down to where I felt most comfortable,” Beattie said.

“I went back for a second visit last week with my mom (Debbie) so she could see the school,” Beattie said.

Beattie has been a standout among area runners since her freshman season. She finished third in the Class 3A 3,200-meter run at the IHSA Girls Track and Field State Meet last spring, then took third in the Class 2A Girls Cross Country State Meet in November. Elise’s sister, Kayla, a junior, won the Class 2A state title.

“I really liked the school and the campus, and I’ll have minimal expenses for the next four years,” Elise said. “It definitely feels really good to [earn a scholarship], especially as the oldest of five children.”

Beattie plans on studying nursing, which helped her pare down the list of potential schools. New Hampshire was more open to her having such a demanding academic load than some of the schools. Beattie’s three finalists were Boston College, Clemson and New Hampshire. She also liked the size of New Hampshire, which has an enrollment of about 15,000 students.

As far as distance is concerned, Beattie’s father, David, works for United Airlines, so she will be able to use his travel benefits.

“It’s time to go and experience something new in a different place,” she said.

Big game: Crystal Lake South will play its most important game of the hockey season at 7:20 p.m. Wednesday at Barrington. The Gators (18-1-0, 36 points) lead the Metro Central American Division because they have played more games than Barrington.

The Broncos perennially are among the top teams in the Metro Central Division, which combined with the Metro Northwest this season. With Prairie Ridge playing an independent schedule and no longer in the Metro Central, South is now the Broncos’ biggest competition.

“This game’s going to be for first,” Gators coach Rich Perillo said. “We’re going to come ready to play. They’re going to be focused and ready to play, no doubt about it.”

Both teams have additional games, but Wednesday’s matchup likely will determine the Metro Central American champion. Barrington won the first matchup, 6-3, but tied against Conant, 2-2, which leaves the door open for the Gators if they can win their remaining games.

“We needed to start preparing now, mentally, with what we’re going to do,” center Mark Greenberg said after Sunday’s 7-1 win against PREP. “We need to put traffic in front of the net. We do have a good chance of beating them. A lot of us have been on the team for a while.”

• Joe Stevenson covers high school sports for the Northwest Herald. He can be reached at 815-526-4513. He also can be reached by fax at 815-459-5640 or by e-mail at jstevenson@nwherald.com.