Lemont Student-Athletes Sign National Letters of Intent

Three Lemont High School student-athletes are signing national letters of intent to play their sport in college. Information about their accomplishments was provided by Lemont High School.

Carly Jaworski – Softball, Lewis University

Lemont High School senior infielder/pitcher Carly Jaworski has signed a National Letter of Intent to play college softball at Lewis University in Romeoville beginning in 2014.

Jaworski has performed well both at the plate and in the circle for two seasons, and will play a significant role for head coach Christine Traina’s Indians in 2014. In Jaworski’s two varsity seasons, Lemont has posted a 51-18 record and won one South Suburban Conference-Blue Division title and one IHSA Regional crown.

Jaworski is a career .413 hitter who has belted 13 home runs, driven in 71 runs, scored 73 runs, and been successful of 17-of-21 stolen base attempts. As a pitcher, she is 20-9 with four saves, and has struck out 179 while posting a 2.03 ERA in 213.2 innings of work. Her efforts have twice earned her team MVP and All-SSC honors.

Jaworski wasted no time making an impression in her first varsity season, earning team MVP and all-conference accolades as a sophomore in 2011 after batting .416 with a team-leading eight home runs. She ranked second on the team with 35 runs batted in, was third on the squad with 42 hits and 32 runs scored, and was successful on 12-of-15 stolen base attempts.

She also was second on the team with a .713 slugging percentage and 1.162 on base plus slugging percentage (OPS). In the circle, she posted a 7-2 record with a team-high three saves. In 77.1 innings of work, she fanned 79 batters and posted a 1.18 ERA. Lemont went 26-8 and captured an IHSA Regional title.

As a junior, Jaworski took over as the Indians’ top pitcher, collecting a 13-7 record and adding one save. She struck out 100 and posted a 2.52 ERA in 136.1 innings, and completed 18 of 21 starts, which included two shutouts. At the plate, she had a team-leading 12 doubles; was second on the team with a .420 batting average, 47 hits, 41 runs scored and five home runs; and finished third with 36 runs batted in. She repeated both as an All-SSC pick and team MVP while also earning all-area honors.

Jaworski will play for legendary head coach George DiMatteo at Lewis University, an NCAA Division II institution located in Romeoville, and a member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC). DiMatteo has amassed a 978-497-6 record in his 30 seasons at Lewis, and ranks among the top 25 winningest softball coaches in NCAA history (all divisions). He has guided the Flyers to nine GLVC crowns and 10 NCAA Division II Tournament appearances. Last spring, Lewis went 31-24 (21-15 GLVC) and finished fourth in the GLVC’s East Division.

Megan Litoborski – Volleyball, California University of Pennsylvania

Lemont High School senior setter Megan Litoborski has signed a National Letter of Intent to play women’s college volleyball at California University of Pennsylvania.

Litoborski earned four varsity letters playing in head coach Chris Zogata’s Lemont volleyball program. During her four seasons, Lemont posted a 105-43 composite record, which included a sparkling 50-2 record in South Suburban Conference play.

The Indians won four straight SSC Blue titles and three IHSA Regional crowns, while also posting one IHSA Sectional finalist finish. She twice earned all-conference honors, and was named the SSC Player of the Year as a senior. During her career, she collected 1,315 assists, 476 digs, 166 kills, 89 blocks and 86 service aces.

Litoborski was an all-around standout as a senior in 2012, which not only earned her SSC Player of the Year accolades, but also team MVP honors and all-area citations from the Chicago Sun-Times (3rd team), Southtown Star and Joliet Herald News. She racked up a career-high 627 assists (7.74 per game) while directing the Lemont offense.

She hit a career-best .343 while landing 46 kills, and added 125 digs, 23 blocks and 23 service aces. Lemont finished 26-13 overall, and captured the SSC Blue crown after finishing with a 12-1 league record. The Indians moved to Class 4A in 2012, and captured an IHSA Regional title and finished as the sectional runner-up to eventual IHSA Class 4A State Champion Benet Academy.

Litoborski took over the full-time setting duties as a junior and earned All-SSC accolades in 2011. She led the team with 613 assists (7.05 per game) and a career-high 36 service aces, and also posted career bests with 186 digs and 24 blocks. The Indians finished 22-15 overall and 12-1 in SSC play, which earned them a conference title.

Litoborski played as an outside hitter as a sophomore, collecting 155 digs, 52 kills, 23 service aces and 18 blocks. Lemont went 27-10 in 2010, which included a perfect 13-0 record in SSC play. The Indians captured both SSC Blue and IHSA Class 3A Regional crowns. She gained valuable varsity experience as a freshman in 2009, collecting 33 kills and 24 blocks. Lemont went 30-5 (13-0 SSC) and won SSC Blue and IHSA Class 3A Regional titles that season.

A high honor roll student and member of the National Honor Society, Litoborski will play for head coach Peter Letourneau at California University, an NCAA Division II institution located in California, Pa., and a member of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC).

Letourneau is in his second season at California, and has guided the Vulcans to a 61-11 record. Last year, the squad went 33-5, won the PSAC title and advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament. This year, the Vulcans are 28-6 and have advanced to the semifinals of the 2012 PSAC Tournament.

Litoborski will be the second in her family to play college volleyball. Her older sister, Jenna Litoborski ‘09, was a three-time All-SSC performer during her career at Lemont before moving on to play at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, an NCAA Division I institution and member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. She recently completed her collegiate career having earned four letters as an outside hitter and defensive specialist for the 49ers.

Ethan Pocic – Football, Louisiana State University

Lemont High School senior offensive lineman Ethan Pocic, who is one of the nation’s top recruits at his position, will sign a National Letter of Intent to play college football at Louisiana State University beginning in 2013. By graduating from LHS in December 2012, he will be eligible to enroll at LSU during the spring semester.

A 6’6”, 290-pound left tackle, Pocic is the most heralded prospect to emerge from head coach Eric Michaelsen’s Lemont football program. Pocic committed to LSU in May 2012 after receiving dozens of scholarship offers from some of the nation’s top programs, including Alabama, Florida, Notre Dame and Ohio State.

A four-star recruit, Pocic ranks among the Class of 2013’s top 50 players, and rates among the top five offensive tackles in the country according to several recruiting services. He twice has been named an IHSA Class 6A All-State selection, and has been chosen to participate in the 2013 Under Armour High School All-America Game in Tampa, Fla., in January.

Lemont has been one of the state’s top football programs for several years, but that success has heightened during Pocic’s tenure. The Indians have collected a 34-3 record since 2010, which has included a sterling 17-1 mark in South Suburban Conference-Blue Division play and an 8-2 record in the IHSA playoffs.

Lemont has won SSC Blue titles each of the last three years, and enjoyed undefeated regular seasons in both 2010 and 2011. The team advanced to the IHSA Class 6A Quarterfinals in 2010, and was an IHSA Class 6A Semifinalist in 2011.

This season, the Indians are 11-1 and are set to play in the IHSA Class 6A Semifinals against Crete-Monee on Saturday, Nov. 17.

Not surprisingly, Lemont has flourished offensively during Pocic’s career, averaging 36.9 points per game over 37 contests. The Indians have rolled up more than 12,000 total yards in three seasons, including more than 8,000 yards rushing. This season, Lemont has averaged 35.5 points and 357.1 total yards per game (236.3 yards rushing, 120.8 yards passing).The Indians have recorded at least 200 yards rushing in eight of 11 contests.

To complement his work on the offensive line, Pocic has added duties on the defensive line as a senior. He has totaled 26 tackles (19 solo) and recorded two fumble recoveries in limited playing time.

During Pocic’s junior year in 2011, the Indians came an overtime period short of advancing to the state finals before finishing with a 12-1 record. That squad’s offense was one of the most prolific in school history, averaging an all-time best 39.7 points per game and rolling up more than 4,500 yards in total offense. In his first varsity season in 2010, Lemont averaged 35.2 points per game on its way to an 11-1 finish and an IHSA Quarterfinal appearance.

Pocic will play for head coach Les Miles at Louisiana State University, a member of the Southeastern Conference - considered by many as the nation’s top college football conference.

The Tigers routinely send players to the National Football League, and have won two Bowl Championship Series titles in the last 10 years (2003, 2007). This season, LSU ranks among the nation’s top 10 and is 8-2 overall (4-2 SEC).

Miles, who has racked up an 83-20 record in eight seasons, was named the National Coach of the Year by several organizations in 2011 after leading his team to an SEC title and an appearance in the BCS title game.

Other Lemont Football Standouts

Pocic certainly is not the first Lemont offensive lineman to move on to a major college football program. Over the last five years, several Lemont lineman have gone on to play at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, including Pocic’s brother Graham Pocic ‘08 (Illinois), David Molk ‘07 (Michigan) and Trevor Rothstein ‘09 (Army). Molk earned the 2011 Rimington Trophy as the nation’s top center, was cited to several All-America teams, and was a seventh-round draft pick by the San Diego Chargers last spring. In addition to these standouts, current senior Tim McAuliffe has committed to play at Bowling Green State next fall.

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