A Crystal Lake South High School dean, who is also a Prairie Ridge High School volleyball coach, was arrested for driving under the influence and causing an injury crash while she had two children in the car.

The Crystal Lake Police Department and Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department responded around 9:15 p.m. last Friday to the intersection of Route 31 and Three Oaks Road for a vehicle crash with injuries.

Crystal Lake Deputy Police Chief Thomas Kotlowski said the investigation showed the at-fault driver in the crash was Hilary Agnello, 43, of Crystal Lake.

Agnello was suspected to be under the influence of alcohol at the time and arrested by officers, Kotlowski said.

Kotlowski said at least two people were transported by ambulance from the crash with minor injuries.

Agnello had two juveniles in the vehicle with her, Kotlowski added.

Agnello was charged with driving under the influence, two counts of child endangerment, operating an uninsured motor vehicle and failure to reduce speed to avoid a crash.

A criminal complaint filed in McHenry County Circuit Court said the two children in Agnello’s car were ages 12 and 14.

An officer noted in a report that Agnello’s speech was thick-tongued and she had an odor of alcoholic beverage emitting from her breathing and field sobriety testing showed further signs of impairment.

The report said Agnello refused to submit to or failed to complete testing, resulting in a minimum 12-month suspension of her driving privileges.

Kotlowski said Agnello refused to submit to blood alcohol testing and a search warrant was obtained for blood samples, which will be sent to the lab for analysis.

Agnell is one of the deans at Crystal Lake South High School in District 155. She is also the girl’s volleyball head coach at Prairie Ridge High School in Prairie Grove, which is also in District 155.

Agnello was released from custody following her arrest and is scheduled to appear for her first court hearing in the case on June 10.

Court records show Agnell has a prior driving under the influence violation from 2017 and also has numerous traffic violations in McHenry County, including one where she fled the scene of a crash involving a parked vehicle last year.

Chris Lindauer has been named Paul A. Violich Director of Women’s Swimming, as announced by interim athletics director and chief operating officer Alden Mitchell on Thursday afternoon. 

Lindauer becomes the eighth head coach in program history, taking the helm of the NCAA’s most decorated women’s swimming and diving program, which boasts 12 national titles and 25 conference championships. 

Stanford remains the only women’s swimming and diving program to never finish outside the top 10 at a national championship meet.

“It is an absolute honor and privilege to have the opportunity to lead the most successful women’s swimming and diving program in NCAA history,” Lindauer said. “The standard for academic and athletic excellence at Stanford is second to none, and provides a platform for greatness well beyond the student-athlete experience. I’d like to thank Alden Mitchell, Angie Jabir, and Richard Zhu for believing in me and giving my family and I this amazing opportunity. It is my absolute mission to continue the excellent tradition of bringing NCAA Championships to The Farm, and I cannot wait to get started.”

Lindauer has a proven track record of elevating programs to new heights, coaching 10 individual national champions, 46 women’s NCAA All-Americans, and 49 men’s NCAA All-Americans during his 15-year coaching career.

He also brings an Olympic-level coaching pedigree, mentoring a pair of gold medalists and 13 Olympic qualifiers, in addition to serving on the USA National Team coaching staff from 2018-20. 

“We are excited to welcome Chris Lindauer to serve as the next leader of the Stanford women’s swimming and diving program,” said Mitchell, “With his Olympic, national team, NCAA, and ACC success, Chris will build upon the program’s rich tradition of competitive excellence in the pool and beyond. Chris’ humility, dedication to building lasting relationships, and focus on ensuring a high-academic experience will make a lasting impact on our student-athletes. We look forward to welcoming Chris, Beth, and their three sons, Jack, Owen, and Brady to The Farm.”

Lindauer comes to Stanford after a three-year stint leading the Notre Dame swimming and diving programs. During his time in South Bend, he led the men’s program to back-to-back historic NCAA finishes, including a program-best 10th place in 2024. 

His work with the men’s program included coaching 2024 ACC Swimmer of the Year Chris Giuliano and 2023 ACC Freshman of the Year Tommy Janton, a tandem that combined for five ACC titles and 14 All-America honors.

On the women’s side, Lindauer coached First Team All-ACC honorees Madelyn Christman (200 back) and Maggie Graves (1650 free) in 2024.

Lindauer’s success with the Fighting Irish earned him his first Olympic coaching role, serving as an assistant coach for Team USA at the 2024 Olympic Games. In Paris, Lindauer worked directly with Guiliano as he turned in a World record-breaking performance en route to Olympic Gold in the 4x100m freestyle relay, along with a silver medal in the 4x200m freestyle relay.

Prior to Notre Dame, Lindauer spent 13 seasons at Louisville, most recently serving as associate head coach. During his tenure, Lindauer coached numerous Olympians and 12 NCAA champions, with his student-athletes earning more than 100 All-America honors.

His time in Louisville was highlighted by the Cardinals’ first ACC men’s title in 2021, as well as a historic 2019 season in which Louisville became the first ACC school to have both the men’s and women’s teams earn top-five finishes at the NCAA Championships in the same season, a program-best finish for both teams.

With the Cardinals, Lindauer coached Kelsi Worrell (2012-16), a two-time NCAA champion and 2016 Olympic Gold medalist in the 4x100m medley relay. Lindauer was also key in the development of two-time NCAA champion Nick Albiero (2017-22), and Mallory Comerford (2015-19), a four-time national champion and the first woman in ACC history to earn Swimmer of the Year honors in three consecutive seasons.

A native of Westminster, Colorado, Lindauer also swam collegiately at Louisville, where he was a four-time Big East champion and seven-time All-Big East selection. He graduated in 2008 with a degree in Biology.

Lindauer arrives on The Farm with his wife, Beth, and their three sons, Jack, Owen, and Brady.

The hiring is contingent on the successful completion of a background check.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (theACC.com) – On the first day of the 2025 Atlantic Coast Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships, six facility records were broken as the California women and Duke men got out to early leads on Thursday, May 15. The Golden Bears, competing in their first ACC Outdoor Track & Field Championships, logged 27 points and hold a one-point lead over Virginia Tech heading into the second day of competition. With 30 points on the opening day, the Duke men lead the field by 17 points with North Carolina sitting in second place.
 

Miami’s Devoux Deysel opened the 2025 ACC Outdoor Track & Field Championships with a strong showing in the men’s javelin. Deysel outthrew the competition by nearly 15 meters (48 feet) before finishing with a facility-record mark of 82.35 meters (270-2). Entering Thursday, his mark would be the longest in the country by 1.34 meters and fell just 0.57 meters shy of the ACC record. The previous Kentner Stadium record in the men’s javelin was 79.97 meters and had stood since 2008.
 

California picked up its first-ever gold medal at the ACC Outdoor Track & Field Championships when sophomore Giavonna Meeks finished first in the women’s hammer throw with a facility-record mark of 67.86 meters (222-8). Her teammate, Valentina Savva, finished second, while Audrey Jacobs and Adrianna Coleman rounded out All-ACC honors for the Golden Bears, finishing fifth and sixth, respectively. Virginia Tech’s Mariana Pestana took third place to round out the podium.
 
In the men’s hammer throw, Duke’s Christian Toro finished in first place with a mark of 68.35 meters (224-3). Virginia’s Keyandre Davis finished second (67.12m/220-2), while Cal’s Jared Freeman took third (66.52m/218-3).
 
Virginia Tech’s Lyndsey Reed took the gold medal in the women’s pole vault with a mark of 4.42 meters (14-6) on her first attempt, while Louisville’s Ashley Callahan finished second, needing two tries to clear the same height. Duke’s Allison Neiders and Gemma Tutton, alongside Virginia Tech’s Chiara Sistermann, finished in a three-way tie for third place at 4.32 meters (14-2) on their third attempts.
 

For the sixth time in his collegiate career, North Carolina’s Parker Wolfe is an ACC Champion. The Tar Heel standout logged his third career outdoor track & field individual title by winning the men’s 10,000-meter run in a facility-record time of 28:51.09. Wolfe was joined on the podium by Stanford’s Lex Young (28:55.29) and Notre Dame’s Ethan Coleman (28:59.86), who took second and third, respectively.
 
Virginia’s Jenny Schilling also set the facility record in the women’s 10,000-meter run, crossing the finish line in a time of 33:22.34. Notre Dame earned a trio of All-ACC honorees in the event, highlighted by a second-place finish by Emily Covert. North Carolina’s Fatima Alanis rounded out the podium finishers.
 
In the prelims for the women’s 200-meter dash, Duke’s Braelyn Baker set a new Kentner Stadium record, clocking a time of 23.02 seconds. Louisville’s Kiyah Yeast also went under the previous record with a time of 23.08 seconds.
 
The prelims of the women’s 400-meter hurdles also saw the facility record fall on Thursday night, when Florida State’s Tyra Wilson crossed the finish line with a time of 55.73 seconds. Miami’s Sanaa Hebron also went under the previous record, which had stood since 2006.
 
Top-Three Event Finishers
Men’s Javelin

1. Devoux Deysel, Miami, 82.35m [FR]
2. Scott Campbell, Duke, 67.75m
3. Matt Prebola, Duke, 66.82m

 
Men’s Hammer Throw

1. Christian Toro, Duke, 68.35m
2. Keyandre Davis, Virginia, 67.12m
3. Jared Freeman, California, 66.52m

 
Women’s Hammer Throw

1. Giavonna Meeks, California, 67.86m [FR]
2. Valentina Savva, California, 67.63m
3. Mariana Pestana, Virginia Tech, 66.14m

 
Women’s Pole Vault

1. Lyndsey Reed, Virginia Tech, 4.42m (1)
2. Ashley Callahan, Louisville, 4.42m (2)
3. Julia Fixsen, Virginia Tech; Allison Neiders, Duke; Gemma Tutton, Duke, 4.32m (3)

 
Women’s 10,000m

1. Jenny Schilling, Virginia, 33:22.34 [FR]
2. Emily Covert, Notre Dame, 33:30.18
3. Fatima Alanis, North Carolina, 33:35.63

 
Men’s 10,000m

1. Parker Wolfe, North Carolina, 28:51.09 [FR]
2. Lex Young, Stanford, 28:55.29
3. Ethan Coleman, Notre Dame, 28:59.86

 
FR – Facility Record
 
Women’s Team Scores (3 of 21 Events scored)

 
Men’s Team Scores (3 of 21 events scored)

A strong and deep Christopher boys volleyball team had a superb season and closed strong for a league title and the playoffs. 

The Cougars finished 13-3 in the Blossom Valley Athletic League, Santa Teresa Division, and took the crown by prevailing in tiebreakers over rivals Westmont and Pioneer, who both finished with the same mark. 

CHS, 22-10 overall, advanced into the Central Coast Section Division II playoffs and lost a tight contest at Peninsula Athletic League, Bay Division runner-up Burlingame. The scores were 25-20, 25-22, 25-19. 

The accomplishments were major steps forward for the program. Just two years ago, Christopher was 5-25 overall. That number was blemished by an 0-12 record in the ultra-competitive Mt. Hamilton Division yet the Cougars were also just 5-13 in non-league games.

“We’ve been doing pretty well,” said coach Lee Guerrero, after a win over Hollister on April 30. “I think we exceeded expectations. It’s due to hard work. Diego (Rodriguez) is a high-level player. He has a lot of skill and is only a sophomore. Sam (Bravo) at setter is our quarterback. It’s his first season running the team and he is doing really good. He is a leader and is very consistent. Nolan Smith at libero is one of our team captains and a leader. He is a great team player. Every team should have a player like him.”

Diego Rodriguez smashed 398 kills with an amazing attack percentage of .364. Marc Luna had 266 kills and Matthew Garamendi put down 130. Nolan Smith led in digs with 135, Rodriguez had 109 and Rylan Antipuesto and Steven Jiminez Palao had 97 and 96 respectively. Serving leaders were Rodriguez at 31 aces and Bravo with 25.

Christopher’s winning formula began with two sophomores, the smooth Bravo with his spot-perfect sets, and the tall and talented outside hitter Rodriguez. Smith, a junior, led the defense at libero. 

Christopher’s success came from having several other major contributors. The front line attack was bolstered by the athletic duo of Luna and Garamendi. In the middle, Alberto Zaragoza, Noah Guerrero and Evan Arisa were stellar. Additional depth came from Antipuesto, Jiminez Palao and Cruz Carrasco on defense.

The Cougars came roaring out of the gate in league play this season. CHS beat Sobrato, Hill, Westmont, Pioneer, Prospect, Silver Creek, Oak Grove, Santa Teresa and Hill in succession.

The wins over Westmont in a sweep on March 13 and at Pioneer on March 18, also 3-0, were huge. Stumbles came in an April 15 loss at Westmont, a four-set defeat to Pioneer on April 17 and a five-set decision in favor of Prospect on April 22. The Cougars topped Silver Creek to start getting back on track and then performed superbly in the prestigious and challenging Bellarmine tournament on April 25 and 26.

“After spring break, we got out of the gate slow,” coach Guerrero said. “But after that, we played in the Bellarmine Tournament and went 3-3. We beat De La Salle, Carlmont and Amador Valley there.”

The Cougars got back in gear again and closed the regular season with a six-match winning streak. After winning the last two contests in that tournament, Christopher bounced Oak Grove in a sweep on April 29, Hollister in a non-league match a day later, topped Santa Teresa on May 5 and then swept Sobrato.

The Hollister contest showed their strength in a 25-16, 25-16, 23-25, 23-25, 15-10 decision on April 30. The Haybalers, from the fierce Pacific Coast Athletic League, Gabilan Division, gave them a real run for the money.

Rodriguez was dealing early, and Luna and Garamendi supported to diversify the offense and allow Bravo to pass to different players and varied points of attack. CHS charged out to a big early lead in both the first two sets. Strong serving and passing kept Hollister out of system. But the visitors tightened up their defense and pulled out dead-even sets three and four. 

The Cougars regrouped in the fifth, scoring the first five points and keeping Hollister at bay thereafter. Noah Guerrero scored early with a roll shot and with a big kill, Rodriguez utilized his quick arm swing and impressive vertical to drive two powerful kills and Luna scored off the block. Bravo and Luna combined for a double block for a point and Bravo surprised the Hollister defense with a perfectly-placed setter dump.

“It was a good game,” Bravo said. “It was fun and intense. In sets three and four, they hustled. In the time out before the fifth set, we talked it over and talked about what we do better. It was our covering, our hustling and our serving.”

Smith and the defense were particularly strong again. The passing was spot-on to Bravo, which enabled Christopher to utilize different options at the net.

“You can’t take anything for granted,” coach Guerrero said. “We learned you can’t just walk on the court and win. Hollister never gave up and they really hustled. This was a very good experience for us, as we’re still young. In the fifth set, our passing got better. And it was again great plays by Diego.”

Last year’s team was 16-11 overall, 7-5 in league play and did not qualify for the CCS playoffs. This team captured a league title and competed in the post-season. That accomplishment was a great reward for the seniors. With underclassmen already playing key roles, the future looks very bright for Cougars boys volleyball.