Veteran tennis coach Dominic Giacomini

He was the women’s tennis coach at the University of Illinois Springfield from 1991 to 2007.

He says the academy will continue and Rochester High School Sonthana Thongsithavong and UIS tennis coach Samantha Schall will oversee it.

Brenna Whalen, who will be at senior in the fall at Sacred Heart-Griffin High School, will represent Team USA in the 2017 World Dwarf Games from Aug.

The World Dwarf Games are held every four years like the Olympics and offers individual and team competition in 13 different sports.

A year ago, Whalen won gold in the 100- and 200-meter dashes and helped her 4×100 relay team to a second-place finish at the National Dwarf Athletic Association of America Olympics in Boston.

Springfield’s Ryan Held, an Olympic gold medalist swimmer, has been selected to a 13-person national team to represent America in the World University Games from Aug.

Rich Herrin, who served as coach of the Southern Illinois University men’s basketball team for 13 seasons from 1985-1998, came to town for a basketball camp recently.

Herrin, 74, guided the Patriots to the 2016 National Christian College Athletic Association National Invitational Tournament championship.

The senior-to-be at the University of Illinois Springfield, Rothmund, who was named first team all-Great Lakes Valley Conference this spring, is hitting .331 for the Dans and his 10 home runs rank third in the league while he is second in RBIs with 42.

Other RWA locals who played in the top-5 individually were: Evan Christison (second place in the 7-8 grade in 196-213); Conner Miller (third place, 7-8 grade, 196-213); Cody Flavin (third place, 11-12, 239-302); Mason Ross (fourth place, 9-10, 121-126); Zach Fultz (fourth place, 9-10, 237-261); Drew Davis (fifth place, 5-6, 53-64), and Hunter Crumly (fifth place, 11-12, 211-231).