4 Lemont Student-Athletes Make College Commitments

LEMONT, IL — Four Lemont High School student-athletes have announced their commitments to compete collegiately beginning in Fall 2027, the school shared in a news release

Students include baseball players Michael Kalkowski (Colorado School of Mines), Zane Schneider (Grand Valley State University) and Kyle Swanson (Morton College), and gymnast Bridget Karl (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign).

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The school provided some information on each student-athlete below:

Michael Kalkowski – Career Highlights
• Has earned two varsity letters playing for head coach Brian Storako
• Two-year contributor in the outfield
• Is a .284 career hitter with four home runs, 33 runs batted in, 57 runs scored, and 27 stolen bases
• Has helped Lemont to a composite 56-13-1 record, two South Suburban Conference-Blue Division titles, and one IHSA Regional crown
• Earned All-SSC Blue accolades as a junior in 2026
• Made his varsity debut as a sophomore in 2025
• Also earned two varsity letters in football
• Plays travel baseball for Cangelosi Sparks
• High Honor Roll and National Honor Society student
• Will play for head coach Pat Jolley at Colorado School of Mines, an NCAA Division II institution that is located in Golden, Colo., and is a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. Jolley is in his first season as head coach. The Orediggers were the RMAC Tournament runner-up in 2026.

Bridget Karl – Career Highlights
• One of the state's top prep gymnasts
• Four-time USA Gymnastics Women's Development Program Level 10 national qualifier
• Was the Illinois USAG Level 10 vault champion in 2026
• Career bests include 9.700 in the vault, 9.325 in the bars, 9.575 in the beam, and 9.525 in the floor exercise
• Also posted a career-best All-Around score of 37.300
• Trains at BIG Gymnastics
• Cited as the club's MVP in 2025
• High Honor Roll and National Honor Society student
• Will compete for head coach Josh Nilson at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, an NCAA Division I institution that is located in Champaign, and is a member of the Big Ten Conference.

Zane Schneider – Career Highlights
• Has earned two varsity letters playing for head coach Brian Storako
• Two-time all-conference performer who is ranked as one of the state's top third basemen by Prep Baseball Report
• Is a .361 career hitter with four home runs, 60 runs batted in, 63 runs scored, and 32 stolen bases
• Has helped Lemont to a composite 56-13-1 record, two South Suburban Conference-Blue Division titles, and one IHSA Regional crown
• Repeated as an All-SSC Blue selection as a junior in 2026
• Batted a team-high .367 with three home runs and a team leading 35 RBIs
• Led the team in hits (36), triples (2), stolen bases (20) and slugging percentage (.551)
• Also was second on the squad in home runs and OPS (1.018) and third in runs scored (34)
• Made his varsity debut as a sophomore in 2025
• Also is a four-year member of the boys' basketball program who has served as a team captain and earned All-SSC honors
• Plays travel baseball for Cangelosi Sparks
• High Honor Roll student
• Will play for head coach Jordan Keur at Grand Valley State University, an NCAA Division II institution that is located in Allendale, Michigan, and is a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Kyle Swanson – Career Highlights

• Has earned one varsity letter playing for head coach Brian Storako
• Lefthanded pitcher who also may contribute at first base as a senior
• Made his varsity debut as a junior in 2026
• Batted .333 with one RBI, five runs scored, and one stolen base in limited duty
• Also made three appearances on the mound, posting a 1-0 record with a 1.50 ERA
• Struck out five and allowed just three hits in 4.2 innings of work
• Lemont went 30-5 and posted a perfect 19-0 record in SSC play
• Plays travel baseball for Lemont Lightning and has earned multiple all-tournament awards
• High Honor Roll student
• Will play for head coach Christopher Wido at Morton College, a junior college that is located in Cicero, and is a member of the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference.