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Taking her game to the next level seems to come naturally for Shannon Caliri. Caliri, a right-handed batter, became a left-handed slap hitter around the age of 12 with the help of her coaches on the Wasco Diamonds’ travel team (based in Elburn) in order to fully utilize her speed. (Slap hitters are good at aiming the ball to a specific spot in the field where an opponents’ defense is weakest.) Caliri spent most of last spring pitching for St. Charles North High School’s junior varsity team, where she compiled a 14-2 record. But towards the end of the 2011 …

Last season, he was an honorable mention all-state defensive end for Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville who could be counted on to make big plays for the Warriors — be it a quarterback sack, throwing an opposing ball carrier for a loss in the backfield, or making a key tackle. Fast-forward to 2012, and the three-year prep starter has been assigned to the scout team at Northern Illinois University. Ippolito, Neuqua Valley’s all-time leader in sacks, won’t see any playing time for the Huskies because he’s been red-shirted — meaning the NIU coaching staff decided prior to the start …

EDITOR’S NOTE: Quinn’s accomplishments were brought to Fra Noi’s attention by his uncle, DuPage County businessman Jerry Marchese. We misidentified Jerry as Quinn’s grandfather in the magazine teaser, and we’d like to apologize for that error. Jerry informs us that his grandsons, Matteo and Danato DiMarco, are also standout athletes. We’ll be profiling them, as well as Quinn’s brother, Hayden, in future issues. The triple-option offense isn’t the prototypical football offense where a team runs a specific play that’s decided in the huddle. Plenty of responsibility falls on the shoulders of the quarterback, who must be able to read defenses …

Fans and followers of high school sports in the Chicago area — particularly those who root for York High School (Elmhurst) and the West Suburban Conference — may want to keep an eye out for Joseph Martucci IV. A freshman at the school, Joey Martucci is coming up through the ranks in not one, but three sports. Last fall, Martucci went out for football for the first time at the urging of friends who were on the team. At 6-foot, 185 pounds, he clearly possesses the size to line up on the gridiron, and as it turned out, also had …

Peter Ferreri does a little bit of everything in the world of broadcasting. He often works a seven-day week, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. On weekends, you can usually find him at wedding receptions as a master of ceremonies, and later in the evening spinning dance tunes–all part of his duties as a DJ …which, he adds, is a job that’s much more difficult than it looks. Or he’ll likely be out and about in the Chicago area doing remote DJ work for promotional events at Radio Disney Chicago 1300 AM. But his 9-to-5 job, if there …

If there’s a high school volleyball-related accolade or award that Lauren Carlini hasn’t received during her brilliant four-year varsity career at West Aurora High School, then that accolade or award hasn’t yet been devised. Carlini’s achievements are too long to list here, so we’ll give you a few of her top ones: * AVCA Under Armour First Team all-American team member * Four-time AAU all-American * 2011 Junior Olympic volleyball team member. * Illinois all-star team member * Two-time Aurora Beacon-News Athlete of the Year (2011 and 2012) * Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year (2012) But in December, Carlini …

Very few individuals ever have a city or village issue a proclamation in his or her honor, yet Sal Annoreno experienced that before his 18th birthday. Bartlett Village President Michael Airdo proclaimed March 6, 2012, Sal Annoreno Day in the village after Annoreno had won the 132-pound state championship at the IHSA individual wrestling meet a few weeks earlier. Annoreno’s title-winning performance marked the first time in Bartlett High School history that a wrestler had ever won a state crown. He also is only the fourth grappler to ever win a title from Elgin School District U46–the largest school district …

Dr. Joseph Favia was recently installed as president of the Arcolian Dental Arts Society. A 1993 graduate of Loyola University School of Dentistry, where he served as Student Congress president, Dr. Favia has pursued advanced education from some of dentistry’s best institutions, including the Peter Dawson Academy for Advanced Dental Education and the Pankey Institute. He currently teaches implant surgical procedures internationally to general dentists for Henry Schein’s Camlog Implant system. In 1997, Dr. Favia founded the Windy City Classic Celebrity Golf Tourney, which has raised more than $1 million toward cancer research in memory of Jim Valvano and Walter …

Richard Belmonte was recently installed as president of the Calabresi in America Organization. A veteran of the U.S. Army who served overseas in Korea after the war, Belmonte was a career firefighter, starting with the Westchester Fire Department in 1978 and working his way up from lieutenant in 1982 and captain in 1989 to chief in 2006, a position he held until his retirement in 2011. Belmonte joined CIAO in 2000, “to enjoy the camaraderie and celebrate the shared heritage.” He has held leadership positions since 2002, serving on the advisory board and board of directors and holding the positions …

Casa Italia’s Festival Center was transformed into an elegant banquet hall on June 30 for the wedding reception of Renee Sarno and Joe Gagliardo. Janet Sarno, a wedding planner and the mother of the bride, was the magician behind the transformation, bringing in a crew that labored for three days to install the lighting, decorations, table dressings and dance floor that transformed down-to-earth venue into a wedding wonderland. “I’ve planned many weddings, mostly in downtown venues that were all fabulous. For my daughter’s wedding, I wanted something equally beautiful and elegant but I also wanted to bring back the spirit …