Year of Champion – Glenbard West

The 2014 calendar year provided several memorable finishes for Glenbard West athletes. Here’s a look back at some of their accomplishments:

Name: Madeline Perez

Sport: Girls track

Place: First in Class 3A 3,200-meter race

State run: Despite missing most of the spring season because of injury, Perez put forth a splendid effort when the lights shown brightest at the IHSA state track meet. Beating the field by nearly 12 seconds, she brought home the state title in the Class 3A 3,200-meter race with a time of 10:34.60.

Quote: "I was really happy with how everything turned out. I was willing to do what I had to do to get the win, and it was just a really amazing feeling at the end." Madeline Perez

Name: Lindsay Graham

Sport: Girls cross country

Place: Class 3A champion

State run: Two years after Madeline Perez was crowned a state champion, Graham equaled that feat with a dominating performance. After finishing 20th as a freshman and 17th as a sophomore, the junior placed first in Class 3A with a time of 16:23, blowing away the rest of the field. Runner-up Lauren Van Vlierberge of Jacobs finished 25 seconds back.

Quote: "It was awesome. It's something that I've been thinking about throughout the whole season and I'm really happy it came true." Lindsay Graham

Name: Perry Zumbrook

Sport: Boys gymnastics

Place: Vault champion

State run: A varsity veteran for the Hilltoppers, this senior ended his high school athletic career last spring with an individual state title on the vault. He posted a score of 9.75 on the event after registering a 9.50 at the sectional. Zumbrook was also seventh on the parallel bars.

Quote: "One of the greatest days of my life, definitely. Dreams come true. I set this goal my freshman year. I made it to state on one event; it was vault. I told myself I was going to make it and I was going to make it big. I'm glad that I did." Perry Zumbrook

Name: Lindsay Graham

Sport: Girls track

Place: Second in Class 3A 3,200-meter race

State run: Graham will look to add a track state title this spring to her cross country championship after finishing second behind teammate Madeline Perez in the 3,200-meter race last season. She crossed the line in a time of 10:40.73.

10:42.42 Time posted by Graham as a freshman when she finished fifth in the 3,200

Name: Max Diab

Sport: Boys gymnastics

Place: 2nd on still rings, fourth on vault

State run: The younger brother of 2012 all-around champion Alex Diab, Max was seventh in the all-around competition before posting a pair of top-five finishes in individual events.

9.10 Score posted by Diab on the still rings, which put him in second place on that event

School: Glenbard West

Sport: Boys volleyball

Place: Third

State run: The Hilltoppers advanced to the state tournament for the second time in program history and ended up bringing home a third-place trophy after defeating Lake Park in two games in the season finale. Glenbard West beat Morton in the state quarterfinals before falling in three games to Warren in the semis.

35 Final victory tally for the 2014 squad, which set a new program record.

School: Glenbard West

Sport: Girls cross country

Place: Third

State run: One year after capturing a state title, the Hilltoppers emerged from the state meet with another trophy, this time of a third-place variety. The team was led by individual champion Lindsay Graham while Lindsey Payne and Lisa Luczak also notched all-state status.

3 Points separating Glenbard West from runner-up Palatine

School: Glenbard West

Sport: Football

Place: Semifinalist

State run: While Glenbard West fell short of their ultimate goal of a state championship, the Hilltoppers still put together another outstanding season on the gridiron. The squad captured another conference title after going through the regular season undefeated and advanced to the Class 8A semis before falling 7-3 to Stevenson.

5 Semifinalist appearances that the Hilltoppers have made in the eight years under coach Chad Hetlet

School: Glenbard West

Sports: Boys gymnastics

Place: Fourth

State run: After running away with the title at the sectional it hosted, Glenbard West brought home a fourth-place trophy from the state meet. Led by freshman all-arounder Max Diab and seniors Perry Zumbrook and Joey Mandarino, the Hilltoppers finished behind state champion Wheaton Coop, Stevenson and Lyons.

151.90 Score posted by Glenbard West at the IHSA state meet, which was over three points better than fifth-place Niles West

School: Glenbard West

Sport: Boys cross country

Place: Fifth

State run: After finishing second at the Lake Park regional and the Niles West sectional, Glenbard West went on to place fifth in Class 3A behind all-state performer Chris Buechner. The senior came in 19th and was followed by Eric Neumann in 39th.

20 Points that separated Glenbard West from West Suburban Silver powerhouse York, which came in sixth place at the state meet

Name: Lindsey Payne

Sport: Girls cross country

Place: Fifth

State run: What a freshman year it was for Payne, who capped off her fall with a trio of strong state series performances. She was the runner-up at the regional and sectional before placing fifth in the Class 3A race.

17:00 Payne’s time in the Class 3A state race, which placed her one second behind fourth-place finisher Alex Haff of Hinsdale Central