High school sports: State championships at Glenbard West, Wheaton Warrenville South top 2016 highlights

With the calendar about to flip to 2017, now is the perfect time to honor the sensational state performances the athletes from Glenbard South, Glenbard West, Wheaton North, Wheaton Warrenville South and other area schools enjoyed in 2016. Here’s a look at their accomplishments.

State champions

Wheaton Warrenville South

Sport: Girls golf

Event: Class 2A

State run: The Tigers brought home the first team title in a girls sport for South, which was exciting enough. Then when the team got around to looking at the numbers a bit more closely, things got better. The 605 team score set a state record for 36 holes, and WWS posted four scores in the 70s on the second day of the state tourney for its best round of the season. The Tigers topped Barrington (612) for the title as Sarah Hauenstein tied for sixth place individually (146).

Quote: "Our team this year, we couldn't ever get four scores in the 70s," senior Annalee Dannegger said. "We would have two girls play really well and a couple that would fall behind, so to have everything come together at state was great. Finishing third [as a team] last year we were super happy with that, and this year we knew we were going to have to play excellent golf to even get a trophy. We all knew we were capable of playing well, but to get all four scores in the 70s at one time was great."

Glenbard West

Sport: Boys volleyball

State run: The Hilltoppers were 2015 state champions and they placed third in the state in 2014, but their run to the 2016 state title was one of the most dominant performances the state is likely ever to see. West went 42-0, becoming just the fifth undefeated champion ever. The Hilltoppers were just the third program to repeat as state champion. Only one previous state champion, Wheaton Warrenville South's 2012 team, won as many matches in a season. The Hilltoppers set a program record for wins in a season and were victorious in 61 straight matches dating to May 2, 2015.

Perhaps most impressive is West didn’t drop a set during the entire 2016 season, winning every match in two sets. That’s 42 matches, 84 set wins.

Quote: "We came into this [state] tournament expecting to drop a set every single match," senior Paulie Bischoff said. "We came into the Sandburg match [in the state semifinal] expecting them to beat us because we knew they had the potential to do that. Our goal wasn't to go 84-0 in sets, our goal was just to win every single match and I think with that mentality in every set we were able to get it done."

Katelynne Hart, Glenbard West

Sport: Girls cross country

Event: Class 3A

State run: Only once did Hart fail to finish first in a race during her debut season as a high school cross country runner, and that came in the first race of the season. Hart capped a tremendous season by winning the Class 3A state race with a freshman-record time of 16:31. She finished just a few steps ahead of junior teammate Lindsey Payne (16:34) as they solidified their place as a formidable 1-2 combo.

Quote: "It's an amazing feeling. It was so cool having [Payne] next to me the whole race," Hart said. "The atmosphere was great. There were a lot of fans and everyone was cheering. I kept saying to myself, 'I've got to keep pushing until I hit the blue [finish] mats.'"

Lindsey Payne, Glenbard West

Sport: Girls track

Event: Class 3A 3,200-meter run

State run: Running in both distance events at the Class 3A state meet in May, Payne captured the title in the 3,200-meter run with a time of 10:35.40 and also was an all-state ninth in the 1,600 (5:03.65) as West tied for 14th as a team. Payne added a runner-up finish at the Class 3A state cross country meet in November to her growing distance-running resume.

Quote: "I never really won a title like that," Payne said of the 3,200. "It's obviously such an overwhelming, awesome feeling. … I was just hoping to get top three or so."

Maddie Diab, Glenbard West

Sport: Girls gymnastics

Event: All-around, beam and vault

State run: Diab's debut at the state meet as a high school gymnast could not have gone much better. She became the Hilltoppers' first female state champ as she brought home three state titles in February. She won the all-around (38.2) on the first day of state, then added titles on beam (9.525) and vault (9.9) on the second day. She was seventh on uneven parallel bars (9.375) and eighth on floor exercise (9.125) for more stellar state finishes.

Quote: "I'm just so happy," Diab said. "I just didn't think any of that was possible for me."

Luke Armbrust, St. Francis

Sport: Boys golf

Event: Class 2A

State run: Armbrust, a junior, was a stroke back in a tie for fifth after the first round of the Class 2A tournament, but things got even better on the second day of state as he shot a 2-over-par 73 to win the state title by one stroke with a 173 total.

Wheaton Academy

Sport: Girls soccer

Event: Class 1A

State run: Few things are as dramatic as overtime in sporting events, which was part of what made Wheaton Academy's title so thrilling. Junior Gretchen Pearson found the ball at her feet and plenty of space to work, but passed the ball to a streaking Sophie Lindquist. The freshman made a few cuts and sent a left-footed shot to the left side of the net from 10 yards out for the decisive goal in the Warriors' 2-1 overtime win against Marian Central Catholic in the title game on May 28. It was the Warriors' third state title and they finished 22-3-3 on the season.

Quote: "It was really surreal," Lindquist said of scoring the winning goal. "I didn't even know it was a possibility that we were going to make it to the state championship game. It was really fun to be here."

Ahalya Lettenberger, Glenbard West

Sports: Girls track, girls swimming

Events: Class 3A 200- and 400-meter track races; 100-yard breaststroke

State run: Competing at both state track and state swimming, Lettenberger won three titles in events for athletes with disabilities. She was the top finisher in the 200-meter (40.54 seconds) and 400-meter (1:22.23) races at state track in May, and she was the 100-yard breaststroke champ (1:36.23) at state swimming in November. Additionally, she was the runner-up in the 100 wheelchair race at state track (21.82 second) and second in the 100 freestyle at state swimming (1:09.71).

Quote: "It felt really awesome being here with my teammates and the experience has just been amazing," Lettenberger said. "[Racing] is really cool. I feel the vibe of the crowd and it really pushes you to swim faster."

Daniela Polencheck, Glenbard West

Sport: Girls track

Event: Class 3A 100-meter track race

State run: Polencheck competed in all three races for athletes with disabilities at the state track meet in May, and she brought home the 100-meter race title with a time of 21.80 seconds, just ahead of teammate Ahalya Lettenberger. Polencheck was second to Lettenberger in the 200 and 400 state track races.

Quote: "[Ahalya and I] support each other in everything we do," Polencheck said. "We're like, 'Let's win this. Let's be No. 1, No. 2.'"

Timmy Le, Glenbard West

Sport: Boys gymnastics

Events: Parallel bars, champion; vault, second place

State run: Le went into the state meet in May expecting to compete for titles on vault and floor. He surprised himself by scoring an 8.9 to win on parallel bars, becoming West's first state champ in that event. He ended up placing second on vault with a 9.5.

Quote: "That was the last event I was thinking [I'd win]," Le said of parallel bars. "It means a lot. I'm so happy."

Second at state

Paul Bonokollie, Glenbard West

Sport: Boys gymnastics

Event: Pommel horse

State run: Bonokollie picked the perfect time for a personal-best performance on the pommel horse. At the state meet in May, the senior bested his previous best by .15 points as he scored a 9.45 for second place after being sixth in 2015 (8.8).

Quote: "My pace, tempo was perfect, exactly how I practiced it. Everything I did was my best," Bonokollie said.

Glenbard West

Sport: Boys gymnastics

State run: In the team competition at the state meet on May 13, the Hilltoppers had hopes for their second state championship. They scored a season-high 154.40, but were edged by Niles West's 154.75 – equaling the closest victory margin in state finals history. Despite coming up short of the title, the Hilltoppers brought home their first state trophy since taking third in 2007.

Quote: "We had a great meet. We had our high score of the season and, unfortunately, Niles West was just better," Glenbard West coach Frank Novakowski said. "[The boys] were a little disappointed. Their goal was to be state champions, but I asked them to hold their heads up high and be proud of their accomplishments. They won second place. They earned it. They forced Niles West to beat them."

Tyler Sesvold, Wheaton Academy

Sport: Boys swimming

Event: 100-yard backstroke

State run: Sesvold altered the Wheaton Academy record books at the state swimming meet in February. He became the program's top finisher and just the second state medalist in school history as he clocked a time of 49.98 seconds to place second in the 100-yard backstroke finals.

Sesvold was nearly a double medalist as his time of 21.49 in the 50 freestyle prelims was only a fraction of a second away from making the finals as a top-12 finisher. Rob O’Dell, who finished eighth in the 200 freestyle in 1984, was Wheaton Academy’s only swimming medalist prior to Sesvold’s showing.

Third at state

Frankie Pham, Glenbard West

Sport: Boys gymnastics

Event: Still rings

State run: At the state meet, Pham earned nines in prelims, finals and the team competition. He finished third individually on rings with a 9.0 in the finals.

Quote: "I was looking for first place, but that's what drove me to get third place," Pham said.

Lucas Cooperman, Wheaton co-op

Sport: Boys gymnastics

Events: Parallel bars, third; floor exercise, fourth

State run: Shoulder, back and thumb ailments hardly slowed Cooperman at the state gymnastics meet in May. He scored an 8.8 for third on parallel bars and tallied a 9.3 on floor exercise to finish fourth and become the first three-time floor state medalist on floor.

Quote: "The fact that I was able to come back for sectionals and compete at state one more time was huge for me, and to end on a high note," Cooperman said. "Three years in a row getting fourth on floor, that's consistency if I've ever seen it. Parallel bars I had a chance [to win], but I'll take third any day."

Glenbard West

Sport: Football

Event: Class 8A state semifinalist

State run: In a season that saw an impressive multiyear conference winning streak end as numerous injuries took their toll, the Hilltoppers still put together a memorable season that saw them be one of the final four teams playing in the state. A 42-13 loss against Loyola in a state semifinal on Nov. 19 was the only thing that prevented them from getting to state for the second straight year and for the third time in the past five seasons. West finished with a 10-3 record, its nine straight year of double-digit victories.

Quote: "I feel good about what our kids did," Glenbard West coach Chad Hetlet said. "There are only eight teams that walk out of this as state champions out of 500-some schools."

Fourth at state

Dan Webber, Wheaton North

Sport: Boys track and field

Event: Class 3A discus

State run: Already one of the best discus throwers in Wheaton North history, Webber added to his standing at the state meet in May. He recorded a mark of 177 feet, 6 inches for fourth place. Webber was an all-state seventh as a junior at the 2015 state meet.

Quote: "It's definitely a step up from last year," Webber said. "I was just throwing my heart out. My technique's a lot better and I've gotten a lot stronger, all thanks to coach [Dan] McQuaid. We have a real bond."

St. Francis

Sport: Girls soccer

Event: Class 2A

State run: The Spartans were a relatively young team with only six seniors on the roster, but that youth didn't show in the postseason. St. Francis scored 34 goals in its first five playoff games to reach the state semifinals. A 1-0 semifinal loss against Deerfield and a 2-1 loss against Sycamore in the third-place game meant the Spartans came home with fourth place in their second trip to state.

Quote: "This just shows us that if we put our minds to it we can accomplish anything," St. Francis' Tammy Syron said. "We set this as a goal at the beginning of the season and we put our minds and our hearts to it and we worked for it and we got here. I think seeing a lot of younger players starting shows us that we have the talent and ability throughout all four [grade levels]. We have a lot to lean on."

Glenbard West

Sport: Girls gymnastics

State run: Glenbard West made its fifth trip to state as a team and posted its best finish with a fourth-place showing. In addition to three-event champion Maddie Diab, West had Amber Broucek, Sarah DeStefano and Alison Oakes as individual state qualifiers while Amanda Rosch, Cailey Cranny and Katherine Hoban also competed for the team.

Quote: "Getting to fourth, I think that'll motivate them that much more to try to get to that [top-three] trophy," West coach Carlos Fuentes said.

Glenbard West

Sport: Girls track

Event: 4x800-meter relay

State run: The quartet of Grace Rogers, Katie Hohe, Kathryn Kenwood and Janie Nabholz brought home a state medal in May as they clocked a 9:18.89 for a fourth-place showing.

Glenbard West

Sport: Girls tennis

Event: Class 2A

State run: Behind the deep state tournament runs of singles player Sienna Lopez and the doubles team of Grace Giffin and Molly Rueth, who both posted 4-2 records at state and made it to the sixth round of consolation play, the Hilltoppers placed fourth in the state.

Darien Kaufmann, Glenbard West

Sport: Wrestling

Event: Class 3A 285 pounds

State run: An early loss to the eventual state champion put Kaufmann into the backdraw at the state tourney in February. He won three times in the backdraw to reach the third-place match and finished fourth at 285.

Fifth at state

Charles Faber, Glenbard West

Sport: Wrestling

Event: Class 3A 113 pounds

State run: Faber was bounced into the consolation bracket early at the state tourney, but he won three backdraw matches, including 12-6 in the fifth-place match to bring home a state medal.

Samantha Choi, Wheaton Warrenville South

Sport: Girls tennis

Event: Class 2A singles

State run: A setback in the fourth round of the main draw was the only blemish at state for Choi, who went 6-1 and won all of her matches in two sets, including a 7-5, 6-4 victory in the fifth-place match.