Top 5 Sports Stories of 2024 in Kendall County

It was a calendar year of outstanding achievements for many Kendall County athletic programs and individuals. Teams recording historic seasons. Record-setting accomplishments. Individual glory on the greatest of stages.

Here are the Top 5 Sports Stories of 2024 in Kendall County.

Sandwich junior Sunny Weber wins state cross country title

It’s hard to fathom now, but there was a time when Sandwich junior Sunny Weber was an unknown on the high school running scene.

That lasted one race.

It was two Augusts ago that Weber, then just days into her freshman year at Sandwich, posted a stunning win in her first high school race at the Morris Early Bird Invite.

“I still remember that meet,” Weber said. “I kind of gaslight believed in myself that I could do that with more races.”

Weber had little reason to doubt herself. She has never looked back since that first high school race.

She took second place in Class 1A as a freshman, third in Class 2A as a sophomore. Weber’s been a two-time medalist in track and field both as a freshman and sophomore, the highlight a Class 2A 3,200-meter state championship last May.

Weber added school history to her legacy in November 2024.

Winning the Class 2A state cross country championship in a personal record 16 minutes, 11.27 seconds, Weber became Sandwich’s first girls cross country state champion.

It capped off an unbeaten season for the Sandwich junior.

“At the finish line it still hadn’t sunk in yet,” Weber said. “It was something that I was waiting for all year and an amazing feeling of accomplishment.”

Oswego softball takes third in state

The Oswego softball program has not exactly been synonymous with success over the years. Oswego went nearly four decades without a regional title, and 22 years without a winning season from 1995-2016.

That was then. This is now.

Behind a potent lineup led by Kiyah Chavez that smashed 47 home runs, and the red-hot postseason pitching of Jaelynn Anthony, Oswego won its first regional in 37 years, and its first-ever sectional title in extra innings.

Oswego went on to take third place at the Class 4A state tournament in June to cap off its historic season.

“It doesn’t feel real, but it’s awesome,” said Chavez, Oswego’s catcher and an Iowa recruit. “If there was an Oswego team that would do it, it’s this one. I’m not super surprised we’re here but definitely a little shocked.”

Oswego’s team success continued into the fall.

Its football team went 9-0 during the regular season and won a conference title. And the Oswego volleyball team, led by Sidney Hamaker, set a program win record, won its first-ever conference championship and reached a sectional final.

Yorkville Christian’s Ty Edwards wins state wrestling title

Yorkville Christian’s Ty Edwards wanted to move up a step higher on the state podium for his senior year.

A two-time Class 1A state runner-up, Edwards entered the finals in February with a daunting task to win his first state title going up against Galesburg’s Gauge Shipp, who came in on a 94-match win streak.

Everything fell into place for Edwards at the State Farm Center on the campus of the University of Illinois.

Edwards rode a strong start in the first period to a 11-4 decision over Shipp to capture his first state championship.

The following week Yorkville, which had four All-State performers at individual state, finished second at the Class 3A dual team state tournament. Yorkville’s finish at state was its best since taking second in Class 2A in 2012.

Oswego Co-op junior Katie Malm wins state diving title

Oswego Co-op junior Katie Malm went into the last three dives of the girls swimming and diving state meet in November holding first place.

Malm was among the last to realize she maintained it.

“My thing today was I didn’t want to look at the [updated results] scoreboard, just do my dive, get out of the water and think about the next one,” Malm said. ”Then at the end I looked at it and I was really happy with it.”

Malm’s 492.00 points for 11 total dives gave the program its first state championship diver by 5.5 points at the FMC Natatorium in Westmont.

Also all-state in her previous two state meets, Malm was fifth in 2022 (435.15) and fourth last year (462.60) behind two seniors, 21.20 points from first.

”I was pretty proud of that but I didn’t think I could win it this year. I’m super happy,” Malm said.

“It means everything. I’ve worked so hard this season. I came off surgery in June. I’m really pumped that I could do it for my team and everything.”

Newark’s Kiara Wesseh repeats as state high jump champ

Newark star Kiara Wesseh had a final state meet to remember.

The senior earned all-state medals in all four of her events on the day, as well as her second consecutive state championship in the Class 1A high jump during the IHSA girls track and field state championships at Eastern Illinois University.

Wesseh, who will compete in the heptathlon at Baylor, won the high jump after clearing 1.67 meters (5 feet, 5.75 inches) on her first attempt. Wesseh said that she was super excited after clearing the bar on the winning height on her first attempt.

Wesseh also earned all-state honors with a fourth-place finish in the 300-meter hurdles (46.96 seconds) and two fifth-place finishes in the 100 hurdles (15.95) and 4x200-relay (1:47.59).

The senior said that she was heading into her final meet for Newark with the goal of medaling in all four events, so to pull it off as a final hurrah was special. In the end, Wesseh won her second straight state high jump title, and finished her career with 15 state medals.

“It really hit me this morning that this was the last time I was going to run for Newark, and I realized I was really going to miss it,” Wesseh said. “But I’m excited to end it on a good note, and I’m excited for college.”

Also finding the top of the podium on the day was Sandwich sophomore Sunny Weber. After finishing second in the 3,200 last year, Weber used a kick in the final 600 meters to secure the victory with a new personal-best time of 10:30.16.