Spring Sports Preview

Stories and Photos By Nick Batlle

It's spring break at ETHS; while many students will be vacationing in the Caribbean or simply sleeping in and enjoying the time off at home, the athletes are working hard at practice and sweating it out during games.

Here's a look at what the teams have done so far.

Girls Soccer

With only five seniors on the roster, the girls soccer team is looking to the underclassmen to do more than just contribute.

"My philosophy is if a younger player, freshman or sophomore, is on varsity, they either have to be starting or be the first one off the bench and seeing a lot of playing time,” explained coach Marx Success, who brought home a state title in 2002.

The girls opened their season on March 20 with a 1-1 draw against Libertyville, a game in which the lone Evanston goal was scored by sophomore Lindsey Krug. A few days later they dominated Hinsdale South, running away with an easy 3-0 victory. Freshmen Lilian Barrett-O'Keefe and Kate Doyle had a goal apiece, while junior Amy Wheeler scored the third. Most recently junior goalie Anna Kennedy stepped up big as they tied a tough Downers North squad 0-0.

But that's not to say that the seniors aren't contributing. On a team that Success says "lacks individual superstars,” he expects a lot out of senior co-captains Brigit Larson and Amelia Monar. Larson is a utility player who can be found playing virtually any position on the field, while Monar's speed makes her a threat offensively.

Baseball

Baseball is off to a fast start with a 6-1 record in the first week of play, and for the most part, their strength has been with the rotation.

Lead by seniors James Ferguson-Mahan, Will Grodzicki, Eli Oberman and junior Zach Morton, coach Ed Toledo has a lot of confidence in his pitchers.

Ferguson-Mahan has already stepped up big as both a starter and in relief, while the other three have shown glimpses of their potential.

"Our strength is pitching,” said Toledo. "If our defense plays well behind them, we'll be in every game.”

The fielding has been shaky from early on, and it hasproven to be one of the few issues facing the team this year. They hope to compensate for it with above- average speed, centered around outfielder Jared Borlack.

In other baseball news, Carlos Ramirez pitched a no-hitter against Gordon Tech during a sophomore game. Ramirez had 13 strikeouts in 5 innings of play as the Kits won it 10-0.

Girls Lacrosse

Lead by All-American goalie Colleen Speth, and ranked 5th in state going into the season, all eyes are on the girls lacrosse team.

"She's a senior captain, a leader, and she's already made some great saves,” said coach Dale Leibforth of Speth.

"We're trying to set a tone defensively with the team and she's definitely the leader of that.”

Speth will be playing Division I next year at the University of Massachusetts, but she won't be the only one playing at the next level.

Jessica Chukwu is an All-State defender turned midfielder who plans on playing Division III ball.

Along with fellow captain Mary Johnston, Chukwu and the Lady Kits have experienced some tough losses against out-of-state powerhouses Birmingham United (Mich.), and Thomas Worthington (Ohio), but are optimistic about their future and hope to finish in the final four at state.

Boys Lacrosse

As for the boys lacrosse team, season- ending injuries to standouts Josh Carley and Kevin Harris put coach Dave Allen in a difficult position, and the schedule doesn't make matters any better.

"We have by far and away the toughest conference in the state of Illinois,” said Allen. "Nine of our games are against top four finishers from last year.”

The team has yet to play a game this year, which has given Allen time to get his squad prepared. He likes what he sees from senior goalie Andrew Day, who is a captain along with senior attackman Troy Cleason, senior defenseman Joe Sipkins, and senior midfielder Jim Trippi.

Softball

Winning hasn't come easy for the softball team the past couple of years, and if this season is to be different, the three seniors on the roster will have to step up. Captains Monica McCarthy (1st base) and Courtney Hammell (3rd base), along with catcher Kaitlin Andler, bring a lot of experience and offensive fire power.

"Our strength is baserunning,” said coach Amanda Carlson. "We have a lot of fast players, and we have a pretty solid infield as well.”

They opened their season last weekend with wins over Maine East and Von Steuben. Even though Carlson says they've been "building the program the last couple of years,” she hopes to have an above-500 record, on top of winning the regional.

Girls Water Polo

Girls water polo went into the season ranked seventh in state and have April 12 marked on their calendar, when they'll have the opportunity to show New Trier who the number one team in conference really is. The Trevians beat Evanston twice last season, breaking the girls' three-year conference-win streak, but coach Brett Hatcher thinks the Lady Kits are ready.

"Right now we have a really strong defensive team,” said Hatcher. "We're really focusing the second half of the season on developing our offensive awareness.”

Hatcher calls senior captain Alex Wich "the anchor” of the defense that he hopes will carry them far into the playoffs. Their record currently stands at 7-5-1, and as one of the top teams in the state, they hope to make a splash come playoff time.

Boys Water Polo

As for boys water polo, coach Kevin Auger is optimistic about their post season future.

"We hope to do as well as we've done in the past,” said Auger. "We should compete for the conference championship against New Trier. We also hope to do well at sectionals, well enough to even make it downstate.”

Water polo must run in the Wich family, because Matt Wich, the brother of girls water polo captain Alex Wixh, is a freshman Auger called "a surprise” contributor. He also likes what he sees from the seniors, all captains. Among them are Tommy Grossinger, Jack Killheffer, Ben Terry and Ben Vogel.

Boys Volleyball

With Maine South and New Trier predicted to be state-title contenders, the boys volleyball team will have to prove they can compete in conference before they look ahead to the playoffs.

After winning their pool at the Evanston Spring Fling, a tournament that will continue at the end of May, first-year coach Mike McDermott sees a lot of potential in his team.

"The strength of our team is definitely our passing and defense,” said McDermott. "What we have to work on is our offensive consistency. ... Unforced errors are going to make the difference for our season. If we can reduce them, we're going to do really well.”

Senior captains Jacob Belser, Glenn McFadden, Justin Perkins and Andrew Sutherland are all contributing in their own way, but senior Chris Higgins has provided the spark. Along with junior David Sippe, who McDermott called a "great passer,” the team is hoping to make a run downstate.

Boys Tennis

Boys tennis got under way at Oak Park last Saturday. Coach Lawrence Ware is hoping to avenge a disappointing third place finish in conference. He is excited about freshman Joe Collins, no. 1 singles, who should drastically improve the team.

"The seniors will contribute, but most of our success will come from the freshmen through the juniors,” explained Ware. "This year is a tremendous opportunity if something big is going to happen.”

Ware also expects Tunisian exchange student Youseff Bensmail to play a big role at either no. 2 singles or no. 1 doubles. The captains are seniors Jeremy Daniel, who plays doubles with fellow senior Mike Miszczak and Tyler Johnson.

Jr. Kits Win North Suburban Basketball Season and Championship Tournament.

Evanston Jr. Kits fifth-grade boys basketball team won the North Suburban Basketball League regular season and were the tournament champions with a17-2 record. This is the first time that an Evanston entry has won a championship in the NSBL. The team includes boys from eight different Evanston schools. Team members shown are T.J. Schultz, Jack Morrissey, Travis Weber, Anthony White, Dante Henley, Michael McCareins, Ben Lefton, Xhavier Hilliard, Jackson Mihevic, Will Jones, Canute Mckenzie and Coach Ivan Tolic. Photo courtesy of the team

MYST Swimmers in State Championships

Eight swimmers from MYST, the McGaw Y Swim Team (MYST) closed out the team's 2006-2007 season at the Illinois age group swimming championships, held last month at the University of Illinois Chicago: Sharon Wu, Evan Swenson, Honore Collins, Wesley Marberry, Liza Prah, Millie Rosen, Sarah Thompson and Maddy Managlia.

"Our swimmers did really good, considering that this meet is not our main end- of-season goal,” said Craig Strong, MYST age group coach.

31 swimmers recently in Missouri.”

19 Flying Fish Compete in State Championships

The YWCA Flying Fish had seventeen swimmers competing in last weekend's Illinois State Age Group Championships at UIC: Marta Considine, Haley Weiss, Bryn Morgan, Jacqueline Glattard, Jake Girard, Amanda Weidner, Jenna Rapisarda, Emma Myers, Maddie Savage, Caroline Duke, Ilan Ireland, John McBratney, Blake Morgan, Grant Smith, Kristina Walsh, C.J. Smith, Kyle Grant, T.J. Considine and Nick Killeen.

Complete results from the Illinois Age Group Swimming Championships can be found on the Illinois Swimming website, www.ilswim.org.