Postseason Roundup: Lyons water polo teams vault to state via sensational sectionals

By Jeff Vorva
Staff Writer

Anyone looking for thrills and close matches at the two Lyons water polo sectionals were out of luck.

Anyone rooting for the hosts, however, had a ball during that 24-hour stretch May 13 and 14.

The Lions boys crushed Riverside-Brookfield, 17-5, in the semifinals and St. Rita, 12-3, in the championship match.

The Lions girls kept the trend going at it whipped Lindblom, 16-2, in the semifinals and Mother McAuley, 20-7, for the title.

It’s back to the IHSA state quarterfinals for both squads.

The boys (28-2) face Naperville North in the quarterfinals at 8:15 p.m. Thursday at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, while the girls are slated to face Hersey at 7 p.m. Friday at Stevenson.

According to IHSA records, this is the 12^th time the Lyons boys team has qualified for the final eight. The program has seven top-four finishes, including state titles in 2012 and 2015.

They finished second in the state last year, losing to Stevenson, 15-8, in the finals.

Jack Bradbury leads the Lions with 110 goals, while AJ Vitek has 70 and Jimmy Bolan 63.

This is the fifth time the girls (29-2-1) have reached the state quarterfinals. They have two state trophies, including a championship after finishing 35-0 in 2010.

Junior Emilia Mladjan has 141 goals, freshman Maya Mladjan has 103 and senior Novalee Roberto has 94.

The Lyons boys water polo team is aiming for a state title after finishing runner-up in 2021. Photo courtesy of Lyons Township High School

Boys gymnastics

Defending state champion Lyons took home its sixth state trophy in boys gymnastics as the Lions took third place in the state finals held May 14 at Hoffman Estates High School.

Palatine won the title with 164.85 followed by Lake Park with 158.45 and Lyons with 149.7.

Senior Randy Yonan took 13^th in the all-around with a 51.7000.

The Lions took second place in 2017 and third place in 2002, 2014 and 2018.

Andrew co-op team junior Dylan Childs, who attends Sandburg, finished 29^th in the all-around with a 45.

Stagg’s Shannon Lawler is looking to pick up two more medals in the hurdle events at the state track meet. Photo courtesy of Stagg High School

Girls track

An army of area athletes will compete in the state meet, which opens Thursday at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston.

A healthy amount of state qualifiers were sectional champions last week.

At the Class 3A Hinsdale Central meet, Stagg’s Shannon Lawler won the 100 hurdles in 15.92. She also took second in the 300 hurdles in 46.73.

The North Central College-bound senior finished sixth in the state in the 100 hurdles and 10^th in the 300 hurdles in 2021.

Sandburg’s Carrington Landers won a title at Hinsdale Central  in the 200 in 25.72. Teammate Riana Wolf won the triple jump with a leap of 36-5.75.

At Proviso East, Mother McAuley’s Evelyn Rowan won the 800 in 2:25.70.

Shepard freshman Kyla Motley won the 100 hurdles in 16.17, barely edging out Marist’s Grace Misiunas’s 16.18. Astros teammate Chloe Dunigan won the triple jump with leap of 35-8.25

Reavis junior Claudia Conner won the shot put event with a throw of 39-6.75.

Marist sophomore Brenna Dunlap won the pole vault with a 9-9.

Richards’ junior Julia Niemeyer won a title in the long jump with a leap of 17-0.75.

In Class 2A, De La Salle freshman Samantha Soto won a De La Salle sectional title in the 3200 in 14:31.13.

At the Kankakee Sectional, Evergreen Park senior Kairah Fort won the high jump with a 5-2.25.

At Glenbard South, Nazareth senior Isabella Brunke claimed the long jump with a leap of 16-8.

Badminton

Lyons’ Aamina Qureshi ended her high school career by dropping a first-round game, then winning three straight before bowing out in the fourth round of consolation at the state meet, held last weekend at Hinsdale South High School.

Teammate Katie Wespa went 1-2 and the doubles team of Marri Carli-Elle Ownby finished 0-2.

Sandburg singles player Cindy Lim went 3-2 and bowed out of the tournament in the fourth round of consolation while Alexa Petcu finished 0-2. Petcu ad a tough assignment, drawing University High’s (Urbana) Andrea Li, who went on to win the tournament, in the first round.

Stagg’s Heba Rashid finished 1-2.