Out of all the students who play sports in the IHSA, just 26 are named to the All-State Academic Team.
Sandburg swimmer and water polo player Meghan Donnell and Brother Rice football player and track athlete Matthew Pikus were two who made the cut.
Donnell was in a calculus class at Moraine Valley’s Palos Hills campus when she got the word about the honor via a text from Eagles swimming coach Donna Driscoll.
“I knew I was nominated, but I was not expecting to make the final team,” Donnell said. “That was definitely a big surprise.”
Donnell comes from a family of three siblings and two parents who are engineers. She said she is looking at Minnesota or Ohio State to study biomedical engineering and later go to medical school with the goal of becoming a doctor.
She said has been swimming since she was 5 and would like to continue to swim or play water polo on the club level in college.
Pikus was an offensive lineman for the Class 7A champion Crusaders football team in the fall and will compete in the discus and shot put in track in the spring.
He was informed of his All-State honor when a counselor and two teachers told him on Feb. 17.
Like Donnell, Pikus said this came as a big surprise.
His college future has a few options.
“I have a lot of top choices – I would say my No. 1 is Illinois as I was admitted into their engineering program,” the Evergreen Park resident said. “I would love to walk on the track and field team if I can.
“Another option is Case Western Reserve in Cleveland and I could do track and football and engineering there.”
Earning honorable mention All-State from the area were Natalie Orbon of Andrew and Wyndel Ellis of Mother McAuley.
Swimming to state
Sandburg won its own sectional on Feb. 21 squeaking by runner-up Lockport 279-276.
Ethan Vales won the 200-yard individual medley with a 2:00.29 and the 100 breaststroke with a :58.81, Carson Conrad won in diving with 515.20 points and Gunner Hinger won the 100 freestyle with a :48.91.
Shepard’s Gabriel Corsi won the 100 butterfly with a :53.88, while teammate Alexander Muller won the 200 free (3:19.13), 50 free (:39.10) and 100 free (1:27.96) in the Athletes with Disabilities division.
Stagg freshman Ethan Simich won the 100 backstroke with a :58.82.
Lyons scored 302 points and finished second in its own sectional to three-time defending state champion Hinsdale Central, which had 334.
Jovan Mijailovic won the 100 free in :45.50 and Patrick Rhatigan won the 500 free in 4:33.81 for the Lions. The 400 free relay team of Mijailovic, Jack Hannon, Rhatigan and Matthrew Ferguson won with 3:03.92.
The state meet is Feb. 27-28 in Westmont.
No-no for SXU
Sophomore Payton Antkiewicz and junior Hailey Weber of St. Xavier teamed up for a six-inning softball no-hitter as the Cougars beat Doane (Nebraska) 8-0 on Feb. 20 in Sioux City, Iowa.
Antkiewicz struck out eight batters in five innings before Weber took over. Antkiewicz also threw a five-inning no-hitter last season against Viterbo (Wisconsin).