There's cool, and then there's really cool
The comment inevitably is made whenever I reveal to a stranger I'm a sports writer.
"Wow, so you get to go to games all the time - cool!"
I sheepishly smile and think to myself "cool, unless you're on the football sidelines during a rainstorm or covering a mid-March softball game in a parka."
That said, the fan inside me relishes the unique opportunity sporting events present. On any given day you just might witness greatness. If every season ends at the state tournament like mine has the past year, the odds go up.
Here now are my top 10 moments in DuPage County girls athletics for the 2008-09 school year:
Oct. 17-18, 2008: Runner-up at the Class A state golf tournament as a junior with three top 20 finishes, Driscoll's Gigi DiGrazia came to Carbondale's Hickory Ridge Golf Course intent on taking home a state championship. The Iowa-bound senior doesn't disappoint, shooting an even-par 72 on the first day and following it up with a 75 to win by 5 strokes. Just the start of a memorable school year for DiGrazia, and Driscoll.
Oct. 23-25, 2008: With a completely reworked lineup from the 2007 team that won the state tennis title by a record 23 points, Hinsdale Central didn't miss a beat. The Red Devils claimed the school's 11th state championship and third in a row. Two-time doubles state champions Nida Hamilton and Courtney Dolehide switched to singles. Hamilton took second at state and Dolehide reached the consolation semifinals.
Nov. 14-15, 2008: Boasting six senior Division I recruits, Benet entered the volleyball season as the team to beat. The Redwings didn't disappoint, winning their first 31 matches. In a memorable Class 4A state semifinal with 13-time state champion Mother McAuley, Jessica Jendryk and Co. pulled out a 25-21, 20-25, 25-21 win. Most observers believed they had witnessed the state championship match - but the next night St. Charles East stunned Benet in three games to win it all.
Nov. 21-22, 2008: After qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Time Trials over the summer, Downers Grove North senior swimmer Adrienne Bicek set and reset several school records during the regular season. At the state tournament in Evanston, the Georgia recruit shattered a 22-year-old state meet record in the 500 freestyle prelims. The next day she won the 200 individual medley and took second in the 500 freestyle.
Feb. 5, 2009: Already the school record holder for career points and points in a season, Lake Park senior Samantha Arnold sizzled like never before at St. Charles East. The Michigan recruit scored a school record 42 points - 40 in regulation - to beat the Saints in overtime. Arnold shot 15 of 21 from the floor, 9 of 12 from 3-point range.
Feb. 27, 2009: Led by All-State junior forward Courtney Lindfors, Driscoll dominated its opponents during a 25-1 regular season. In the playoffs, though, the Highlanders rallied from early deficits to beat Bishop McNamara in the supersectional and Olney East Richland in the Class 2A state semifinals. They saved their best comeback for the biggest game - erasing a 14-point hole to defeat defending state champ West Hancock 40-35 for the school's first state championship in a girls team sport.
Just over a month later, Driscoll announced it was closing its doors - the girls basketball state title would be the school's last.
May 23, 2009: For all she had accomplished on the track, Waubonsie Valley senior Shakeia Pinnick had never won a state championship in Charleston. Departing from the team midway through the season, it didn't look like the Arizona State recruit ever would. But Pinnick returned and wouldn't be denied at state. She won the 100 high hurdles in 14.27 seconds and 300 hurdles in 42.84 to lead Waubonsie to a second-place team finish.
May 23, 2009: At the same state meet Benet junior McKinzie Schulz took the 800 in 2:12.2 for the school's first state title in track and field. She nearly claimed a remarkable double - taking second to Notre Dame-bound Rebecca Tracy of Barrington in the 1,600. Schulz finished in 4:49.77, Tracy in 4:49.35, one-hundredth of a second off the state record.
May 29, 2009: Behind a defense perhaps unsung during the season, Naperville North knocked off two-time defending state girls soccer champion Waubonsie Valley 2-1 in the 3A sectional final. Rycke Guiney scored the first goal for the Huskies, who also beat Waubonsie during the regular season, and freshman Hunter Drendel headed in a score for a 2-0 halftime lead.
June 4, 2009: Two months after kid sister Alyssa struck out 20 in a 12-inning win over Benet, Naperville Central senior Natalie Wunderlich no-hit the Redwings 1-0 in the Class 4A Neuqua Valley sectional semifinal. Wunderlich outdueled Benet's Meghan Eastman, who allowed just 1 hit. The Redhawks scored the winning run on a wild pitch in the sixth to advance to the sectional championship for the second straight year.
jwelge@dailyherald.com