High Five: Top girls prep sports performances of the school year
Hard to believe, but the IHSA school year for girls prep sports is over.
It ended in triumph and disappointment as Antioch’s softball team won a state title and Naperville Central’s soccer team suffered its lone loss of the season in the final.
With the spring season at an end, this edition of the High Five looks at the top girls prep sports performances of the school year.
5. Trinity Jones, Naperville Central basketball
It’s tough to pick one performance from Jones, a first-team IBCA all-stater who was the lone Illinois player — boys or girls — to be named a McDonald’s All-American.
And while the 6-foot-2 senior, committed to Clemson, topped her own program record with 44 points in a game this season, we’ll go with her dominant run in December in the Komaromy Classic at Dundee-Crown.
Jones, just back from an injury, scored 40 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in a 77-74 win over Maine South in the championship game of the holiday tournament.
4. Olivia Spieth, Stevenson water polo
Make it four straight state titles for Spieth and the Patriots, who beat York 16-11 in last month’s final. Spieth set a title game record by scoring 9 goals against the Dukes to give her 187 for the season.
The senior — 33-year Stevenson coach Jeff Wimer called her the program’s best player of all-time — will take a gap year in Barcelona, Spain before deciding her next step.
3. Aria Grossenbach, Stevenson swimming
What is it about Patriots in the pool?
Months before Stevenson claimed another water polo title, the girls swim team notched the program’s first state championship behind their standout sprinter.
Grossenbach won state titles in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle races, and swam on Stevenson’s second-place 200 free relay and third-place 400 free relay teams.
The junior, committed to Louisville, helped the Patriots to 106 of their 236 total team points.
2. Jolee Waddington, Palatine gymnastics
Quite a February weekend for Waddington, who backed up her all-around state title by winning two individual championships.
The senior totaled a 38.55 to give Palatine’s program its first all-around champion since 1979. Her score also set a program record.
Waddington won individual vault (9.8) and uneven bars (9.675) titles while finishing third on the beam and fourth in floor exercise.
1. Kara Glenn, St. Charles North track and field
In a massive understatement at the conclusion of the state meet last month in Charleston, Glenn said: “I’m definitely very tired.”
The sophomore put in a stunning performance while winning three state titles and compiling 38 team points to help the North Stars to a fourth-place finish in Class 3A.
Glenn, who placed second in the 3,200-meter run, was victorious in the 800 and 1,600. She also ran on St. Charles North’s winning 4x800 relay team with Gwen Hobson, Julia Rodney and Alanna Gupta.