2025-26 Herald Cup: No. 3 Hinsdale Central
Editor’s note: Now that the 2025-26 high school sports year is over, it’s time to announce the top schools in the Herald Cup standings. We devised a points system based on team state finishes to measure which of the 80-plus high schools from the Daily Herald circulation area had the best athletic year. Last week we announced the top five small schools in the Herald Cup standings. This week we’re unveiling the top large schools, one per day, starting with No. 5 on Monday through No. 1 on Friday.
Hinsdale Central always can depend on the pool.
The Red Devils won a fourth straight IHSA boys swimming and diving state title, their 22nd overall, and added more success in girls swimming and boys water polo.
With added boosts throughout the school year, Hinsdale Central finished third in the 2025-26 Herald Cup standings for large schools. Its 130 points were calculated by weighing team finishes throughout the fall, winter and spring.
How they did it
What more can you say about the Vatev brothers, Matthew and Luke? The swimmers combined for three individual state titles and competed on the championship winning 200- and 400-yard free relays with Teddy Chase and Brandon Suliga.
The list of top-10 finishes throughout the school year include girls cross country (fourth), boys golf (sixth), girls golf (sixth), girls swimming (fifth), girls tennis (second) and boys tennis (second).
The girls lacrosse and girls soccer teams won sectional titles in the spring while girls basketball, baseball, boys lacrosse and boys water polo earned regional crowns.
Who made it happen
Sophomore Michael Jorski powered the boys golf team with a fifth-place individual state finish. A model of consistency, he was 1-under par in the first round and 1-over par in the second to finish even for the tournament.
The Red Devils advanced two doubles teams to the girls tennis semifinals including Lauren Panveno and Sophia Virmani, who were the runners-up in Class 2A. Sydney Shuster and Anika Sarai were fourth in the state.
Matching Panveno and Virmani, Kyle McCain and Nicholas Marringa in the spring finished second in the 2A doubles boys tennis final.
Key stats
The Vatev brothers won seven state swimming titles including their separate medals in the relays. They entered the season with a combined total of seven titles over the previous two years.
Thirteen seniors and six juniors were named to the Daily Herald’s All-Area Girls Basketball Team. Only one sophomore — Hinsdale Central guard Riley Orozco — was named to the list of 20 players.
Key facts
The football team advanced to the second round of the Class 8A playoffs with a 45-15 victory over South Elgin. It was the program’s first playoff win since its last postseason appearance in 2021.
The girls basketball team won its first regional title since 2015, beating defending Class 4A state champion Kenwood in the final behind Katherine Skinner’s 25 points.
The Red Devils’ baseball team entered the bottom of the seventh inning of its Class 4A regional final trailing Benet 6-2. They rallied with 5 runs, capped by Alex Garchar’s walk-off RBI single, to notch a stunning 7-6 victory.
They said it
“Our players enjoy being part of something historic,” boys tennis coach Pete Alex said at the state meet. “They all like the opportunity to perform when it matters.”
“I think it shows how intense we are at practice and how much we work on making each other better,” said freshman girls soccer player Amelia Bingham, referring to the chemistry she has with teammate and sister Piper, a senior.