Water polo: Cook County all-area team
Kristina D'Andrea Fremd
A common thread between Fremd's third-place finish in 2009 and its return to the Elite Eight this spring, D'Andrea provided outstanding perimeter defense and enabled Fremd's opportunistic offense to convert fastbreak opportunties with regularity. A senior, she earned all-MSL honors after finishing with 6 assists and 18 goals, including one in the state quarterfinals against eventual runner-up St. Ignatius.
Meg Dix Prospect
Dix set a program record for goals in a season with 108, earning both all-conference and all-sectional honors and playing the central role in Prospect's co-championship with Wheeling in the MSL East. "Meg has the ability to take over games like no other player I have coached," said Prospect coach Dick Mortensen. "She possesses skills you cannot coach - aggressiveness, passion and a love for the game. If she is on your team, you love her. If she is not on your team, you know you are in for a long night."
Hannah Duke Conant
Duke was a big part of Conant's solid season. An effective scorer both near the goal mouth thanks to excellent strength and a fine shooter from the perimeter, she was a consistently viable option offensively and gave the Cougars a flexible, balanced attack as the they improved from 8-16 in '09 to 16-13 this spring. An all-MSL pick for coach Justin Bickus.
Brooke Fanslow Barrington
Coach Mark Markwell depended on Fanslow to keep opponents' scoring to a minimum, and the Fillies' goalie did just that as a young but talented team made great strides toward the end of the season. "She was just so steady all season for us," Markwell said. "Having her back there gave us the chance to grow the way we needed to grow."
Megan Kennedy Fremd
Kennedy helped the Vikings continue their impressive run of team excellence with a well-rounded game. With plenty of size, strength and speed, she frequently was assigned the opponent's top driver and defended with consistency and intensity. Kennedy, just a junior, also figured prominently on the offensive end and totaled 41 goals and 21 assists as the Vikes earned a program-record 30 wins.
Christa Khatcherian Wheeling
A superb driver, Khatcherian specialized in putting pressure on opponents. "There was a stretch of games where Christa drew an average of four ejections or penalty shots a game," said her coach, Bob Savitt. Khatcherian's best game might have been against New Trier, when she scored 3 goals, drew 4 ejections and held second-team all-stater Sophia Palmer scoreless. Khatcherian will attend Lindenwood University on a partial athletic scholarship.
Erika Lauraitis Fremd
Lauraitis completed a standout individual season and helped the Vikings to their third straight Elite Eight appearance and third straight Mid-Suburban League crown. In addition to her huge scoring totals, she led the Vikings in assists. Perhaps most noteworthy was her sublime success rate as a shooter this season: Lauraitis converted 189 of just over 300 shots. She'll attend Iona College and plans to continue in the sport at the highest levels she can reach.
Meg Nolan Hersey
Nolan led the Huskies in assists with 46, and ranked in second in just about every other category: scoring (78 goals), shooting percentage (42) and steals (63). That helped Hersey's captain earn all-conference and all-sectional honors. "She was a great leader for our team this year and worked very hard in the off-season to get where she is today," said coach Megan McIntyre.
Stephanie Nolan St. Viator
The Lions' junior was named team MVP last season and the standout goalkeeper followed up with another strong campaign, with a tendency to produce her best against quality opponents. She had 18 saves in an 8-6 loss to perennial state power Fenwick and produced 16 saves against a powerful New Trier team in St. Viator's season-ending loss in sectional play.
Angela Rodriguez Buffalo Grove
Buffalo Grove's junior standout delivered an all-around impressive year, both as a scorer and a teammate who helped others succeed. BG finished 15-15 but advanced to the sectional semifinals after earning an 18-13 victory over Conant in the quarterfinals as Rodriguez had 3 goals. Rodriguez earned all-MSL honors under coach Shayna Mortensen.
Christine Rovani Hersey
The model of efficiency, Rovani set a school record for shooting percentage after converting on 48 percent. She also led Hersey in scoring with 113 goals and 81 steals, and also contributed 25 assists. An all-Mid Suburban League choice for coach Megan McIntyre, and also name first-team all-sectional.
Jackie Sumsky Schaumburg
Her work in goal helped establish the Saxons as a defensively sound team on their way to a second-place finish in the Mid-Suburban West under first-year head coach Beth Donatucci. As a three-year member of the varsity team, she helped the Saxons to a second-place finish in the MSL West and played a key part in Schaumburg's impressive turnaround season. As a bonus, she had the arm strength and accuracy to score 3 goals this season. Made 17 saves in the Saxons' final victory of the season in the sectional quarterfinals.
Victoria Waring Barrington
The senior's steady defensive play was one key to the second half of Barrington's season, when the Fillies reversed course and suddenly became a consistent winner on their way to a third-place finish in the MSL West. Nimble and determined, she had a knack for containing opponents and delivering key steals in the Fillies' run to a sectional title appearance.
Kaitlyn Webb Wheeling
Defense was also Wheeling's calling card, and perhaps no one exemplified that more than Webb. She allowed an average of 4.3 goals over the season and helped Wheeling return to the Mid-Suburban League championship game for a second straight year. Though the Wildcats lost that contest, they held Fremd to just 7 goals. Also a standout student, Webb finished with a 5.5 GPA on a 5.0 scale.
Amy Wilson Wheeling
This senior standout concluded a three-year run as the Wildcats' MVP with her best effort. She finished with 100 goals this season, a team record, despite frequently drawing double teams in the hole set, and was named a third-team all-stater and all-MSL pick. Coach Bob Savitt described her as a "great team leader" who helped keep the team's mood loose in crunch time.
All-conference selections
Mid-Suburban League
Barrington - Victoria Waring, Yessica Buenrostro
Buffalo Grove - Angela Rodriguez
Conant - Hannah Duke
Elk Grove - Jordan Crocker
Fremd - Erika Lauraitis, Kristina D'Andrea, Megan Kennedy, Julie Conrath
Hersey - Christine Rovani, Megan Nolan
Hoffman Estates - Rachael Gallo
Palatine - Katie Brown
Prospect - Meg Dix, Tori Shields
Rolling Meadows - Allison Fillippelli
Schaumburg - Jackie Sumsky, Samantha Schuckles
Wheeling - Amy Wilson, Christa Khatcherian, Kaitlyn Webb
Central Suburban
Maine West - Gigi Groener