These three at the head of their class
Starting in 1993-94 the Illinois High School Association has presented an annual All-State Academic Team.
From among hundreds of nominees one male winner and one female winner are selected from each of the IHSA's seven districts plus 12 at-large honorees throughout the state.
In addition to the 26-member All-State team - 13 boys, 13 girls - there's an honorable mention team with roughly twice that number.
From DuPage County the 2018-19 All-State Academic Team selections are Timothy Christian's Abygale Ahn and Glenbard West's Rory Cavan and Katie Hohe. They'll be honored at a banquet in Bloomington on April 15.
The honorable mention team includes St. Francis' Adam Cook, Willowbrook's Victoria Palma and Waubonsie Valley's Ryan Ruhde.
We asked a few of their supporters what makes the DuPage County all-state honorees special.
"She's always been an extremely hardworking individual," said Timothy Christian counselor Jonathan Huizinga, who nominated Ahn.
"She is focused in everything she does and that goes beyond athletics," he said. "She's someone who knows what she wants to accomplish and she's willing and able to put forth that work to accomplish that goal."
Ahn has played varsity tennis and volleyball all four years. A four-time state qualifier in tennis, she placed third in doubles each of the last two seasons and finished top eight in singles as a sophomore. A three-year starting libero, she helped Trojans volleyball take third in Class 2A as a freshman.
Both her sports are contested in the fall.
"I think that makes her situation unique," Huizinga said.
In her spare time Timothy's valedictorian is president of the school's National Honor Society, secretary of its Spanish National Honor Society and participates in freshman mentorship groups.
A three-year member of the school's math team and Student Council, Ahn is a National Merit commended student who scored a 34 on her ACT and entered this semester with a 4.36 GPA.
Justice prevailed last fall. She was voted Timothy Christian's homecoming queen.
"She's focused, determined and she never seems to let the moment get too big for her," Huizinga said. "And she doesn't seem to let outside distractions get in her way."
Glenbard West's Rory Cavan, who earned better than a 5.5 GPA on a 5.0 scale, has helped spur a renaissance in Hilltoppers cross country and distance track events. The respective 2018 Class 3A cross country fourth- and fifth-place finishes by Cavan and classmate Stephen Moody were Glenbard West's first top-10 finishes since 1974.
"I don't think I'll ever get a class this awesome not only in talent but in personality," said Glenbard West boys cross country and distance coach Kyle Nugent. He sent the IHSA a recommendation for the Duke-bound Cavan and believed Moody would be just as qualified had he submitted an application.
A science teacher, Nugent hasn't had Cavan in class but speaks with peers who have.
"From what I hear from them, the way he is in the classroom is the same way he is in practice - he's charismatic, he's very, very funny, he's laid back. I think his peers and younger underclassmen kind of flock to him and he's happy with that," Nugent said.
In addition to three all-state honors spanning cross country and track, Cavan is an Illinois State Scholar who is in Glenbard West's Spanish Honor Society and National Honor Society, which he's served as vice president. He's versed in Mawi Learning and West Suburban Conference leadership programs and is part of his school's Target Success mentoring program.
Cavan even started his own summer sports camp for neighborhood children. From a handful of members now there's about 70, Nugent said.
Kids love him. Adults love him. Presumably dogs, too.
"He's just that classic good guy," Nugent said.
Scanning IHSA All-State Academic teams over the years one notices large representation by cross country and track athletes. Glenbard West has two this year alone with Cavan and senior Katie Hohe, she of the 35 ACT score and 5.4-plus GPA.
Cribbing from Hohe's biography sent by the IHSA's Stacey Lambert, Glenbard West Spanish teacher Michelle Wood said Hohe was "undeniably" in the top 1 percent of students "in all areas" over Wood's 14 years.
Girls cross country and track distance coach Paul Hass can vouch for Hohe's character. In his letter of recommendation, he highlighted her decision as a freshman to run on the Hilltoppers' 3,200-meter relay in the Class 3A track finals after being given the chance to opt out and run fresh in the open 3,200, where she was seeded fifth.
"I want to run for my team," she said.
That's really all you need to know about Katie Hohe, but to make this team, of course, there's more. Like Cavan, she's in the National and Spanish honor societies, Mawi Leadership and Target Success. She's a member of Glenbard West's Key Club and has qualified for the Illinois Seal of Biliteracy.
Earning five all-state honors in cross country and track including her fifth-place finish in the 1,600-meter run last spring (she placed 11th in the 3,200 as a freshman, 45 minutes after helping the Hilltoppers to fourth in that relay), Hohe will run for the University of Illinois.
Hass said Hohe "promotes unity" in track: "She's a senior on the team but she gets along with the freshmen. They hang around together like they're the same age."
Kindness and humility never go out of style. Congratulations.
Hoops haven
Benedictine University will host a 2019 Nike Championship Basketball Clinic at its Dan and Ada Rice Center in Lisle from April 12-14. According to clinic director Ed Janka, 2019 brings the last series of clinics in a 45-year run.
Among the presenting coaches are Purdue's Matt Painter, Kansas State's Bruce Weber, Illinois' Brad Underwood, Illinois State's Dan Muller, St. Louis' Travis Ford and the Washington Mystics' Mike Thibault, the winningest coach in WNBA history.
It'll take more than dropping dimes to hear these masterminds, so for information and registration visit basketballcoach.com and hit the "Clinics" tab to reach the Chicago version.
doberhelman@dailyherald.com
@doberhelman1