Willowbrook winter athletics heat up

As the snow began to accumulate and the temperature began to fall, the Willowbrook Warrior winter athletic teams began to heat things up.

State trips and high expectations have set the stage for this outstanding season.

Cheer: The Varsity and Junior Varsity Cheerleaders both had an outstanding season. They qualified for the Illinois Cheerleading Coaches Association (ICCA) Championship. This is the second year in a row junior varsity has qualified, and varsity has qualified two of the last three years.

Poms: The Willowbrook Poms Team qualified for the TEAMDance Illinois (TDI) Category Championship for the fourth year in a row. The girls won 1st place in both of their qualifying events. The team competed on Feb. 14 at Northern Illinois University and finished 4th in the Open Pom division.

Girls Basketball: Despite battling through an injury-riddled season, the Varsity Girls Basketball Team had another successful year, finishing 7-5 and in 3rd Place in the West Suburban Conference Gold Division. The girls were led by seniors Micala Giammarino and Samantha Schmidt.

Girls Bowling: The Girls Bowling Team had a tremendous increase in participation this year. The team was led by sophomore Jordan Tiberi, junior Kelly Conley, junior Madeleine Weinhold and freshman Dana Sasenick. The girls will look to compete for the West Suburban Conference Gold Division title next year!

Girls Gymnastics: The Girls Gymnastics Team had a very solid year. The team hosted the West Suburban Conference Gold Division meet and medaled and placed in all events at the varsity and junior varsity levels. The team was led by senior Tamara Mendez and junior Riley McFarlane, who were Sectional qualifiers. Mendez also qualified for the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) State meet in the all-around, vault, bars and beam events.

Boys Wrestling: The Boys Wrestling Team had another successful season. The team finished in 2nd place in the West Suburban Conference Gold Division. Four varsity wrestlers advanced to the Sectional meet. They are senior Christian Chavez, junior Andrew Verr, junior Matt Rowland and freshman Jack Jessen (who was the Sectional champion at 170 pounds). Rowland and Jessen also advanced to the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) State tournament, and they both finished in 2nd place in their divisions.

Boys Basketball: The Varsity Boys Basketball Team has the most wins by any Willowbrook Boys Basketball Team since 1971. On Feb. 20, the boys won over Leyden and earned a share of the West Suburban Conference Gold Division Championship for the first time. The last Willowbrook Boys Basketball Conference Championship was in the Des Plaines Valley League. The team is led by senior Jake Bruns and sophomore Alonzo Verge.

Boys Swimming: The Addison Trail/Willowbrook Boys Swim Team is a very young team, with seven freshmen on varsity and 12 freshmen out of 19 total on varsity and junior varsity. The team has become stronger throughout the season, building together each practice and meet. The team took 3rd place at the West Suburban Conference Gold Division meet, with everyone swimming personal best times. Juniors Ethan Wallace and Josh Kwak have shown great leadership throughout the season. The swimmers recently competed in Sectionals.

Go, Warriors!