Willowbrook student-athletes represent Warrior Pride during winter sports season

Pictured is Willowbrook Athletic Director Bob Daly.

To say our Willowbrook student-athletes had a phenomenal winter season would be an understatement.

The Warriors had historic runs for multiple teams and individuals. The 2017-18 winter season is one we will not soon forget, and below is a recap with highlights.

Boys Swimming
The Addison Trail-Willowbrook Boys Swim Team had another outstanding season. The team was led by first-year Head Coach Jen Burns and had a lot to be proud of this year. Team Captains were Willowbrook junior John (Jack) Burns and Addison Trail senior Jacob Grygo, who helped guide a very young team to a Championship at the Shepard Invite and a 3rd-place finish at the Conference Meet. The following Addison Trail and Willowbrook athletes were named to the All-Conference and All-Academic teams in the West Suburban Conference Gold Division.

All-Academic: Willowbrook senior Phillip-Anthony Campbell, Willowbrook senior Patrick Florey, Willowbrook senior Jack Wentworth, Grygo, Addison Trail senior Lucas Walsh, Addison Trail senior Michael Strycharz

All-Conference: Willowbrook senior Zachary Thompson, Willowbrook sophomore Aidan Nichols, Addison Trail junior Evan Zimmerman, Grygo, Burns, Strycharz, Addison Trail junior Mateusz Sawicki, Willowbrook freshman Kyle Haake, Florey, Wentworth

Girls Gymnastics
The Girls Gymnastics Team was coached by second-year Head Coach Deanna Zuchowski and was led by Captain sophomore Karli Wilson. The girls had a season of ups and downs, but in the end, the team performed at its highest level. The team had 12 returning gymnasts from last year and faced a lot of obstacles such as injuries and the flu. The girls pushed each other to build their confidence during competition and have kept their heads up. The young Warriors put up a season high score of 125.2 against Hinsdale South. Wilson was named to the All-Conference team in the West Suburban Conference Gold Division on vault and qualified in the all-around for the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Sectional Meet. Senior Katherine Morris was named to the All-Academic team in the West Suburban Conference Gold Division.

Girls Basketball
The Girls Basketball Team was the definition of a youth movement. All-Conference player Jayla Smith was the only senior and led the way for the young varsity Warriors. Despite their youth, the girls battled throughout the season. The strength of this program is the depth of all the lower levels. That will be the key to success in the future. The Sophomore Team finished the Conference season in 2nd place, with an overall record of 19-5. The Freshmen B Team also finished the Conference season in 2nd place, with an overall record of 15-7. The Freshmen A Team strove for excellence from day one and finished the season with a remarkable 26-0 record and the Conference Championship. The future is bright for these Warriors.

Cheerleading
The Cheerleading program continues to grow in numbers and performances. The team, which is coached by Nicole Jarzembowski and Samantha Donovan, had its share of highlights this year. The increased ability of the group’s tumbling skills helped the varsity team achieve a raw score of 84 in competition. The expectations will continue to grow as the team adds more choreography and skills. Team Captains were seniors Lindsey and Rachel Joyce, and this year’s MVPs were seniors Ashley Wright and Madison Campbell.

Poms
The Poms Team, which is coached by Maggie Lamb and Autumn Jones, continued its push into IHSA competition this season. The team is led by MVP senior Alexis Wedoff and earned its highest overall score of 80.9 at Sectionals, which earned the group a 10th-place finish. The team is excited about the future and looks forward to earning the score needed to qualify for the IHSA State Competition.

Girls Bowling
What an unbelievable year it was for the Girls Bowling Team and second-year Head Coach Kevin Allen. The Warriors were one of the best teams in the Conference all year long, and the girls proved that over and over again. The team won the Hinsdale South Invitational, the Leyden 6x6 Invitational and the Leyden Invitational Championship. At the Metea Valley Regional, the Warriors brought home the title. It was a total team victory, led by Individual Regional Champion sophomore Makaylah Jones. The IHSA Sectional tournament was no different for the Warriors. As teams tensed up down the stretch, the Warriors stepped up their game and brought home the Team Sectional Championship. A week later at the IHSA State Tournament, the team finished in 18th place. Junior Holly Helsper earned All-State honors and finished 11th overall. Seniors Anna Cuccinotto and Dana Sasenick were named to the All-Academic team in the West Suburban Conference Gold Division. Sasenick, Helsper, Jones, junior Brianna Bryant and junior Katherine Pettinger were named to the All-Conference team in the West Suburban Conference Gold Division. What a great season!

Boys Basketball
What a run, what a senior class and what a team! That’s truly the best way to describe Head Coach Chris Perkins’ Varsity Basketball Team. The senior class included Martique Barksdale, Sikander Zafar, Diyahvion Skinner, Marshawn Phillips III, Matt Myers, Cornelius Paxton Jr. and Ethan Schuemer. This group of Warriors set the team record for wins in a year and most combined wins in a two-year span. As a team, this group of seniors won a Conference title and this year won the team’s first Regional Championship since Coach Perkins himself was a player at Willowbrook. Individually, Schuemer became Willowbrook’s first 1,000-point scorer and became the school’s all-time leading scorer for a career. Schuemer also was named Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) 3rd Team All-State. Junior Levi Bentsen became the first Warrior to qualify for the IHSA Basketball Three-Point Showdown in Peoria. The following athletes were named to the All-Conference and All-Academic teams in the West Suburban Conference Gold Division.

All-Academic: Schuemer, Myers, Zafar, Skinner

All-Conference: Schuemer, Myers, junior Matas Masys

All-Area: Schuemer, Myers, Masys

Wrestling
The Varsity Wrestling Team experienced a youthful season of ups and downs. Injuries played a big part in those challenges. However, the team did have one constant, and that was senior Jack Jessen. Jessen earned a State Championship after winning the 182-pound division of the IHSA Boys Wrestling State Tournament. With that title, Jessen tied the IHSA's all-time wins record with 201. Jessen also has set numerous school records for the Willowbrook Wrestling Team and is the program’s seventh individual champion. He has competed in national tournaments as well, including winning a national title during the USA Wrestling U.S. Marine Corps Cadet & Junior National Championships this past July, where he won the 182-pound Junior Greco-Roman U.S. Marine Corps National Championship and also earned 2nd place in the Junior Freestyle National Championship. He also was named to the All-Conference and All-Academic teams in the West Suburban Conference Gold Division this year. Other season highlights were sophomore Jonathan Leal-Gerwarth qualifying for the IHSA Sectional and sophomore Zachary Seymore being named to the All-Conference team in the West Suburban Conference Gold Division.

* Willowbrook is part of the West Suburban Conference Gold Division.

We look forward to more athletic successes to come during the spring season. Go, Warriors!