Willowbrook student-athletes represent Warrior Pride during winter sports season

Pictured is Willowbrook Athletic Director Brandon Murphy.

The Warrior athletes continued to improve all season long and demonstrated what being a student-athlete at Willowbrook is all about. They left their mark on the school and community this winter as they competed with pride. Thank you to all of the programs for leaving a legacy of excellence for future seasons.

Below is a recap with highlights.

Boys Basketball
The Boys Basketball Team finished the season with an overall record of 17-14. The Warriors finished with a winning record, while competing against 10 of the top 25 ranked teams in the state. The team finished in 2nd place at the St. Charles East Thanksgiving Tournament and in 3rd place in the West Suburban Gold Conference. The program set two school records this year: the most three-pointers made in a season with 2,093 and the most steals in a season with 354. Senior Matas Masys became the second player in school history to score 1,000 points as a varsity player. Other outstanding honors earned by the players include:

All-Conference: Masys and junior Everett Stubblefield III
Academic All-Conference (all seniors): Masys, Scott Tumilty and Charles Flak
Daily Herald All-Area Team: Stubblefield III
Daily Herald All-Area Honorable Mention: Masys
Daily Herald Player of the Week: Stubblefield III
Suburban Life Player of the Week: Masys and Tumilty
Illinois Basketball Coaches Association All-State Special Mention: Stubblefield III

Girls Basketball
The Girls Basketball Team finished the season with an overall record of 20-11. The Lady Warriors had a great 18-point comeback victory over Proviso East to help win the West Suburban Gold Conference Championship. The Lady Warriors were led by Captains senior Katelyn McCann and sophomore Grace Tumilty. All-Conference honors were awarded to McCann, Tumilty and sophomore Stephanie Dasbach. McCann also was named to the All-DuPage County Team. The seniors who were named to the Academic All-Conference Team are McCann, Maura Heneghan, Samantha Knight, Maureen Schmid, Megan Schmid and Sydney Verdino.

Girls Bowling
The Willowbrook Girls Bowling Team continued to show why it’s one of the best teams in the state under Head Coach Kevin Allen. The Warriors finished 8-0 in Conference play and 12-1 on the season. The team won the Hinsdale South Invite, the Leyden Invite and the John Ryan Invite. The Warriors finished as West Suburban Gold Conference Champions, IHSA Regional Champions, IHSA Sectional Champions and IHSA State Tournament qualifiers (as a team). All-Conference honors were awarded to senior Brianna Bryant, senior Holly Helsper, senior Katherine Pettinger, senior Pauline Williams and junior Makaylah Jones. The seniors who were named to the Academic All-Conference Team are Bryant, Helsper, Pettinger, Williams and Sabrina Edwards. Jones scored the highest and was the Individual Regional Champion. Helsper finished in 27th place in the state.

Cheerleading
The Willowbrook Cheerleading Team continued to improve all season under new Head Coach Alex Cuzzone. The team had its best performances at the end of the season. The team’s highest score was at Sectionals, where the Warriors continued to bring the energy. The Warriors worked hard all season and got to hear their name as they finished in 5th place out of 12 teams in the West Suburban Gold Conference. The Warriors were led by seniors Jameah Adams, Olivia Pickerill, Jordyn Pasquale, Samantha Yacono, Lilli Glasener, Jasmyn White, Faith Johnkin and Lily Jacobsen.

Girls Gymnastics
The Girls Gymnastics Team was led by seniors Caitlyn Owen and Autumn Palacios. The team continued to improve all season, with each girl learning and perfecting at least one new trick to add to her routines. The team finished with a 3-2 record, earning 3rd place in Conference and 3rd place in the IHSA Regional. The Warriors had two individuals advance to the IHSA Sectional, freshman Tess Placek and junior Karli Wilson. The seniors who were named to the Academic All-Conference Team are Palacios, April Aquino and Bethany Tantilla.

Poms
The Poms Team had a historic season, qualifying for the IHSA State Competition for the first time since the IHSA has hosted that event. The Warriors were led by seniors Samantha Corso, Kaylee McEllin, Claryce Dooley, Kristina Holloway and Hope Rickord. The Warriors finished in 4th place out of 15 teams at the IHSA Sectional. The team’s season also was highlighted by a 3rd-place and a 2nd-place finish in the 2A category at the Batavia and Lockport invitationals.

Addison Trail-Willowbrook Boys Swimming
The AT-WB Boys Swim Team had a great season, with a 3rd-place finish overall in Conference. Every swimmer on the team dropped major time throughout the season, which led to the group’s 2nd-place finish out of 12 teams at the Shepard Invite. The boys’ hard work paid off at the Conference meet. All-Conference honors were earned by senior Jack Burns (team co-captain), junior Aidan Nichols, junior Eric Hoda and sophomore Sean Pienkos. Burns also was named to the Academic All-Conference Team.

Wrestling
The Warriors finished the season with an overall record of 14-12 under first-year Head Coach Tim Ortiz. The Warriors finished in 2nd place at the 12-team Vernon Hills Invite and had six wrestlers qualify for the IHSA Sectional. Sectional qualifiers were junior Zachary Seymore, senior Richard Scheelk III, sophomore Elijah Brockie, junior John Peterson, junior Wyatt Borri and junior Gabriel Yu. All-Conference honors were awarded to Seymore, Scheelk, Brockie and Peterson. The seniors who were named to the Academic All-Conference Team are Frank Clements and Cheikh Fall.

Thank you, Warriors, for a remarkable winter season, and we look forward to successes the spring season will bring. Once a Warrior, Always a Warrior!

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