Riverside-Brookfield High School junior center Stefan Cicic was named to the Class 4A all-state second team by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association and received honorable mention on the Associated Press all-state team.
Senior Arius Alijosius and junior Will Gonzalez were IBCA special mention.
Lyons Township High School senior Nik Polonowski was 4A IBCA second-team all-state and AP honorable mention. Senior Jackson Niego was IBCA third-team all-state.
In girls basketball, LTHS senior Alli Cesarini was 4A IBCA special mention and AP honorable mention.
For Class 3A state champion Nazareth Academy, senior Grace Carstensen was AP first-team all-state and IBCA second-team all-state.
Junior Amalia Dray was AP second-team and IBCA third-team. Junior Olivia Austin was AP honorable mention all-state. Austin, junior Danielle Scully and freshman Stella Sakalas were IBCA special mention all-state.
The IBCA has first, second and third-team all-state teams with special mention. The AP has first and second-team all-state teams with honorable mention.
RBHS water polo
The RBHS boys water polo team concluded an exhausting stretch of eight matches over seven days on March 20 by losing to Homewood-Flossmoor 18-11.
The Bulldogs (3-9) beat Morton 16-3 and Argo 15-12 and lost to Shepard 13-7 last week before falling to Glenbrook South 17-11, Maine South 10-5, Jones/Payton 5-0 and Maine West 5-0 on March 17-18 the Glenbrook South Invite.
Leading scorer Brad Ruska (5 goals, assist), Avinesh Ponnappan (4 goals, assist) and Alex Jacobs (goal, 4 assists) led the way against Morton. Martynas Bielauskas and Ruska (team-high 31 goals) each had four goals against Argo.
The RBHS girls (0-4-1) tied Morton 2-2 and lost to Lincoln-Way Central 15-3 last week.
LTHS boys track and field
Already a 2022 Class 3A state qualifier and sectional champion, LTHS senior Will DiSessa added to his accomplishments March 17.
DiSessa captured his first individual conference title by winning triple jump (13.40 meters/43 feet-11.5 inches) at the West Suburban Conference Silver Indoor Meet at Proviso West.
DiSessa was second last year and has finished third and fourth at the WSC Silver Meet outdoors. His 13.75m on March 10 is ranked No. 5 indoors in 3A.
“The last few years that I’ve been competing, our conference has been very strong in triple jump so knowing I can win is really reassuring and telling me to look for greater things,” said DiSessa, who was 22nd at 2022 state (37-4).
Senior Vincent Barcelona swept the 55 high hurdles (8.11) and 55 low hurdles (7.63) and (55 high hurdles in 8.11), sophomore Trevor Devries won long jump (6.75m/22-1) and senior Jack Rempfer was second in the 400 (52.27). The Lions (108 points) took second to Oak Park and River Forest (132).
DiSessa won triple jump by .40 meters with his first attempt.
“I hit a good mark. I was like, ‘Jeez, I hope no one else pulls something out of their back pocket,’” DiSessa said.
LTHS girls track and field
LTHS senior Catherine Sommerfeld had not competed in the 3,200-meter run this indoor track season and was battling illness from the day before.
No problem. Not only did Sommerfeld win her first individual conference title at the WSC Silver Indoor Meet on Mar h 17 at York, but her winning 10:45.58, which ranks No. 4 in 3A, broke the 10:59.01 school record by Sarah Barcelona in 2017.
Sommerfeld ran her second half in 5:10 to edge York senior and fellow Vanderbilt recruit Bria Bennis (10:46.17).
“I was trying to get the record. It was a big negative split the second mile, but I think I was ready for it,” Sommerfeld said.
Junior Annie Hejna also cleared 5 feet to win high jump for the fourth-place Lions (63 points). Senior Becky Phillips was second in the 400 (1:01.50) and 300 (42.77).
LTHS girls soccer
The Lions have opened with two shutouts, winning 6-0 over Whitney Young on March 15 at Hinsdale Central and 5-0 at Jones on March 16 as part of the City-Suburban Connect Invite.
Illinois State recruit Katie O’Malley and Peyton Israel tallied twice against Young. Carolina Capizzi and Niamh Griffin also scored.
Josie Pochocki, Chandlar Lay and Griffin combined for the goals against Jones. Goalies Nora Ezike and Sarah Schinker shared both shutouts.
LTHS girls water polo
The Lions (7-1) edged Lane Tech 8-6 on March 18 to win the Whitney Young Invitational after beating the host Dolphins 12-6 and Lincoln Park 12-2 in pool play.
Emilia Mladjan (4 goals, assist), Ava Wright (2 goals, 2 assists), Estelle Wright (goal, 2 assists) and Bella Recker (goal) led the offense against Lane. Goalie Allison Schroder made 13 saves.
Mladjan (team-high 31 goals) had seven goals against Young. Maya Mladjan (26 goals, team-high 18 assists) had three goals and four assists against Lincoln Park.
LTHS boys water polo
The Lions (5-3) finished fourth at the Dan Lynch Invitational at Fenwick on March 18, losing to the host Friars 10-8 for third. In pool play, LTHS lost for the second time this season to overall champion Stevenson 10-9 while also beating Parkway West (Baldwin, Mo.) 10-3 and Brother Rice 16-3.
Brendan Whelton (team-high 24 goals) notched three goals in all three games. Louis Grib and Luke Jackson (2 goals each), Sean Gripp (goal, 2 assists) and Sam Rabah (3 assists, 4 steals) also contributed against Fenwick. Goalie Charlie Vlk has team highs of 16 assists, 18 steals and 47 saves.
