Senior and fourth-year varsity goalie Charlie Vlk has become accustomed to state trips with the Lyons Township High School boys water polo team.
As the Lions seek their sixth straight state berth – and sixth straight top-three state trophy – there’s hope a veteran group can change one thing. They’d like to add to the program’s only state championship from 2015.
“We’re definitely looking to put a big plaque on the wall,” Vlk said. “LT has had a lot of second and third places throughout the years. We kind of call it a curse here, but we’re hoping to break it.”
The Lions’ roster boasts 12 seniors, many of whom contributed to last year’s third-place state finish with a 21-11 record. LTHS beat York 8-6 for third after losing to state champion New Trier 9-6 in the semifinals.
On Saturday, LTHS opened by winning the Stevenson Tournament with a 3-0 record, including a tough 7-6 win over the host Patriots, last year’s state runners-up, while also beating Whitney Young 9-2 and Fremd 19-4.
“We have a very large senior class that has been dedicated to the sport and this team,” said LTHS coach Doug Eichstaedt. “We were a little bit inexperienced last year. We were really excited where we ended up at the end of the season. I think these guys are all kind of ready to build off that and using their experience to raise the bar.”
Vlk was named first-team all-state in 2023 and senior Brendan Whelton was second-team all-state and their leading scorer with 87 goals and 19 assists. Both were first-team all-sectional.
Senior Luke Jackson (40 goals, 16 assists), named honorable mention all-sectional, and junior Sami Rabah (25 goals, 27 assists) also return as starters plus key senior sub Laine Tegan (13 goals, 15 assists) and seniors Michael Avakian, Sam Garvin, Sam Perez, Steven Strandberg, Josh Vander Wagen and Michael Wall and sophomore Ben Kozak. Newcomers are seniors Anthony Ellis and Finn Vahey and junior Declan Vahey. The Vaheys are transfers from Fenwick with Finn earning second-team all-sectional honors last season.
“One of the key things as of now and the past is our environment,” Jackson said. “We have a really great team culture here and I think that’s something that leads to a lot of success for us.”
LTHS girls water polo
Despite having just four returning players from their 2023 sectional finalist, the Lions’ high expectations continue.
“Definitely right now it’s a little bit of a challenge because we have so many players moving up from (junior varsity) that it’s going to be a struggle at first,” junior Maya Mladjan said. “But as the season goes on, I think we’ll definitely become better and better. I’m real excited to see how everything goes.”
Mladjan, seniors Estelle Wright and Tess Filipiak and sophomore Bella Recker are returning starters and lone Lions with significant varsity action from last season’s 25-5 team that lost to Mother McAuley 13-11 in the LT Sectional final.
Also playing are senior Ellie Baum, juniors Sophie Kalas and Sarsha O’Sullivan, sophomores Abbey Danaher, Rose Frank, Avery Watanabe and Bebe Wright and junior Delaney Judkins and sophomore Caroline Robb, the two goalies.
“The (2023) seniors definitely left their mark. The returners still feel that, still want that same level,” LTHS coach Megan Jacobs said.
“Our four returning players are super strong and experienced and so far are kind of helping everybody catch up to speed. It’s not just me coaching. It’s kind of like a group effort in getting the younger kids up to speed.”
Mladjan was second-team all-state and all-sectional in 2023 after collecting 78 goals and 47 assists. She missed the sectional final after suffering a concussion in the previous match. Estelle Wright had a team-best 51 assists with 49 goals and Recker (16 goals, 24 assists) and Filipiak (11 goals, 15 assists) reached double figures.
In the season-opening Stevenson Tournament, the Lions beat St. Charles North 17-4 and Lincoln-Way East 15-4 and lost to the host Patriots 12-7. Mladjan had 19 goals.
“There’s a lot of new people and we have to teach them, which is very different from last year, but it’s fun,” Estelle Wright said.