Recent Riverside Brookfield High School graduates Liam Kaiser and Hazel Hall were used to running clocks as four-year high school soccer players. They also managed the constant, ongoing demands as student-athletes.
“Time management is a major challenge. You have short amounts of time to complete your homework while in season,” Kaiser said. “It can also be hard to complete the work when I would be tired from practices.”
Hall and Kaiser were honored as the RBHS Senior Academic Athletes of the Year at the school’s senior assembly last month. Kaiser will attend the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) to study economics. Hall is attending the University of Washington (Seattle) and working toward majoring in business.
The 2023 honorees also were soccer players (Sophie Swicionis and Sam Royer).
“It was a really big honor. For me, it was really nice recognition for all of the work I put in,” Hall said. “I held myself to really high standards for four years and that can be fully exhausting. It’s nice to be recognized for the time and mental capacity I’ve used to focus on not only school but sports.”
A four-year varsity soccer player, Hall was a senior tri-captain and earned all-sectional honors this past season. She also ran cross country and served as team manager sophomore year and played freshman basketball.
Kaiser was on the varsity boys soccer team for three years. He also played basketball as a freshman.
“The fulfillment was a major benefit,” Kaiser responded. “I always felt like I was busy and doing something meaningful with my time when I was in season. It was also just fun to be with my friends all day, to go from school to practice every day was a really good time.”
There certainly were hard times, too. For Hall, that came her final semester.
“I really, really struggled with keeping up the effort and that was when my sport was, so that was an added stressor,” Hall said. “It was more rewarding [to persevere], even with how tired I was.”
Both players emphasized the lessons of teamwork from soccer toward their future endeavors. Hall hopes to become a CEO or in high management.
“Soccer is so group-oriented. It’s really important you have a good relationship with everyone or else you’re not going to be successful,” she said.
LTHS senior awards
Lyons Township High School recognized Brendan Whelton with the Charles “Chuck” Bennett Award and Abby Markworth with the Hubbard-McKee Award as the best male and female athletes among this year’s senior class.
The Coaches’ Medal Award for leadership and citizenship in student affairs went to Ryan Jackson and Addison Watanabe.
The Donald Francis Lange Memorial Awards for character, leadership, scholarship and athletic ability were given to Gunnar Garelli and Izzi Wirtz.
The Stenger Medal Awards for best in all-around participation, good citizenship and sportsmanship went to Brady Chambers and Shannon Cranny.
The U.S. Army Reserve Scholar-Athlete Award recipients for four-year team members in high academic standing went to Nick Strayer and Kiley Mahoney.
The Richard Strauch Student Assistant of the Year recognizing loyalty, promptness and dependability went to Grace Kovacs.
The Student Athletic Trainer of the Year for effort, dedication and service went to Clare Kelliher.