Lyons Township High School senior Bella Recker entered her senior girls water polo season with high expectations. She more than fulfilled them with her best season statistics-wise and was named first team all-state for the second year in a row. LTHS seniors Bebe Wright and Avery Watanabe were named third-team all-state.
“I was very happy to get first team all-state again,” Recker said. “It felt amazing to be recognized for another year of hard work and it was nice to cap off my final season with this award.”
Recker increased her output to a team-high 146 goals with 33 assists and 85 steals. When she was among six non-seniors on the 10-player 2025 all-state first team, she led the Lions with 96 goals along with 48 assists and 58 steals. Recker was second team all-state in 2024.
“This year I took on a leadership role that was different than years past,” she said. “As a senior and one of three captains, it took time to adjust to the new position. As the season went on I was able to figure out exactly where I fit within my team.”
Wright (78 goals, team-high 88 assists and 101 steals) and Watanabe (34 goals, 71 assists, 47 steals) also were among the Lions’ top offensive weapons.
Recker, Wright and Watanabe were named first team All-Lyons Township Sectional. LTHS sophomore Maddie Wieczorkiewicz was second-team all-sectional and senior Rose Frank was honorable mention all-sectional. The Lions’ Megan Jacobs again was named the sectional’s Coach of the Year.
In 2025, Wright was second team all-sectional and Watanabe was honorable mention all-sectional. Riverside Brookfield junior Carly Romero was named second-team all-sectional for the Fenwick Sectional.
The Lions reached the super-sectional after finishing second in state in 2025 — the program’s second-highest state finish to their 2010 state championship. This season’s first big invitational was at Stevenson, where the Lions lost 16-5 to undefeated Punahou, a prep school from Honolulu, Hawaii. Punahou earlier won 21-5 over Stevenson, this year’s state champions that won its other 35 matches.
“Being runner-up at state was a big moment for me. But another one of my favorite memories was (playing Punahou),” Recker said. “Although we lost it was really fun and we played very cohesively.”
Recker will continue playing water polo at Princeton. She will major in molecular biology with plans of eventually becoming a doctor.
“I love this sport so much so I knew I wanted to continue playing in some capacity,” she said. “I also really value academics and so I’ve been blessed to continue to push myself in this sport and be able to go to a very rigorous university.”
Boys water polo
Lyons Township seniors Wes Musgrove and Ben Kozak and Fenwick senior Jack Posluszny of Riverside were named second team all-state for boys water polo. LTHS junior goalie Vedran Petkovic was third team all-state.
Musgrove (team-high 83 goals, 29 assists, 49 assists) and Kozak (34 goals, team-high 60 assists and 60 steals) were among the Lions’ leading scorers. Petkovic made 189 saves. Musgrove, Kozak and Petkovic were named first-team all-sectional for the Lyons Township Sectional. Junior Collin McNeil was second-team all-sectional and freshman Tim Kozak was honorable mention all-sectional.
The Lions’ Doug Eichstaedt was named the sectional’s Coach of the Year.
Posluszny was first-team all-sectional for the Fenwick Sectional. He also was first-team All-Metro Catholic Aquatic Conference and the Friars’ Lawless Award recipient for boys water polo as the team’s top scholar-athlete.
Last season, Kozak was third team all-state and all-sectional and Musgrove was second team all-sectional.