Freedom is like a high-speed car or a high-calorie diet. It can get a guy in trouble if he’s not careful with it.
Nate Lyles understands that now. He understands that having some of the independence of a high school student when he was still in 7th and 8th grades wasn’t as wonderful as it seemed to be.
He understands there really is no such thing as a free lunch.
Some kids never realize that. Lyles figured it out while he was still at Hubbard. That’s why the senior football and track star is a member of the 14th annual Chicago Tribune Scholar-Athlete Team.
Six years ago Lyles figured to be a no-brainer to join this group of 20 elite achievers. He was entering Kenwood Academy, a high school, in 7th grade as part of the Chicago Public Schools’ Academic Centers program.
Academic Centers is a six-year accelerated program that allows advanced students to progress at their own pace, and Lyles seemed to be a perfect candidate. From kindergarten on, he had attended magnet schools, and if that wasn’t enough, his parents were CPS teachers.
But a funny thing happened on the way to the honor roll. At Kenwood, Lyles had more freedom than he was used to, and the result was trouble.
“I had a lot of problems adjusting,” he said. “Most problems people have in high school, I had in 7th grade.”
Lyles made lots of friends and sometimes went off campus for lunch with them. Lunch, unfortunately, at times extended into his next class or two.
“I was having a lot of fun and not paying a lot of attention to my work,” he said.
A report card that had usually been as solid as a Dick Butkus tackle began to sprout C’s and even a few D’s, especially in the high school-level classes he was taking. Lyles’ parents were not pleased.
“His grades were just average, and we didn’t think he was an average student,” said Lyles’ father, Ernest, a math teacher, assistant football coach and head track coach at Hubbard. “He just wasn’t self-disciplined.”
Nate wanted to remain at Kenwood for high school, but his father said to forget it unless his grades improved. They didn’t, and his parents enrolled him at Hubbard so his father could keep a close eye on him.
Lyles was less than thrilled, but he got a 3.4 grade-point average on a 4.0 scale in an almost all-honors curriculum. One reason was his father’s tight monitoring of his grades. Another was a rule that students had to stay on campus for lunch.
Lyles wanted to transfer to Morgan Park for his sophomore year, partly because several of his grammar-school football teammates went there. But his mother, Rashida Foluke, wanted to see one more year of solid grades before he made any move.
“I just envisioned the same kind of situation as at Kenwood,” she said. “He had lots of friends at Morgan Park, and I didn’t see that working out any better.”
The next year was a turning point in Lyles’ academic career. He got a 4.0 GPA or better and handled himself well enough that his father cut back on his visits to Nate’s teachers.
Part of Lyles’ change was probably normal maturation and the fruits of a strong competitive drive. But part, too, was taking a math class with older football players.
Those players, and especially then-senior Reggie Cribbs, took their class work seriously, and Lyles noticed.
“That was a real positive influence,” he said.
By the end of the year Lyles understood his mother’s point of view.
“I didn’t need a school where I was having too much fun,” he said. “I wanted a school where I stayed focused.
“I got my priorities straight. Back then my main thing was, `Let’s have fun,’ go out with my friends.”
As a junior, 10 of Lyles’ 12 grades were A’s. As a senior, he was a Tribune first-team All-State defensive back.
Lyles will play safety at Virginia, choosing the Cavaliers over Notre Dame and Oregon. He leaves Hubbard with a 3.85 cumulative GPA and as an academic role model who tries to do for younger teammates what Cribbs did for him.
“I heard one freshman say how he watched how someone was never in class, so he didn’t need to go,” Lyles said. “I realized how they see what we do. Now I take everything to heart.
“I’ve had several conversations with younger players. I’ve tried to let them know how important it is to get your work done early, make sure you handle business in the classroom.”
2003-04 TRIBUNE HIGH SCHOOL SCHOLAR-ATHLETE TEAM.
Wheeling
Alison Coren
Class rank: 1/488
Cross-country, track
College: Northwestern
The 7th grade marked a turning point in Coren’s running career. After finishing fourth at the state cross-country meet and helping her Prospect Heights Running Club win a national title, Coren was hooked.
That success continued to high school, where Coren won two Mid-Suburban cross-country titles and twice finished fifth in the state. She also earned a conference title and a state medal in track in the 3,200 meters.
“I set high expectations,” Coren said. “I really pushed myself to do my best.”
Coren also set high expectations in the classroom–and enjoyed the same success. She amassed a GPA of 5.00–tops in a class of 488–and scored 31 on the ACT.
Coren will continue her cross-country career at Northwestern this fall, majoring in biological sciences.
Neuqua Valley
Chris Clark
Class rank: 42/725
Soccer
College: Santa Clara
As one of the Chicago area’s premier defenders, Clark compiled an impressive list of individual state and conference accolades.
But the standout moment came when he hoisted the Class AA state championship trophy last fall after Neuqua Valley’s 1-0 win over Rockford Guilford. It was a memorable way to cap a senior season. But more important, it was the first IHSA title of any kind in school history.
“It meant so much to our school and our community,” Clark said. “I’m playing club soccer right now, and you don’t seem to share that with nearly as many people.”
The Wildcats didn’t allow a goal at the state tournament, and a big share of the credit goes to Clark’s defense. Neuqua Valley’s two-time defensive MVP also scored 11 goals on just 21 shots during the season.
Academically, Clark posted a 4.17 GPA and a 30 on the ACT.
Clark will continue his soccer career at Santa Clara, where he is enrolled in liberal studies and may go on to prelaw.
Lockport
Samantha Findlay
Class rank: 77/829
Softball
College: Michigan
The power source behind the Porters’ march to the state tournament, Findlay batted .520 this season while slugging 10 home runs and driving in 33 runs. That performance earned the first baseman her fourth straight Tribune All-State selection.
“It’s been phenomenal,” Findlay said. “My coaches and teammates have been just great.”
But Findlay also has exhibited plenty of brains, registering a 3.7 GPA that ranked in the top 10 percent of a class of 829 students. She is considering a major in sports management or communications at Michigan, where she will continue her softball career.
“It’s a very tough school, and it will be a challenge academically,” said Findlay, a National Honor Society member. “The biggest thing will be trying to balance my time between sports and schoolwork.
“But they teach you well there. It’s a great academic program, and they have tons of people to help you out.”
Naperville Central
Elizabeth Lumpkin
Class rank: 34/719
Tennis
College: UCLA
Four years later, Elizabeth Lumpkin remembers her first state tennis title as an overwhelming experience.
“I remember not feeling a lot of emotion, because I was so shocked,” Lumpkin said. “I wanted to cry, but I couldn’t.”
Crying was likely common for opponents who drew Lumpkin in tournaments the last four years. Last fall Lumpkin became the first Illinois athlete to win four state singles championships. In those four title matches, she lost just one set.
Lumpkin finished her career with a 122-5 record, including 77 straight victories.
Despite a year-round commitment to tennis, including national competition, Lumpkin maintained a 4.343 GPA, with seven semesters at 4.0 or higher. She earned a full scholarship to UCLA, where she plans to study broadcast journalism.
Prospect
Kimberly Unger
Class rank: 52/501
Bowling
College: Iowa State
Unger first picked up a bowling ball when she was 4. But in junior high, she abandoned her fledgling bowling career for a less common sport–synchronized swimming.
The change didn’t last, and when she got to high school, Unger picked up her old sport once again. The result was a 2004 IHSA individual bowling championship.
Unger, in fourth place at the beginning of the tournament’s final day, rolled a 660 series in the morning session and a 646 in the afternoon to capture the title with a total pinfall of 2,529.
“I’m still kind of floored by the thought of that,” Unger said. “I’m still in awe of that whole day.”
Unger compiled a 5.21 GPA and scored a 30 on the ACT. She hopes to keep bowling in intramurals while studying animal science in college.
Sandwich
Brent Skorup
Class rank: 1/175
Wrestling, cross-country
College: Wheaton
As a straight-A student and class valedictorian, Skorup had to endure his share of ribbing from his teammates.
But those same teammates thought enough of Skorup’s athletic abilities to name him team captain in both cross-country and wrestling. He responded by leading Sandwich to repeat state-meet berths in cross-country and back-to-back third-place finishes in the Class A team wrestling tournament.
“It’s nice to be complimented,” said Skorup, who also wrestled on Sandwich’s 2001 state championship team. “It’s not just what I do in wrestling and what I do in cross-country. I’m a nice kid all the time.”
Skorup starred individually in wrestling as well, qualifying for state all four years. He finished third in the state at 103 pounds as a sophomore and second at 119 pounds as a senior.
A four-time recipient of the team’s sportsmanship award, Skorup was named 2004 Class A scholastic wrestler of the year.
Hinsdale South
Bryce Marable
Class rank: 34/429
Tennis
College: Tennessee
Before she had even started kindergarten, tennis was a big part of Marable’s life.
“My dad (Brent) played tennis, so he introduced me to the game early,” Marable said. “It’s always just been there.”
The typical high school student has enough trouble budgeting time without sports. Marable fit classes and homework into a day that also included two hours of practice and another hour of training. And invitationals claimed several of her Saturdays during the season.
But Marable, the state singles runner-up this season and a three-time top-five finisher, persevered. In addition to her athletic success, she compiled a 5.3 grade-point average, ranking in the top 8 percent of her class.
Marable will play tennis at Tennessee beginning this autumn.
Fenwick
Kristin Heidloff
Class rank: NA. ACT: 31
Basketball, tennis, track
College: Georgetown
It has become common for top high school athletes to focus on one sport year-round.
Kristin Heidloff was having none of that.
“I knew during high school I wanted some variety so I wouldn’t be bored,” said Heidloff, a competitor in tennis, basketball and track.
Heidloff advanced to state nine times in those three sports, but it was the Friars’ state basketball title run during her freshman season that still stands out.
A four-year starter, Heidloff averaged 17.5 points, 5.5 assists and 4.9 steals as a senior and finished in the top five of the statewide Ms. Basketball voting.
She also won four sectional tennis titles and ran on school-record-setting teams in the 4 x 100, 4 x 200 and 800 medley relays.
Heidloff’s competive spirit carried over to the classroom, where she received only one B in four years. She will play basketball at Georgetown and study sports psychology.
York
Laura Bresnahan
Class rank: 9/612
Volleyball, track
College: Notre Dame
After she won the York volleyball team’s most improved player award as a freshman, the future looked bright for Bresnahan.
The 6-foot middle blocker lived up to the promise, winning the team’s MVP award the next three years. Along the way she led the Dukes to back-to-back regional titles and set a school record for blocks.
“It’s one of those experiences of a lifetime,” Bresnahan said. “Not everyone gets to be on the varsity, depending on where they go to school, and not everyone gets an award like MVP.”
Also a track and field standout, Bresnahan qualified for the state meet three times on relays and won a West Suburban Silver conference title in the triple jump.
Bresnahan led in the classroom as well, ranking ninth in a class of 612 with her 4.721 GPA and scoring a 31 on the ACT.
Bresnahan will follow her father and both of her sisters to Notre Dame, where she plans to study architecture and will try to walk on to the volleyball team.
Fremd
Katie Burke
Class rank: 47/682
Gymnastics
College: Iowa
As a sophomore, Burke dominated the IHSA gymnastics meet by winning the all-around title as well as the uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise. But it was her final year of competition that provided the most lasting memories.
“I think what I look back on now is my senior year, because it was the year I had the most fun,” Burke said. “The last event I did [at state] was floor, and I won that, so that was pretty amazing.”
In all, Burke earned eight state titles and finished second three times. She holds or shares Fremd records in the all-around and on parallel bars and was a member of the high school senior national team.
A high-honor-roll student all four years, Burke ranked in the top 10 percent of her class. She will continue her gymnastics career at Iowa and leans toward a career in sports medicine or athletic training.
Huntley
Samantha Mader
Class rank: 2/168
Basketball, volleyball
College: Purdue
Most athletes would love to build toward an MVP campaign during their senior season.
To be singled out as your team’s top player as a freshman, an honor bestowed on Mader after her first year of high school basketball, sets quite a precedent. But Mader lived up to expectations, earning MVP and defensive MVP honors all four years.
“It’s nice to be able to say I was MVP all four years and I tried to step up and help the team,” said Mader, also a two-time team MVP in volleyball. “But it definitely was more fun when we did well as a team.”
Mader finished her career as the all-time leader in scoring and rebounds at Huntley. The future engineering student at Purdue still found time to rank second in a class of 168 and maintain a 4.633 GPA.
Richards
Dan Szczecinski
Class rank: 22/365
Baseball
College: Augustana
A vital part of the first Richards team to win a regional in 17 years, Szczecinski terrorized pitching all season.
Szczecinski shifted to first base at the start of the year so teammate Brian Smith and his stronger arm could take over in the outfield. Szczecinski took the move in stride, batting .471 with eight home runs, 44 runs scored and 54 RBIs.
With his help, the Bulldogs compiled a 31-7 record and won the SICA North title.
“That’s my main job is to hit,” Szczecinski said. “Guys get on base in front of me, and I knock them in.”
Szczecinski, an Illinois State Scholar whose 4.402 GPA put him near the top 6 percent of his class, will continue his baseball career at Augustana.
Evanston
Ariel Rogers
Class rank: 74/743
Basketball, volleyball, badminton
College: Princeton
A presence at and under the net in volleyball and basketball, respectively, Rogers stood out on the floor.
But when asked about her most memorable moment, she references a less-publicized sport. The 5-foot-10-inch senior finished sixth in singles at the state badminton meet this spring.
“It’s just you and your opponent, and it really tests you as a competitor,” Rogers, the Wildkits’ hoops MVP, said of badminton. “Will you rise to the occasion?”
Rogers met the challenge in the classroom as well, ranking in the top 10 percent of her class with a 4.2 GPA. She will continue her basketball career in college, and she plans to study mechanical engineering.
Lyons Township
Brad Topol
Class rank: 37/847
Track, cross-country
College: Illinois
Coming into high school, Topol considered himself an all-around athlete. He expected to make his mark on the Lyons volleyball squad, and he ran cross-country in the fall only to keep himself busy.
“As the season went on, I started excelling and doing a lot better,” said Topol, who qualified for state that fall. “At that point, I kind of realized that this is my thing.”
The strides he made that season convinced him to pick track over volleyball in the spring. By the end of his career, Topol was a two-time team MVP and top-10 finisher at state in cross-country and a three-time state qualifier in track.
Topol also went the distance academically, ranking in the top 5 percent of his class with a 4.6 GPA. He will study civil engineering while competing in cross-country and track in college.
Fenwick
Kevin Kysiak
Class rank: NA. ACT: 30
Swimming, water polo
College: Naval Academy
It has become a tradition of sorts at Fenwick: If you swim for the Friars, you probably play water polo as well.
But as a role player on Fenwick’s state title water polo team in 2002, Kysiak acquired a new appreciation for the sport.
“I started to understand more as I got older,” Kysiak said. “I got the big picture that this is something else I really care about.”
The Friars won another title this spring, and Kysiak scored four goals in the 11-9 title-game victory over Stevenson. He also captained the swim team and earned All-America and All-State honors five times.
Kysiak, an Eagle Scout with a 4.1 GPA and a 1,340 SAT score, will attend the Naval Academy.
Palatine
Suzy Turner
Class rank: 15/619
Track, cross-country
College: Illinois State
Turner’s name became synonymous with running success at Palatine.
She scored on four Palatine cross-country teams that won team trophies at the state meet. Three times she earned All-State and team MVP honors. In addition, she helped the Pirates’ 4 x 800 relay team to three top-three finishes at the Class AA state track meet.
The time on the track didn’t slow Turner down in the classroom, where she ranked 15th of 619 students in her class. For a while, the Illinois State Scholar was working two jobs as well.
“It’s definitely been worth it, looking back,” Turner said. “It was more rewarding than it was a hassle.”
Turner will continue her running career at Illinois State. She plans to major in secondary education with hopes of becoming a math or science teacher.
West Chicago
Jackie Vavrek
Class rank: 1/481
Swimming
College: Wisconsin
With three state titles in the 50-yard freestyle and one runner-up finish, Vavrek fell just short of a perfect swimming career.
But the six-time All-American and eight-time All-State selection made up for it in the classroom, where she recorded a perfect 4.0 GPA.
Considering school days that sometimes included 5:15 a.m. practices before school and 6:30 p.m. practices after, Vavrek’s accomplishment is even more impressive.
“I made that a goal going in–to keep up my grades and work as hard as I could,” Vavrek said.
Vavrek will continue her swimming career while studying chemical engineering in college.
North Chicago
Karlos Whittaker
Class rank: 15/153
Football, track
College: Naval Academy
The weekend of the IHSA track and field meet was a long one for Karlos Whittaker.
After Friday’s triple jump preliminaries, Whittaker returned to North Chicago for graduation. He spent a little quality time with family, then returned to Charleston for a short night of sleep.
The hassle had little effect on Whittaker, as he leaped 48 feet 2 3/4 inches and took third.
A four-year honor-roll student and Principal Scholar all four years, Whittaker compiled a 3.45 GPA that placed him in the top 10 percent of his class.
“It’s a lot of work, with practices and school,” Whittaker said. “If you work hard, anybody should be able to do it.”
Whittaker will play football at the Naval Academy and plans to study mechanical engineering.
New Trier
Anne Stanley
Class rank: 105/956
Soccer, basketball
College: Dartmouth
A four-year starter for the New Trier soccer program, Stanley helped the Trevians complete a 28-0-2 season and win a state title in an inspiring junior year.
New Trier repeated as undefeated state champ this spring. Stanley, a sweeper, was a big contributor to a defense that recorded an amazing 28 shutouts.
“Last year we saw what our seniors accomplished and looked at them and said, `That’s an awesome way to go out,'” Stanley said. “As we went 30-0 and won state, it was an unbelievable feeling.”
Stanley and the Trevians’ basketball squad also reached the Elite Eight in March.
Stanley made the honor roll every semester and scored a 31 on the ACT.
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About the Scholar-Athlete Team
Each Scholar-Athlete must be either in the top 10 percent of his or her class or score a 30 on the ACT or 1,350 on the SAT, be all-conference in at least one sport and be nominated by his or her school. In most cases, class rank is through seven semesters.
Special thanks to the Harold Washington Library Center.
btemkin@tribune.com
