The polls are now closed for the April Athlete of the Year challenge.
Congratulations to Klaire Steffens on being named our Athlete of the Year! Klaire will receive a commemorative plaque presented by Country Financial and be featured in this week’s edition of Pioneer Press. Thank you to all of our challengers and voters!
This program is governed by these rules. Voting results are considered preliminary and are not final until winners are announced at the end of the voting period.
Looking for your school? Find the correct zone.
More: Official rules | Athlete of the Month: FAQ | Questions? Concerns?
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Name: Lauren Katz
Year in school: Senior
School: Vernon Hills
Sport: Cross country
Best game: Katz led Vernon Hills to its fourth third-place finish in five years at the state meet. She finished 11th in Class 2A with a time of 17 minutes, 34 seconds on Nov. 4 in Peoria. She earned all-state honors three times during her career. She accepted a preferred walk-on spot to run cross country and track at Illinois.
Quote: “Our coaches train us to peak at the right time,” Katz said. “Even through those ups and downs, we knew what we were doing, putting in the training. We were confident coming into this race. We all knew we had it in us.”
Name: Matt Schawel
Year in school: Senior
School: Stevenson
Sport: Boys golf
Best game: He earned the North Suburban Conference meet medalist honor after winning in the first playoff hole on Sept. 26 at Willow Glen Golf Club in North Chicago. He shot a 1-over-par 72 to tie with Lake Forest senior Scott Frevert for first place. Schawel then beat Frevert in the first playoff hole. Stevenson finished second as a team at the event.
Quote: “I’ve never been in a playoff before,” Schawel. “I just went out there and try and do what I did today all day and have some fun. And that’s what I did.”
Name: Jackson Bussell
Year in school: Junior
School: Stevenson
Sport: Boys golf
Best game: He won the Class 3A boys golf state title with a two-round score of 141 at The Den at Fox Creek in Bloomington. Bussell shot a 32 on the back nine on Oct. 14 to move into first place. He birdied the 13th, 14th and 16th holes on the way to the win. Stevenson finished third at the event.
Quote: “On the back nine, I figured I had to do something special, so I started going for pins,” Bussell said. “I got calm. I tried to keep myself playing slow. It helps that I don’t play conservative. I was pretty aggressive. It made it a lot easier to get birdies.”
Name: Ally Landis
Year in school: Sophomore
School: Vernon Hills
Sport: Diving
Best meet: Landis finished third in the one-meter dive on Nov. 18 at the girls swimming and diving state meet. She had 426.15 points at the event. Vernon Hills She had 12 of Vernon Hills’ 18 team points as the Cougars placed 23rd as a team. The week before state, Landis won the Vernon Hills Sectional diving title with 416.75 points.
Quote: “Overall, it was a historic season for Vernon Hills to say the least,” Vernon Hills coach Kedric Greenawalt said.
Name: Nicole Pieper
Year in school: Senior
School: Vernon Hills
Sport: Girls basketball
Best game: Pieper stepped up her game when forward Kayla Caudle was out of the lineup with an injury. One of Pieper’s highlights occurred when Caudle returned to the lineup. Pieper had16 points, three rebounds, three assists and five steals on Dec. 7 as Vernon Hills beat Glenbrook North 64-30. Vernon Hills won one regional game before losing to Lakes in a Class 3A regional championship game.
Quote: “Kayla being out definitely changed things for a few of us because we rely on her for a lot,” Pieper said. “I know, for me, it pushed me harder to get better.”
Name: Klaire Steffens
Year in school: Senior
School: Stevenson
Sport: Girls basketball
Position: Forward
Season stats: Averaged 14.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.9 steals.
Best game: University of Chicago recruit led Stevenson to their first regional championship in five years. The Patriots defeated Palatine 35-32 for the title. She was Stevenson’s top offensive threat in her fourth year on the varsity team.
Quote: “She has put a ton of a load on her shoulders. It’s no secret that she’s our go-to player, and every game we expect her to do those things,” Stevenson coach Ashley Graham said.
Name: Topher Stensby
Year in school: Junior
School: Stevenson
Sport: Boys swimming
Best game: Stensby finished first in two events at the state meet. He won the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 20.18 seconds. He won the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 44.57. Stensby became the first swimmer in Illinois to win both races in the same year since Ryan Held of Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin in 2014. He has won more state titles than any male swimmer in Stevenson history. He is a three-time champion, having won the 50 free in 2017.
Quote: “I’ve trained all year for this meet. I’ve worked harder than I ever had this season to get to this point,” Stensby said.
Name: Jordyn Hughes
Year in school: Senior
School: Warren
Sport: Girls basketball
Position: Guard
Season stats: Averaged 14.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.7 steals.
Best game: Hughes was named the 2017-18 News-Sun Girls Basketball Player of the Year after leading the Blue Devils to their first conference title since 2008 and their first regional championship in six years. The Eastern Illinois recruit finished her career with 1,661 points. She had 19 points in Warren’s 63-41 victory against Prospect in the Class 4A Buffalo Grove Regional championship game on Feb. 15.
Quote: “Jordyn has always been a great example of what it means to be a committed athlete. She has always been a leader by the example she set on a daily basis with her work ethic and what she demands of herself,” Warren coach John Stanczykiewicz said.
Name: Micah Jones
Year in school: Senior
School: Warren
Sport: Football
Position: Wide receiver
Season stats: Totaled 53 catches for 710 yards with 12 touchdowns.
Best game: Jones was named the 2017 News-Sun Football Player of the Year after doubling his stats from 2016 and earning all-state honors. He caught three TD passes in the regular-season finale against Stevenson. The Blue Devils won 21-14 to secure a spot in the Class 8A playoffs. Jones then caught a TD pass the first-round playoff game victory against Bolingbrook. Jones enrolled early at Notre Dame.
Quote: “It’s great to end on a high note,” Jones said. “And to help win some games, that really helped boost my confidence. The winning games part of it, that’s probably the best part of it.”
Name: Riley Palm
Year in school: Junior
School: Carmel
Sport: Wrestling
Position: 138-pound weight class
Season stats: 41-0
Best game: Palm won the Class 2A 138-pound state championship on Feb. 17 with an 11-1 major decision victory against We Rachal of Washington at State Farm Center in Champaign. Palm became the first state champion in wrestling from Carmel. Palm battled through injuries and finished sixth at 126 pounds in the state championship last season. He completed this season by beating Rachal, who won a state title at 132 pounds in 2017.
Quote: “I had a game plan going in. I knew to stay low, and if I could make him get higher he’d get uncomfortable. I dominated him on his feet,” Palm said.
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