The polls are now closed for the April Athlete of the Year challenge.
Congratulations to Kevin Cunningham on being named our Athlete of the Year! Kevin 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: Rosemary Gibbons
Year in school: Junior
School: Evanston
Sport: Girls volleyball
Season stats: Gibbons recorded 11 kills in a 25-22, 18-25, 25-14 win over Champaign Central and six kills in a 25-21, 25-22 victory against Libertyville on Aug. 26, 2017, helping the Wildkits finish fifth at the Libertyville Invite. Gibbons notched a team-high 12 kills in a 25-21, 15-25, 25-20 victory over Maine East on Aug. 29, 2017.
Name: Enyaeva Michelin
Year in school: Senior
School: Evanston
Sport: Girls cross country
Best game: Michelin placed second at the Class 3A state meet in 16 minutes, 30 seconds, on Nov. 4, 2017, at Detweiller Park in Peoria. Michelin’s second-place finish is the best finish in Evanston history. The program’s previous best was a 10th-place finish by Stephanie Goodrich in 1991.
Quote: “I knew it would be my last cross country race in high school so it was also a bittersweet moment,” said Michelin, who plans to run cross country and track at North Carolina. “But crossing the finish at state was a feeling I can’t even describe. It’s a feeling like no other.”
Name: Catherine O’Regan
Year in school: Senior
School: Glenbrook North
Sport: Girls tennis
Best game: O’Regan became the first Glenbrook North girls tennis player to medal all four years of high school when she and doubles partner Samantha Frishman, a sophomore, placed sixth at the Class AA state meet on Oct. 21, 2017. O’Regan previously finished second in 2016, third in 2015 and seventh in 2014 while playing doubles with her sister Colette, who graduated in 2017.
Quote: “This is a phenomenal way for Catherine to finish her four-year career,” Glenbrook North coach Peg Holecek said.
Name: Shannon Kearney
Year in school: Senior
School: Loyola
Sport: Girls swimming
Best game: Kearney placed second in the 100-yard backstroke at the girls swimming state meet on Nov. 18, 2017, at New Trier’s Winnetka campus. She touched the wall in 53.90 seconds. The North Carolina State recruit also placed 10th in the 50 free (23.66).
Quote: “Words can’t describe the impact she had on the program and how much we will miss her next year,” Loyola girls swimming coach Mike Hengelmann said.
Name: Kevin Cunningham
Year in school: Senior
School: Loyola
Sport: Boys basketball
Position: Guard
Season stats: Cunningham, a St. Thomas (Minn.) recruit from Glenview, made 92 3-pointers this season. Only three Ramblers have made more 3s in a season in program history. He was the MVP at the Gulfshore Holiday Hoopfest in Naples, Fla., and also earned first-team All-CCL honors. Cunningham helped Loyola win back-to-back regional titles for the first time since 2007-08. He averaged 14 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists per game.
Name: Julia Martinez
Year in school: Junior
School: Loyola
Sport: Girls basketball
Position: Point guard
Season stats: The 5-foot-10 Martinez recently committed to play college basketball at Saint Louis. Martinez, a Chicago resident, broke her own single-season assists record at Loyola with 210 assists in 2017-18 and set a program record with 539 career assists. Her leadership and steady play on both ends were essential for a Loyola team that finished 25-6 and reached a sectional final. She averaged 9.8 points, 7.3 rebound, 6.8 assists and 2.7 steals per game.
Best game: Martinez dished out 11 assists in a 49-42 win over Geneva, the defending Class 4A state champions, at Coach Kipp’s Hoopsfest on Jan. 13 in Willowbrook.
Quote: “(Martinez) is awesome at setting other people up,” Loyola assistant coach Jon Wolfe said. “She can break you down, she has really good passing instincts and is a great rebounder. She’s an all-around great player.”
Name: Renata Fulk
Year in school: Senior
School: Beacon Academy
Sport: Girls gymnastics
Best game: Fulk tied for 10th in the vault (9.150), tied for 15th on the floor (8.950), took 18th in the all-around (35.100) and placed 32nd on the uneven bars (8.150) at the Niles North Sectional Feb. 6. She previously placed first in the vault, second in the floor, third in the uneven bars and tied for third in the all-around at the Deerfield Regional.
Quote: “In addition to being one of the region’s top gymnasts, Ren is a top student at an academically challenging school and is very involved in service learning when she’s not at school or in the gym,” Beacon athletic director Tim Cohen said in an email. “This competition is a great capstone for a successful high school gymnastics career.”
Name: Penelope Tir
Year in school: Junior
School: New Trier
Sport: Girls golf
Best game: Tir shot a 1-under-par 71 on the second day of the state tournament to finish with a 144 and win the Class AA state title by one stroke on Oct. 14, 2017, in Decatur. Tir also helped the Trevians win the team title.
Quote: “It is all so surreal,” Tir said after winning the individual state title, adding, “It doesn’t seem real now.”
Name: Jessie Creed
Year in school: Junior
School: New Trier
Sport: Girls diving
Best game: Creed defended her state title on Nov. 18 at New Trier’s Winnetka campus. She finished with a two-day score of 479.10. Creed finished 42.60 points ahead of the second-place finisher, sophomore teammate Katie Lipsey. Creed bettered her score from a year ago by 16.55 points.
Quote: “She’s the best,” Lipsey said of Creed. “She gives me a lot of pep talks.”
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