Wheaton Spring Sports Honor Roll is in

Just as schools are releasing their spring semester academic honor rolls, Patch has released its spring sports honor roll for Wheaton  high schools: Wheaton North, Wheaton Warrenville South, Wheaton Academy and St. Francis.

The just-concluded 2011 spring sports season was one that turned out to be chock-full of top-notch performances.

Here is the honor roll, in alphabetical order, along with five honorable mentions:

Darren Fill, Wheaton Co-op boys gymnastics—In his final state meet, Fill filled the trophy case with more hardware: A state championship performance in parallel bars (an event in which he recorded a 9.6), second place on vault and fifth on still rings. At the recently held All-Star Senior gymnastics meet at Niles North High School, Fill won the all-around as part of the DuPage Valley squad, which took the team title.  

Katy Garcia, St. Francis girls track—The Spartan senior was all-state in two events at the Class 2A meet. She bettered her sixth-place finish in the 2010 high jump competition by taking third this year with a leap of 5-5. Garcia also was ninth in the 300 hurdles. 

Eric Luhrsen, Wheaton Warrenville South boys volleyball—Luhrsen, a star offensive lineman for the Class 7A state champion Tigers football team, will become part of Eastern Illinois football team this fall. But the 6-5 Luhrsen was a force on the volleyball court, too. An integral part of two WWS state championship teams, Luhrsen racked up nearly 240 kills in his final prep campaign.  

Kahla Nolan, Wheaton North softball—Wheaton North’s senior pitcher came into her own this spring. Facing tough DVC and nonconference foes nearly every time she took to the mound, Nolan (14-8) finished with an ERA under 1.00. She struck out close to 130 batters and walked just 15.  

Charlie Pinedo, Wheaton Warrenville South boys track—One would be hard-pressed to find a more talented all-around track and field performer in the area this season than Pinedo. WWS’ senior standout grabbed all-state honors in the 200-meter dash (sixth place) and the long jump (ninth). He also was part of the Tigers’ all-state 4x100 and 4x200 relay teams (see entry below).  

Timmie Rappe, Wheaton Warrenville South softball—A starting outfielder for the Tigers since her freshman year, Rappe concluded her career by hitting nearly .450 this spring. She holds Wheaton Warrenville South’s records for most hits during a career and a single season. Rappe has signed with .  

Jeff Schalk, Wheaton North baseball—The Falcons’ senior did a little bit of everything for coach Dan Schoessling this year. Schalk played first base, was behind the plate and also took the mound. A University of Alabama-Birmingham recruit, Schalk leaves Wheaton North as the school’s all-time leader in home runs and RBIs. 

Emily Schwartz, Wheaton Warrenville South girls track—Schwartz, a junior, vaulted to new heights this season. After placing 14th in the 2010 Class 3A meet, Schwartz cleared a height of 11 feet, 9 inches to take fourth place. Her height at state was a foot higher than what she vaulted at sectionals. Carolina Carmichael of Lake Forest was the only junior who finished ahead of Schwartz, so it’s likely the duo will battle for the state championship next spring.  

Eric Stout, St. Francis baseball—The senior ace went 10-3 this season and helped lead the Spartans to a 25-13 record and a berth in the Class 3A . It was the first time in school history that a St. Francis baseball team had won a sectional and advanced to supersectional play. Stout will pitch next year for Butler University in Indianapolis.

Wheaton Warrenville South relay teams—Let’s begin with the Tigers’ girls 4x800 relay. Facing a tough field, WWS’ team of junior Amy Yong and sophomores Mikayla Kightlinger, McKenna Kiple and Hope Schmelzle placed second in the state to 2011 champ Downers North, which had the 11th fastest time in the country going into the meet. Meanwhile, the Tiger boys 4x100 and 4x200 teams both achieved all-state status with respective fourth- and sixth-place finishes. Pinedo, seniors Titus Davis and Andrew Dabisch, and junior Dan Vitale—who recently committed to Northwestern’s football team—ran on both squads.

Honorable mention

Kasey Gassensmith, Wheaton Warrenville South girls track—The junior went 5-5 in the high jump to finish with an all-state medal (sixth place).  

Hannah Granger, Wheaton Warrenville South softball—Granger, a senior, recorded 14 victories and struck out almost 160 batters. 

Taylor Ronchetto, St. Francis softball—A big reason why the Spartans advanced to the sectional final, this senior won 18 games during 2011 and had a 1.46 ERA. 

Paige Wilson, Wheaton North softball—Wilson takes her talents to the University of Georgia after hitting over .470 her senior year and becoming the school’s all-time hits leader. 

Ally Witt, Wheaton Academy girls soccer—Witt netted 31 goals this season and combined with junior classmate Crystal Thomas (23 goals) to give the Warriors one of the most prominent scoring duos in the area.