LHS Boys Bowling Team Sets School Record

It seems early in the bowling season but a new record is already in the books. It came Tuesday when the Wildcats headed to Morton Grove. Markus Truskowski fired a 660. Nathan Horwitz checked in  with a 640 series. Libertyville rolled a 3,124 to beat home team New Trier by 435 pins. That mark is a new school record.

Also helping the cause were Jake Thompson (618), Jack Baumruk (615) and Zach Jarecki (591)

Truskowski paces the Wildcats with a 200 average. Thompson is just two pins back with a 198 average. Baumruk, a freshman, has a 180 average. Horwitz is a senior but in his first year on the bowling team. His average is 178. Jarecki has a 176 average.

Head coach David Kahn is enthused about this team's chances.

"We believe we have the strongest team we've ever fielded,'' Kahn said.

Girls Bowling

This team is also off to a fast start. Both on and off the alleys.

Coach Lindsey Siegel's team is into fundraising. At a recent JV Tournament, the team raised money for Save-A-Pet, the animal shelter in Grayslake.

This week, the Wildcats took care of Grant on all three levels. Laura Polakowski's 558 series led the Cats. Sue Vachula was the bowler to watch on the JV team as she rolled a 445 series.

Girls Basketball

There was talk after the Libertyville girls basketball team tripped Stevenson 44-37 on Tuesday at home. It centered around how there were two potential Division I players on coach Tom Dineen's club from Lincolnshire. The talk included Western Michigan-bound Michelle O'Brien and Anna Morrissey (Michigan State prefered walk-on), and that the host team had none of those marquee stars.

Well, phooey to that. They might want to keep the home team a secret for a few weeks but it's clear there is plenty of talent on the girls basketball team. A season ago, Savannah Trees was one publication's choice as player of the year, and teammate Kaca Savatic was the defensive player of the year.

Dating back to last season, the Wildcats have beaten Stevenson three times in a row. There are other reasons for this success. Such as having a player like Alex Haley on the team. She looks like one of those players who played this sport all day long on her driveway. Always flying under the radar is Olivia Wilcox. All this senior does is hit big shots at important times. And maybe most improved is center Nicole Kruckman. She has grown leaps and bounds and gives the Wildcats an important player in the paint. Add the likes of Valerie Van Roeyen and Kerry Risley and this team is in first place in the NSC.

The next test comes at home on Wednesday when Zion-Benton visits (7 p.m.)

Wrestling

This team looks tough at the lower weights. Like Pat Fitzgerald at 119 and Luke Gaeth at 125.

Veteran wrestling coach Dale Eggert is back at the helm and in recent matches he's viewed a number of pins in the early going. In last week's 37-21 win over Grant, Fitzgerald notched 3 pins. Both Gaeth and Charlie Meyer (130) also won by a pin. Richard Vachula also had a pin at 189. Other winners that night included Pat Regan (135), Kevin Tavakoli (145), Sayad Banifazl (160) and Luke Miller (215) in overtime.

In a tourney at Barrington last weekend, seven Wildcats placed. Gaeth and Banifazl led the way with fourth-place finishes. Meyer and Miller both finished fifth. Fitzgerald settled in sixth place.