Swim and dive wins state title
The team celebrates in Evanston High School’s pool. (Chris Johnston)
LT boys swimming, diving team clinches first state championship in school history, looks ahead to establish state dominance by Sydney Hansen @_sydneyhansen
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he LT boys swim and dive team did something on Feb. 28 that no other LT swim and dive team has ever done in LT history: win an IHSA state championship. “It’s amazing what you can do when you have fun with a group of teammates, and that’s what they did,” Head Coach Scott Walker said. Unlike most high school sports that compete in divisions
such as 7A or 8A, the IHSA swimming and diving meet draws all teams from the state to one single meet taking place over two days, making it an ultra-competitive competition between all swimmers in the state who qualify. Ultimately, the success of both the team and Walker led to not only a state championship, but an Illinois Coach of the Year award for Walker. “This year, we definitely put LT on the state’s radar,” Weston Credit ‘16 said. “I think teams will hold us to a higher standard now.”
Ousting other talented schools like Hinsdale Central, Peoria Notre Dame and Naperville Central, the team won state by 24 points, a decisive margin that was accomplished by strong performances in all swimming events as well as Seamus Scotty’s ‘17 fifth-place state finish in diving. “There’s only one way that [the state championship win] was accomplished,” Walker said. “It was because of the 70 boys that were on the team, and the 12 guys that were standing to represent the 70.”
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Third annual Mr. LT crowns new victor Chris Velisaris ‘17 steals the show with Sinatra rendition by Céilí Doyle @cadoyle_18
The lights dimmed and the familiar song “Zero to Hero” from Disney’s Hercules began to play as the 15 contestants stepped out onto the stage of the Reber Center donning togas and bright smiles to the beat of their synchronized dance routine. The Third Annual Mr. LT Pageant went off without a hitch, eventually ending with the coronation of Chris Velisaris ‘17: this year’s Mr. LT. The show featured numerous talented acts from Luke Brom’s ‘16 “Evolution of Dance”, to Sean Thomas’ ‘16 serenade of Abby King ‘16. Jack Costello ‘17 also took a three-minute plunge into a bucket of water while being tormented by Master of Ceremonies Danny Benson ‘16 and Tommy Sopic ‘16 singing Jordin Sparks “No Air.” Velisaris performed Frank Sinatra’s “My Way.” The pageant was held on April 2 and was being planned by Benson, Ryan Byrne ‘16 and Director of Student Activities Peter Geddeis since November. Seventy-five percent of all proceeds from the show go to The Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation. Overall, both Benson and Byrne were
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Chris Velisaris speaks after being crowned. (Ceili Doyle/LION) relieved by the success of the event, which raised $3,000 after all expenses. “[The contestants] were all very willing to take whatever we threw at them, even when they didn’t think they were going to be able to do it,” Byrne said. “During the show itself, everyone was always right where they needed to be. We didn’t really have any mishaps, which is awesome when you
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Turn to page 12 to find Check out page 8 for our out more about LT’s arguments regarding stepping team and its whether or not the FBI upcoming competishould be able to view tion events. private iPhone info. North Campus 100 S. Brainard Ave. LaGrange, Ill. 60525 South
Dating Culture
consider the fact we only had a week to rehearse.” The initial mantle of leadership was held by Joe Dillon ‘15 who created and ran Mr. LT for the past two years. According to Geddeis, however, the transition from Dillon’s organization to Benson and Byrne was relatively seamless and only a few minor tweaks and adjustments were made to the show. Mr. LT was judged by seven faculty members: Principal Dr. Brian Waterman, Joseph Maffey, Keith Bailey, Jessica Drogos, Leilani Lopez, Gary Morrill and Laura VanWinkle. They all helped to narrow down the pool of contestants from 15 to seven during the rose ceremony. Following the rose ceremony, the remaining seven contestants then faced a Q&A session from Benson and Sopic. After the Q&A, the audience texted in their votes for who should be the winner. Velisaris was then announced as Mr. LT. Velisaris was beaming after his win and was genuinely surprised by the turn of events. “I thought I was going to be knocked in the first 15,” Velisaris said. “I’m so happy right now, and I think one of the reasons why I won is because my escort Catherine [Everett ‘17]. She has been so good to me. I would like to say thank you to her. I wanted to do Mr. LT for school spirit. I love LT so much, and I can’t believe I won this award.” PULSE, 16-17
Curious about how dating cultures have changed? Check out pages 16-17 for more on the subject. Campus 4900 Willow Springs
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