Spring Athletics

Naaman Reed '21

Sam Kirchner '21

By Kevin Kelly '80

MEN’S TENNIS

KEVIN KELLY '80

In a school year like no other filled with peaks and valleys due to the impact from COVID-19, few groups provided the consistency that the Marian Catholic men’s tennis squad displayed this spring.

The team brought a new meaning to the phrase “quality over quantity,” as a varsity roster of eight (a regular tennis lineup) put together an impressive list of accomplishments. Playing against primarily larger schools, the Spartans posted a 13-4 overall mark and tied for second place in the highly-competitive East Suburban Catholic Conference (ESCC). One of the losses came while Marian was short-handed, and two others came to ESCC foes who finished among the top eight teams in the state tournament.

“This was an unprecedented season in which COVID-19 affected the number of players on the team,” veteran coach Scott Bodnar explained. “We were able to fill both varsity and JV rosters. Although we did not have extra players, we did not forfeit any positions. We finished the season with a 13-4 record, with several of those wins coming from large suburban 2A public schools.”

Success continued in the postseason, as three IHSA State tournament qualifiers led the Spartans to a second-place tie in the Marian IHSA Class 1A Sectional. Junior Ian Tongco represented Marian at state in singles, while the senior doubles duo of Naaman Reed and Sam Kirchner also made the competition.

CHEERLEADING

Marian Catholic cheerleading scored 90.33 at the IHSA Virtual State Tournament to earn the best finish in program history, 14th place in the Coed Division. The Spartan Cheer squad was one of only 25 schools to qualify for state in the Coed Division after capturing second place at the Oak Forest Sectional.

BASEBALL

The Marian Catholic baseball team overcame a shaky start to their 2021 campaign, proving it’s good to peak at the right time. An early-season 6-2 start to the campaign was eventually thwarted by a COVID-19 shutdown and some tough matchups in the ESCC, likely the most competitive conference in the state. Marian struggled to an 11-16 mark before the Spartans handed ESCC champion Marist its lone league loss to signal the start of a turnaround.

According to Marian Catholic Coach Tony DeCarlo, who also led the Spartans to the IHSA 3A state title contest in 2017, “The competitive nature of the ESCC is a great training ground for any program that aspires to achieve at a high level. Most conference teams experience some bumps in the road during league play, but there are several examples of great postseason runs among ESCC teams.”

“Our outstanding finish was sparked by some great senior leadership.They set a great example for what we hope will be another talented group of athletes to follow in upcoming years.”

TONY DECARLO, MARIAN CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL COACH

With only a setback to Marist to conclude the regular season, Marian rattled off nine victories in 10 contests to ensure a 20-win campaign (20-18). In a revamped IHSA postseason format, the Spartans hosted a regional championship win over Tinley Park and a sectional title victory over Morgan Park to advance to the Elite Eight. State power St. Laurence ended the Spartans’ dream in the super-sectionals with a 5-2 decision; the school would go on to win the IHSA Class 3A third-place trophy. The outstanding season finish was ignited by a strong overall senior class, highlighted by Division I recruits Tyler Fullman (Michigan), Donovan McIntyre (Kent State), Eddie King (Louisville), and Jaylon Nauden (Butler).

“Our outstanding finish was sparked by some great senior leadership,” DeCarlo said. “Not only did we have some impressive individual talent as indicated by the Division I signees, but we also had a great group that understood roles and stepped up with strong efforts when called upon. They set a great example for what we hope will be another talented group of athletes to follow in upcoming years.”

Fullman, King and McIntyre were honored by the ESCC with all-conference recognition, while King and McIntyre were also named Illinois High School Coaches Association All-State. Other Spartans represented on Spring-Summer ESCC all-conference teams were Alex Davis '21 and Katie Pollock '22 (softball), Alexa Ayala-Chavez '21 (women’s soccer) and Andrew Gordon '22 (men’s volleyball).

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Led by ESCC All-Conference players Jalynn Alexander '21 and Juliana Cutrara '21, and sophomore Brianna Hill, the Marian Catholic women’s basketball squad compiled a 16-5 overall ledger. The record also included a victory over #1 seed Benet Academy in the ESCC Tournament, the win representing Coach Dan Murray’s 400th career varsity coaching victory (the Spartans fell to Marist in the championship contest).

MEN’S BASKETBALL

The men’s basketball team captured a fourth-place finish in the ESCC with a 6-3 record, as an extremely young squad was led by Jeremiah Jones '21, who copped All-ESCC honors and was named Special Mention for the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association All-State squad.

TRACK & FIELD

The great news for men’s and women’s track and field is that many of the prominent athletes are still young in their Marian Catholic careers, including two Spartans who advanced to the highest level. Sophomore Mia Rodriguez advanced to the IHSA Girls Track Class 2A state meet in a pair of events, as she captured 12th place in state in the 200m and 17th overall in the 100m. Rodriguez was also the 200m champion at the South Shore Sectional. An injury prevented junior Danielle Crockett from a chance to qualify for state, but she set the conference record with a discus toss of 124-0 at the ESCC meet. On the boys side, sophomore Michael VanHootegem followed up a second- place finish in the Herscher Sectional with a 22nd place effort in the 400m at the IHSA state meet.

Michael VanHootegem and Coach Kingery

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

Led by three All-East Suburban Catholic Conference selections, the Marian Catholic women’s volleyball squad completed a perfect 6-0 regular-season in league play during a Covid-abbreviated campaign that was moved from the fall to Spring 2021. The Spartans finished the ledger 8-1 overall after a third-place finish in the first ESCC Tournament. Marist handed Marian its lone setback in the semifinals to avenge a regularseason decision.

The Spartans were recognized on the ESCC All-Conference squad with seniors Briana Brown (Outside Hitter) and London Hatch (Setter), as well as junior Sara Johnson (Outside Hitter).

Congratulations to Marian Catholic’s 17 student-athletes from the Class of 2021 who committed to compete in college athletics:

Jalynn Alexander (basketball), Western Illinois University Nico Andrade (baseball), Trinity Christian University Briana Brown (volleyball), Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis Ray Cantelo (baseball, football), North Central College Juliana Cutrara (basketball), Indiana Tech University Alexandria Davis (softball), University of Wisconsin-Platteville Tyler Fullman (baseball), University of Michigan London Hatch (volleyball), Lamar University Eyan Idohl (baseball), Coe College Justin Johnson (baseball), Marian University Eddie King (baseball), University of Louisville Tommy Klupchak (basketball), DePauw University Jaylon Nauden (baseball), Butler University Justin Stallworth (football), South Dakota State University Francisco Trevino (baseball), Calumet College, Indiana Mateo Villarreal (fencing), Sacred Heart University, Connecticut Dominic Zubeck (fencing), University of Incarnate Word, Texas

Winter 2021 Signings

Jalynn Alexander Ray Cantelo

Juliana Cutrara Justin Johnson Justin Stallworth

Mateo Villarreal Dominic Zubeck