November 5th, 2016 will be a day remembered forever in Naperville North athletics history. In a span of just seven hours, Naperville North athletics took home two state championships. Coming off a disappointing football playoff loss last week, girls cross country and boys soccer looked to take home some hardware in their state competitions.

Girls Cross Country gets the weekend off to a good start

The Naperville North Girls Cross Country team is one of the most successful and storied programs at North. Since 2004, the team had won four state championships (2004, 2005, 2012, and 2014), and have finished in the top three from 2011 to 2015. Last year, the girl’s team finished second in state, but were somewhat overshadowed by the accomplishments of one runner, Judy Pendergast. At state, Pendergast set the Detweiller Park course record, finishing at 15 minutes and 54 seconds, eight seconds ahead of the previous record. With Pendergast and a couple other seniors graduating, the Huskies needed to regroup for the following season.

Coach Dan Iverson has been at the helm of the Naperville North girls’ cross country team since 1996 and knows the struggle of putting together a different team than the year before.

“We certainly lost four big senior contributors we’ve had over the last several years,” said Iverson. “We had to work on finding ourselves as a team and we did so with people who have not been a part of the top seven before.”

A big addition to the team was Hannah Ricci, who moved from Pennsylvania. She finished 15th individually at state. The experience of senior captains such as Claire Hamilton and Kayla Glowacki are supplemented by a strong group of underclassmen.

“In addition to those seniors, Sarah Schmitt was in a different position this year because she was our number one runner but she also is quite a leader in a lot of ways,” said Iverson.

Schmitt was the most dominant runner on the team this year, finishing 5th individually at state. Though cross country is an individual-driven sport, Schmitt appreciates the camaraderie and support of her team.

“What I like most about my team is how team-centered we are,” said Schmitt. “Nobody went into state racing for themselves, we were all racing for each other. Everyone had pushed each other to get better and inspired someone in some way, which creates a great atmosphere on our team.”

The strong team effort this year contributed to the success of the team as a whole and it showed at state.

“We don’t run for ourselves – we run for each other,” said Schmitt.

The Lady Huskies still have competitions ahead, running in the Midwest Regionals on Sunday.

“Overall I couldn’t possibly be more pleased with how things have evolved and where we’re sitting right now,” said Iverson.

Boys Soccer seals the deal

After the girls cross country championship, the boys’ soccer team looked to put an exclamation point on the day.

Last year, the Naperville North boys soccer team went 14-4 in the regular season and won the DVC. They entered the 3A playoffs as the number one seed in the Aurora Sectional but lost 1-0 in the sectional championship matchup against archrival Naperville Central. That loss gave the team experience and helped motivate them for this season.

The Huskies soccer team finished with another DVC crown and a 14-2-3 record this year. Once again, they earned a number one seed, this time in the Bolingbrook Sectional.

Their first two playoff games were close victories over Batavia (2-1) and West Aurora (3-2). Then, the team hit their stride. Consecutive 3-0 victories over Waubonsie Valley and then Neuqua Valley, a team they tied earlier in the year, gave the Huskies the sectional championship.

Next up was Morton, a team that went 25-0-1 and was ranked #2 in the nation by topdrawersoccer entering their matchup against North. Earlier in the season, Naperville North lost to Morton 3-1. The Huskies stayed close keeping the game 0-0 at half-time. In the second half, the Huskies exploded. Senior Jack Bromagen set a pass to freshman Cesar Recendez who tapped the ball into the goal, giving the Huskies a 1-0 lead. Moments later, Bromagen got the ball and chipped it into the goal from outside the goal box to give the Huskies a 2-0 lead. Sophomore goalie Tom Welch comes up with a few saves near the end, and the Huskies hold on 2-0 and head to state.

Taking down one undefeated did not satisfy the hungry Huskies, who had to face unbeaten Bradley-Bourbonnais in the State Semifinals. Naperville North fell behind early, trailing 1-0 going into the second half. Later in the game, senior captain Chris Sullivan scored his 50th career goal on a penalty kick, evening the score at one all. With only a couple minutes to go in regulation, junior Jack Barry’s throw-in found its way to Jack Bromagen, who tapped in the golden goal to give North the victory.

With their ticket punched to state, Naperville North boys soccer was only one win away from their first state championship since 1998. But first, they would have to go through Barrington. Naperville North pounced early, as Jack Barry’s throw-in reached junior Will Ritzmann right in front of the net for the volley goal. The score stayed 1-0 going into halftime. Right out of the gate, Barrington was able to tie the game at one on a cross into the box. But the Huskies had an answer. Looking to take lead, Chris Sullivan’s free kick found the head of Jack Barry for the go-ahead goal. Sullivan would finish his Naperville North soccer career with the second most assists of all-time. With only a few minutes left to play, junior Ian Guppy’s lefty shot just snuck past the Barrington goalie, putting away the game for good.  

In a season filled with drama, this team tended to be even keeled and very disciplined. Head Coach Jim Konrad has noticed how this year the team had been extremely different from other years.

“This year’s group tends to be infuriatingly calm,” said Konrad. “They never get excessively rah-rah pumped up and they never get down. Which is good because I think that kids that can control their emotion and play within their emotions are the most successful.”

Despite losing a star like Chris Sullivan after this season, the core group of returning team members have a good chance of sustaining the team’s success following their state championship win. Junior Jack Hill, a forward, attributes the wins to the years of camaraderie and success among him and his teammates.

“I’ve (been) playing and winning with the same guys; Mitch [Konrad], Jack [Barry], Will [Ritzmann], Ethan [Harvey], Matt [Bilardello] all those guys for so many years,” said Hill.

An incredible day for Naperville North athletics has boosted school spirit and excited many for the winter and spring sports seasons.

There will be an assembly will be held on Monday, November 14th, in the fieldhouse to celebrate the state champions.