LA GRANGE PARK, Ill. — The 2021 Girls Cross Country team finished a record season for the program, winning their first ever East Suburban Catholic Conference (ESCC) title, and finishing 14th at State. Each year reaching the State meet is a primary goal, but Coach Joe Wejman cited winning the ESCC title as a memorable milestone for the team this season. While the mentality of the girls has always been focused and intense, Wejman credits zeroing in on things like nutrition and sleep for helping to give them an extra edge.

“We can’t really ‘game plan’ against our opponents in terms of stopping them or impacting how they run,” said Coach Wejman. “So we always focus on controlling the things that we can control.” A nutritionist came in and spoke them about fueling their bodies for endurance and they also spent more time on strength training.

The Nazareth Football team experienced a roller coaster season, starting out with three straight losses but ending with a 7-5 record and making it to the quarterfinals of the IHSA playoffs. Coach Tim Racki said this team was incredibly resilient and mentally tough.

“In order to block out the critical social media and negative noise, it takes a very strong, connected, mature and focused team,” said Racki. “We improved each week despite setbacks.” A turning point for the team was their game against Notre Dame; a loss would have knocked them out of playoff contention. They won despite being down 14-0 at halftime. Coach Racki credits the seniors led by Joe Urso for their positive and supportive leadership style. “Their legacy will be felt for many years to come,” he said.

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