High school sports: the one aspect of high school that hasn’t changed in the last 50 years. Year after year, athletes and fans alike crave the excitement, hard work and dedication that defines the essence of the high school athlete. School has its ups and downs, but daily practice offers an escape for many and a chance to set free any tension built up throughout the day. Athletics can sometimes receive criticism and make daily life an extra three hours, but they ultimately help young men and women grow into better people.

In honor of the athletes of the 2015-2016 school year, York-hi has compiled a tribute to the athletes and teams who have gone above and beyond, and showed what being a high school athlete is all about.

This year in sports did not fall short of expectations. Excitement started in the fall with an incredible performance by sophomore runner, Charlie Kern, who achieved first place in the Cross Country Sectional and second place in the IHSA State Meet. Boys cross country finished the season fourth in state, an improvement from the last two years.

Meanwhile, girls cross country also made an appearance at the State meet and placed 22nd. The girls were led by Elizabeth Hagstrom and Sarah May.

On the golf course, Will Gunst and Jordan Less led the Boys Golf Team to an impressive 10-1 regular season and 1st place at their regional meet.

Unsurprisingly, the Dukes also kept up the excitement into the Winter seasons. Boys Swimming was led with an exciting performance by Flanagan Waldherr who swam to second place in the 500 yard freestyle at the sectional meet. He then continued onto state. Peter Barbolak, junior, dove into an impressive 11th place at state for boys swimming and dive, his third state appearance in just three years.

On the wrestling mat, Brian Nudera won second at regionals, advancing to sectionals, and Austin Hoffmann won third. Senior wrestler Tommy Helton achieved fifth place at state.

Boys basketball then finished the regular season strong with a record of 17-10. They continued into the playoffs with unprecedented success as the team took the regional title from Naperville North winning 47-40. This is the fourth straight regional title in four years for York’s basketball program.

Cheer finished their competition with a new school record of fourth place at the state meet. Girls bowling won the Hinsdale South Regional competition.

This year, our sports teams also had a little bit more fan encouragement thanks to the student-led group Monocle Nation. This group of fans focused on boosting school spirit, not only at sports games, but also around York. Monocle Nation had an overwhelmingly strong presence at basketball games and cheered on the team to the very last point. Led by Jacob Evans, Matt Wozny, Bob Krissinger, John Charles, and Matt Shipman, school spirit this year seemed just as alive and active as ever.