Baseball – Currently the baseball team is 17-2. They have big wins over conference foe Marist and seven sectional possible opponents. The team’s current batting average is .352 led by Tennessee commit Junior Landon Thome, LSU commit Senior Jaden Fauske and Harper commit Senior Collin Roche. The pitching staff is led by Western Kentucky commit Senior Mac McGarry, Harper commit Senior Andrew Kouris, Middlebury commit Senior Chase Zidlicky and Junior Connor McKay. The baseball team has been ranked as high as 5th in the state and 45th nationally.
Boys Basketball – The Varsity Basketball team kicked off its season at the John McBride Thanksgiving Tournament and took 3rd place. Seniors Danny Wrzesinski and Matthew Callahan made the all-tournament team. The season closed with a record of 12-17; the majority of games were exciting, hard fought battles that came down to the wire against fierce competition. The leadership demonstrated by Seniors Danny Wrzesinski, Eddie McNamara, Luke Dimit, Alex Ostrowski, Griffin Wood, Matthew Callahan, Porter Hutchens, Rasim Johnson and Matthew Comer was truly remarkable and is an asset that will follow them long into their future. Congratulations to Danny Wrzesinski for being selected to the ESCC All Conference.
Boys and Girls Bowling – The team showed tremendous growth in their third year of competition both in quantity and quality. We had many returners and some new faces who immediately contributed to the success of the team. For postseason, the team showed great success by having two individuals, Juniors Chris Martinez and Joey Diaz, qualify for sectionals. This marked the first time in program history where two individuals advanced from the same regional. We are looking forward to continued success for the 25-26 season.
Boys Cross Country – The 2024 season was one that showed continual growth and improvement from the athletes. Throughout the season, the runners enjoyed each other’s company, increased significantly in physical and cardio- fitness, as well as setting many personal records and season bests. The team had several all-conference medalists. Junior Daniel Lewis was once again a state qualifier and now owns the Nazareth Academy 3 mile record, which is now set at 15:28. With nearly an entire roster returning, the boys XC team is poised for big things in the Fall.
Football – The team captured the IHSA 2024 Class 5A State Championship this past season. It was a well deserved and hard earned accomplishment for our seniors as they ended their careers as three-time state champions. This three-peat was historic as no team has ever accomplished this feat at Nazareth. Many of the seniors have been four, three or two years starters in the program. Aside from the exciting victories on the field, the team had tremendous leadership that kept the squad focused. Senior captains Gabe Kaminski and Sam Stec made sure the team remained focused, competed in practice and remained humble through the journey. The legacy and example set by this Senior class will be felt for years to come by future Nazareth football teams.
Boys Golf – The varsity team improved throughout the season, culminating in a 7th place finish in the state finals in Bloomington. The team compiled a dual meet record of 7-4 and they were 3-1 in the conference. At the ESCC conference tournament, Senior Brian Morris (75) and Juniors Gray Musker (75) and Sam Wilda (77) earned all-conference honors. The Roadrunners won the IHSA sectional at Lemont with a score of 299, with Musker shooting 69 for T2 individual finish. IHSA state final qualifiers were Seniors Morris, Wilda and Eddie McNamara and Juniors Musker, Hugh Ascher and Brendan Belden. Special recognition goes to our Senior leaders McNamara, Morris, Jay Conkin, and Martin Passino.
Girls Golf – This has been the team’s most successful season ever with Seniors Anna Bukovac, Maryssa Zielinski, and Freshman Gabi Giangrande earning All Conference Honors. The team was led by Senior standout Anna Bukovac at the conference championship with a second place finish. It was a big win at Regionals with Senior Maryssa Zielinksi as Medalist, Senior Anna Bukovac in 2nd place, Freshman Gabi Giangrande in 5th place and Junior Claire Krema in 8th place. The team finished 2nd place at Sectionals, missing the win by only 2 strokes. The season ended at State Finals with a historical record finish of 5th place.
Boys Lacrosse – The Boys Lacrosse team, led by captains Seniors John Hughes, Nico Plescia, Luke Neri and Junior Griffin Kuhlman, came into this season as a first year varsity program and constantly looked to compete. When facing teams with years of experience, the team wanted to learn from every game. Being able to field a competitive team is a goal of the team, and they were able to accomplish it. The team looks forward to building on their successes from this season.
Girls Lacrosse – With a strong 7-1 start to the season, and defeating conference rivals Fenwick and St. Viator, the Girls Lacrosse team is in a great spot to win their conference for the first time in almost a decade. A strong offense and aggressive defense are the keys to their success. The team is led by captains Seniors Olivia Mowrer and Aleksa Lobas and Junior Morgan Fantozzi, and coached by Micheal Mossing.
Girls Poms and Dance – Our Naz Poms team had an outstanding season, finishing 10th in state despite challenging competitions and stronger opponents. Mid-season, they were energized by adding a new coach, which contributed to the team’s growth and success. Overall, it was a remarkable year filled with hard work and memorable moments.
Girls Soccer – The team, coached by Roberto Cianci is off to a strong start to their season.
Led by Senior captains Izzy Strnic, Annie Trayser, Sarah Owen and Izzy Cervantes, the team has shown resilience and proved to be one of the better teams in the conference. Their signature 2-0 victory over Marist cemented their presence as contenders for a conference title. The team looks to have a fun and strong conclusion to the season.
Softball – The Roadrunners Varsity softball program started the season with an 8-6 overall record. A lot of players have stepped up into new roles in big ways. The team is guided by the leadership of Seniors Emme Barnes, Riley Grill, Rita Hynes, Kennedy Joe, Lia Jozwiak, and Annabella Rychetsky. Joe and Rychetsky lead the team with batting averages over .400. As the season progresses, the team hopes to continue to compete at the highest level.
Boys Tennis – The Boys Tennis season has started off hot with wins over Joliet Catholic and Marist. The team is coached by Jim Legner and led by Senior captains Jack Nisivaco and Martin Passino. Notably, the doubles partners of Sophomore Ethan Danko and Nisivaco are undefeated since they began playing together. A highlight of the season so far is winning in a tiebreaker match against Marist. The boys will look to capitalize on their momentum and have a strong finish to their season.
Girls Tennis – The Girls Tennis team, led by Senior Captain Bridget Gannon, finished second at conference. The conference team consisted of Sophomore Elaine McNamara at first singles where she finished 3rd, and Senior Neve Timmel who finished 5th at second singles. Freshman/Senior first doubles team Isabella Gomez and Elisabeth Anos finished 5th. Senior/Sophomore second doubles team Margaret Anos and Ana Djurasovic finished 2nd and Seniors Bridget Gannon and Deirdre May finished in 3rd at third doubles.
Boys Track and Field – This season has depth and talent in many events. The sprint, distance, hurdle, jump, and thrower teams are focused and building momentum off of last year’s team that produced 8 state qualifiers. This year’s team brings a championship mindset, effort and hope to make a bigger impact at the state championship meet. Returning qualifiers Seniors Nolan Daly, Michael Kanzer and Garrett Reese, and Juniors Daniel Lewis and Trenton Walker provide a solid foundation for a successful season.
Girls Track and Field – The team has strong leadership from Seniors Clare Sandoval, Alayna Plahm, Erin Briars, and Bryonna Lascola. They have been committed to the development of the first year team members, and it has shown in the team’s results. As the championship schedule of the season approaches seniors are poised to leave a legacy to build on. The returning state qualifiers, Seniors Sandoval, Plahm and Briars and Sophomores Julia Parkes and Claire Sigmund are focused on returning to the state championship. The growth of our hurdle, relay, horizontal jumps, and distance teams position the team to make an impact at our Conference and State Championships.
Boys Volleyball – The team, led by Seniors captains James Kleppetsch, Valentino Ramos, and Hunter Creaney, had many new players and faces and as a result got off to a rocky start. As the season has progressed the team has gotten a lot more comfortable with each other and it’s shown in our recent wins. The team is excited to see how they finish out the season.
Wrestling – This season, the wrestlers showed remarkable resilience throughout the lineup on both the Junior Varsity and Varsity teams. Coaches Dennis Laughlin, John Ramos, and Anthony Greco are extremely proud of the individual accomplishments of their wrestlers, but even more so on the way this young team came together towards the end of the season. They look forward to the future of this team and the careers of their young athletes.
