44 | May 9, 2019 | the orland Park Prairie sports <strong>OP</strong>Prairie.com POSTSEASON ROUNDUP Now that’s more like it Murray will have company at state badminton meet JEFF VORVA, Sports Editor The good news is that Sandburg’s streak is still alive. Since 1997, when the Illinois High School Association started recording state information for badminton on its website, the Eagles have sent at least one athlete to the tournament. The better news is that this year, the Eagles will send more than one entrant. The past three seasons, Sandburg sent just one singles player to state: Emily Tunney in 2016, Mia Ko in 2017 and Kaylynn Murray last season. Murray made it back to state again this year and will have some company. The doubles team of Kate Hudson-Brittany Higgins also qualified for the 43rd running of the state tournament on Friday, May 10, and Saturday, May 11, at Eastern Illinois Illinois University in Charleston. This tournament and the boys gymnastics state meet open a series of 13 spring state championships that will run through June 8. For the second year in a row, Murray claimed third in sectional action and earned that spot at the Homewood-Flossmoor Sectional. It was not easy. She dropped her first match against H-F’s Serena Webster 21-14, 16-21, 21-19. That meant there was no room for error in her next three consolation matches. Murray took care of business in a pair of two-set victories before meeting up with Webster again. In a match that would decide who goes to state and who stays home, Murray won a wild 22-20, 12- 21, 21-7 roller-coaster ride over Webster. Murray then beat H-F’s Laila London, 21-12, 21-17 to claim the third spot. Last year, Murray finished 1-2 in the state tourney, with her victory coming in the consolation round with a 16-21, 21-17, 21-18 victory over Joiet Central’s Brooke Long. Hudson-Higgins finished 3-1 and needed a wild 15-21, 21-15, 21-19 victory over Lincoln-Way Central’s Regan LoConte- Carly Schiene to get into the third-place match and BADMINTON ELITE Sandburg individual and doubles state qualifiers in badminton this decade 2010 – Katie Wagner, Jess Pontow, Laura Donatello-Brynn O’Brien, Carolyn Brown- Kara Kentner 2011 – Katie Wagner, Kara Kentner, Carolyn Brown-Rachel Allen, Alexis Andrews-Vicky Gugala* 2012 – Kara Kentner, Rachel Allen-Sarah Crowley, Rebecca Cuculich-Alyssa Murray 2013 – Sarah Crowley, Jenna Ciaccio-Julie Meza, Kathleen Ensalaco-Nicole Davids 2014 – Ashley Godawski, Maddie Sheehan 2015 – Emily Tunney, Katie Schroeder, Megan Higgins-Reilly Scanlon 2016 – Emily Tunney 2017 – Mia Ko 2018 – Kaylynn Murray 2019 – Kaylynn Murray, Kate Hudson-Brittany Higgins *--Sandburg won state championship a bid to state. The Eagles duo then wrapped it up with a 21-16, 21-14 victory over Stagg’s Suaad Rashid-Kelsey Dwyer. Sandburg finished third in the sectional with eight points behind H-F (14 points) and Lincoln-Way Central (10). Boys gymnastics The Andrew co-op team, representing the three District 230 schools Andrew, Sandburg and Stagg, finished seventh out of eight teams in the Lyons Sectional on April 30 and did not have a state qualifier. Senior Sawyer Mackovitch claimed 10th in the all-around with 45.3500, while sophomore T-Bolt Ethan Ryan placed 16th with a 40.5500 and junior Charles Chavez took 19th with a 29.400. Sandburg’s Kaylynn Murray earned her second trip to the state badminton meet after finishing third at the Homewood-Flossmoor Sectional. PHOTOS BY JEFF VORVA/22ND CENTURY MEDIA ABOVE: Kate Hudson (right) and Brittany Higgins took third place in doubles at Homewood- Flossmoor to qualify for the state meet for the first time. LEFT: Sandburg’s Presley Bedno picks up some wisdom from coach Kim Huelsman between sets of a sectional match at Homewood-Flossmoor. THIS WEEK IN SANDBURG VARSITY ATHLETICS BASEBALL ■ ■May 10 – at Steve Bajenski Memorial Tournament-St. Laurence, 4:30 p.m. ■ ■May 13 – hosts Homewood-Flossmoor, 4:30 p.m. ■ ■May 14 – at Homewood- Flossmoor, 4:30 p.m. ■ ■May 15 – at Steve Bajenski Memorial Tournament, TBA BOYS TENNIS ■ ■May 11 – at SWSC Conference-Lockport, 8:30 a.m. BOYS TRACK AND FIELD ■ ■May 9 – at SWSC Conference-Bolingbrook, 5 p.m. BOYS VOLLEYBALL ■ ■May 10 – at Richards Invite, 5 p.m. ■ ■May 11 – at Richards Invite, 9 a.m. ■ ■May 14 – hosts Lincoln- Way Central, 6 p.m. ■ ■May 16 – at Lincoln-Way East, 5:30 p.m. BOYS WATER POLO ■ ■May 10-11 - IHSA Sectional finals, TBA BOYS LACROSSE ■ ■May 11 – at Mundelein HS, noon GIRLS BADMINTON ■ ■May 10-11 IHSA State championships, TBA GIRLS SOCCER ■ ■May 14 - IHSA postseason begins SOFTBALL ■ ■May 10 – at Riverside- Brookfield, 4:30 p.m. ■ ■May 11 – at St. Charles North-Doubleheader, 10 a.m. ■ ■May 13 –hosts Glenbard South, 4:30 p.m. ■ ■May 14 – at Lockport, 4:30 p.m. ■ ■May 16 – at Homewood- Flossmoor, 4:30 p.m. GIRLS TRACK AND FIELD ■ ■May 9-11 - IHSA sectionals, TBA GIRLS WATER POLO ■ ■May 10-11 - IHSA sectional finals, TBA
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