NL_061319

34 | June 13, 2019 | the new lenox patriot sports
newlenoxpatriot.com
Volleyball
LW West’s Polka shines on court and in classroom
JOE BIELANSKI
Editorial Intern
People often use the
term student athlete. For
many, being both a student
and an athlete can be a difficult
thing to balance.
This is not the case for
Jessica Polka. She has
graduated from Lincoln
Way West and looks to
continue her winning ways
this fall.
While at West, Polka
played middle hitter for
the Warriors volleyball
team. Throughout her time
at West, Polka did more
than play volleyball. She
worked with Best Buddies
and was also an adaptive
PE leader. She worked
with special needs students
and tried to give them the
best high school experience
possible.
Additionally, while
looking to make her community
a better place, she
also excelled on the court,
with the Warriors and with
UNO Volleyball Club. Because
of her strong play,
she had the opportunity to
compete at the next level
and she has committed to
play volleyball at Benedictine
University.
Polka is grateful for all
her experiences at Lincoln
Way West.
“During my freshman
year, everyone had been
saying to get involved at
school,” Polka said. “So,
once I knew that from the
start, I was really excited
to try new things and get
involved with clubs and
sports. I did volleyball
there and I also did Best
Buddies senior year. I was
also an adaptive PE leader,
it’s a PE class for special
needs students.
“We work with them every
day; those experiences
definitely made my high
school experience exciting
every day. I just loved
seeing those kids and the
impact we were able to
have.”
She is also grateful for
the lessons that coach Matt
Lawrence was able to pass
on while playing volleyball.
“I think coach Lawrence
taught me that wherever
you are whether that be on
a team or in life, if you keep
working towards what you
want, you will eventually
get there,” Polka said. “I
think volleyball in general
has taught me that as well
as coach Lawrence.”
Polka was also accepted
into the Scholars Program
at Benedictine: this is an
elite group of students
in which only fifteen are
accepted each year. The
Scholars program looks
to enhance the traditional
college rigor of its students.
Students in the Scholars
Program need to go
through an application
process. This consists of
writing two essays and doing
a 30-minute interview
with the director of the
Scholars program.
Before the student gets
this opportunity, requirements
include a cumulative
high school GPA of
3.75 or higher on a 4.0
scale, a rank in the top
twenty percent of the applicants’
high school class,
and a minimum composite
score of 27 on the ACT or
1,280 on the SAT.
Polka met all of these requirements
during her time
at West. She explained
what sets apart Benedictine’s
Scholar program.
“As a freshman, I’ll
have to take additional
courses,” she said. “Then,
I’ll have the scholars’ program.
It’s a lot of additional
courses that normal college
classes wouldn’t be a
part of. There are courses
about your career after college,
and additional ethics
courses as well.
“You have to be proficient
in another language.
I had to interview for the
program, it was kind of a
scary experience. I honestly
didn’t think I’d get into
the program, the director
told me that she only
admits a small amount of
people. When I found out I
had gotten into it, I was really
excited, and it helped
me decide that Benedictine
was the place for me.”
The program focuses
on academics, leadership,
and service in a global
context. Polka is a grateful
for the opportunity to
be a part of something
special.
While at Benedictine,
Jessica looks to study business
management and continue
the endeavor of being
both a student and an
athlete. She’s used to doing
this and doesn’t look to
slow down anytime soon.
“I’ve always been involved
with things,” Polka
said. “When I was little, I
Lincoln-Way West’s Jess Polka (right) signs to continue
her volleyball career at Benedictine University while
UNO Volleyball director Terri Baranski looks on. Photo
submitted
did cheer and dance. Then,
I started volleyball in sixth
grade. Since I’ve always
been involved with something,
I’ve adapted to having
to balance responsibilities
within my life. It’s sort
of ingrained in me.”
Conference titles, rivalry wins highlight LW Central success
STEVE MILLAR, Sports Editor
Lincoln-Way Central
won 27 SouthWest Suburban
conference championships
over the course
of the 2018-2019 school
year, a new school record
according to athletic director
Matt Lyke.
“We have great kids,”
Lyke said. “Our student
athletes are extremely
proud to wear the red
and black. They do their
very best to represent our
school and community.”
Highlights during the
year included the Knights’
girls golf team finishing
third in Class 2A, led by
runner-up Brianne Bolden
and seventh-place finisher
Grace Curran. Curran’s
brother, Sean, finished second
in Class 3A in boys
golf.
The girls water polo
team also reached state
and won a sectional title.
Lincoln-Way co-op’s
girls gymnastics, boys lacrosse
and girls lacrosse
teams - featuring athletes
from Central, as well as
LW East and LW West -
all won sectional titles,
also.
“The leadership of our
senior class was outstanding,”
Lyke said. “I truly
believe that success will
follow in their footsteps.”
The Knights also had
tremendous success
against their neighborhood
rivals.
According to Lyke, Central
finished 12-8 against
Lincoln-Way East, 20-8
against Lincoln-Way West
and 6-0 against Providence
in head-to-head, regular
season competition.
Beating rivals always
has extra meaning.
“Any time we can beat
another Lincoln-Way, it’s
a lot of fun,” said senior
soccer star Nicolette Gossage
after her team’s regular-season
win over LW
East.
The Knights’ soccer
team also beat East in
the playoffs. Both victories
were especially big
for Gossage, who started
her career as a freshman
at East before moving to
Central after the closing of
LW North.
“I’ll never talk bad about
my time there, but anytime
I play against them I want
to come out strong,” she
said. “It’s always a big
game for all of us.”