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38 | January 9, 2020 | the new lenox patriot sports newlenoxpatriotdaily.com Bendy fighting opponents after fighting cancer 6 STEVE MILLAR, Sports Editor The rounds and rounds of chemotherapy Anthony Bendy underwent while beating non- Hodgkin lymphoma twice certainly took a toll on the New Lenox native’s body. Bendy, a Lincoln-Way West graduate, was not sure if he had the strength to compete on the collegiate wrestling mat, but he wanted to try. So, after enrolling at Joliet Junior College in the spring of 2018, Bendy approached wrestling coach A.J. Blahut about joining the team. Bendy had not wrestled competitively in three years since finishing his high school career with the Warriors. “I just thought it would be good for me physically and mentally,” Bendy said. “It’s something that made me feel normal. I got to be a part of a team again.” Bendy was not sure what Blahut’s reaction would be, but the coach was on board with him joining the team the following winter for the 2018-19 season. “Coach was for it,” Bendy said. “I don’t know if he knew what to expect, but I think he knew that I really wanted to do it and he wanted to give me the opportunity.” Blahut knew how important it was to Bendy. “Wrestling is more of a personal challenge for a lot of athletes and sometimes I think they’re trying to work out their inner demons and compete against themselves to see where their limits are,” Blahut said. “I think Anthony is making sure that he’s fighting every day, and he’s going to continue to fight regardless of what’s thrown at him, so who am I to take that away? “If students have the heart and dedication – those characteristics that are needed not only to be a successful wrestler but also successful in life – you have to let them make their own decision.” When last season began, Bendy was still undergoing treatment. He had limited opportunities to compete and struggled when he did get on the mat. He won just one match, but it gave him a little taste of what college wrestling was like, and he was able to head into this season with some experience under his belt. Now, a little more than six months after undergoing what he hopes will be his final cancer treatment, Bendy, 23, is thriving in wrestling. With the bulk of the season still ahead of him, he has already won four matches for the Wolves. “Last year, I lost a lot and that was really tough mentally,” Bendy said. “I wasn’t someone who was used to losing a lot. I had to get my mind back to a winning zone, believing that I can win. I’m starting to get that swagger back this year, so that’s been good. “Last year, I felt like it was more just trying to get my body back. It was like that at the beginning of this year, too. But now I feel like my body is back and then it became about getting right mentally. Now, I feel good all around and I just want to take it day by day and see where I can go with it.” Fighting spirit Bendy was first diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in the summer of 2016, shortly after his freshman year at Illinois State, where he did not compete in athletics. “It was pretty scary when it first happened,” he said. “I didn’t really know a lot about it. I had never seen anybody go through treatment or anything like that. It was more of the fear of the unknown for me.” Bendy underwent five rounds of chemotherapy. After going into remission, he re-enrolled at Illinois State for the fall 2017 Lincoln-Way West graduate Anthony Bendy (left) competes during Joliet Junior College’s Purple vs. White Wrestle-Off scrimmage. Bendy has returned to wrestling after battling cancer and has won four matches for the Wolves. JOLIET JUNIOR COLLEGE ATHLETICS semester, only for the cancer to return that October. He deferred treatment long enough to finish the semester, then returned home to begin more treatment in January of 2018. “The second time, there was a lot less fear,” he said. “I knew what to expect and I was ready to face it head on. It was definitely more frustrating than anything. It was upsetting, but I knew what I had to do and I had to get through it.” Bendy underwent a stem-cell transplant, utilizing some of his own cells that were harvested early on. He then underwent some intense chemotherapy sessions. With his immune system severely compromised by the powerful treatment, he was hospitalized for a month at the University of Chicago’s Comer Children’s Hospital, then quarantined to his house for three months after being released. The toughness that Bendy displayed on the mat at West was extremely visible as he battled the disease. “I remember there were times where I felt really tired, but I just tried to think about what was at stake,” Bendy said. “I always thought about all the people who were supporting me. My mom, [Jennifer], was always there for me and I always wanted to have a smile on my face for her. I was just trying to stay tough for the people around me.” Along the road to recovery, Bendy developed a relationship with Cubs star and cancer survivor Anthony Rizzo. “It was really cool,” Bendy said. “He’s someone I look up to. You see him on TV and think so highly of him and then to meet him in real life and share some similar stories, it was great. He’s so down-to-earth and easygoing and he does a lot of great things for the community.” The path back to normal Wrestling gave Bendy a chance to be something other than a cancer patient. He wanted to be an athlete again, a teammate again, and a winner again. He is all of those things now for the Wolves. “It had been three years since I competed, plus going through all the treatment, so it was tough to come back,” he said. “It’s been nice seeing my progression the last two years, but it’s definitely been a long road.” Bendy is set to earn his associate’s degree from JJC in May. He plans to attend Governors State next and is considering becoming a wrestling coach. While he still has some choices to make about his future, Bendy knows he made one great one to return to wrestling. “I feel like it’s one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of fun, and I’m really happy that I tried this. “It’s nice to be getting back on track after everything. It’s been a long road, but I’ve learned a lot along the way.”
newlenoxpatriotdaily.com sports the new lenox patriot | January 9, 2020 | 39 fastbreak Girls Gymnastics LW co-op wins fourth straight Erin Olmsted title 4 chip delorenzo/22nd century media 1st and 3 THREE STARS OF THE WEEk 1. Sean Curran Curran (above), a junior guard at LW Central, poured in 32 points in a 70-64 win over Bloomington. Curran has helped the Knights win nine of their first 13 games. 2. Grace Kmak Kmak, a junior on the Lincoln-Way co-op gymnastics team, won the all-around title at the Erin Olmsted Invitational at Andrew, finishing with a score of 35.475. 3. Lauren Knight Knight, a senior guard at Providence, went off for 27 points in a win over Proviso East. STEVE MILLAR, Sports Editor One sign of a great team is the ability to produce successful results even when not everything is clicking. The Lincoln-Way co-op gymnastics team demonstrated that at the Erin Olmsted Invitational on Saturday, Jan. 4, at Andrew. Lincoln-Way won the meet for the fourth consecutive season despite not being at its best. Lincoln-Way’s final score of 137.325 beat out Oswego (135.425) and host Andrew co-op (134.15) at the top of the eight-team field. “I think we did pretty well,” said Allie Reis, a junior at LW East. “It wasn’t our best meet. We had kind of a rough start, but we all came together at the end and finished off strong. “It says a lot about our team. We work really well together this year. I think we do a good job of not letting things get us down. We’re pretty resilient and we can come back even through rough times.” Grace Kmak, a LW Central junior, led the way by winning the all-around with a score of 35.475. “It wasn’t my best day,” Kmak said. “We’re still working on stuff for later. “I just try to do as best as I can and not worry about how I did in the past event when I get to my next The Lincoln-Way co-op gymnastics team celebrates with its championship plaque for winning the Erin Olmsted Invitational on Saturday, Jan. 4, at Andrew High School. STEVE MILLAR/22ND CENTURY MEDIA one.” Kmak also won the vault with a 9.325. She was second on bars (8.5) and beam (9.05) and tied for ninth in the floor exercise (8.6). “My vault was good all around,” Kmak said. “Going ahead, I’m going to work on bars, get everything together. I just need to hit everything at the end of the year.” Kmak was the Hinsdale South Sectional champion in the all-around last season, so expectations are high this year. “I’m ready,” she said. “I just want to go in and do even better than last year.” Lincoln-Way coach Kory Thompson said Kmak sets the tone in a major way for the rest of the team. “Grace motivates the rest of them when she’s doing well,” Thompson said. “When everyone else is doing well, that sets her up to have a better day.” Thompson said her gymnasts have a close bond, and one girl’s performance can have an impact on her teammates – in a positive or negative way. “They have grown so close,” Thompson said. “As a team, they work together so well and they get along really well. It’s tough sometimes because when one of them has an off day, it tends to reflect on the others. “But when they do get it all together, they pick each other up and build off each other’s routines.” Thompson was proud to see her team fight through some early struggles on Saturday. “We had a few bobbles,” she said. “There was a lot of time off over break. We were just a little off today, but it was nice to see the girls pull through and work together to make things happen.” Korina Jarosz, a senior at West, pitched in by winning the bars (8.875). East freshman Natale Hrkel made it three Lincoln-Way gymnasts in the top four on bars with her fourthplace finish with an 8.4 Reis finished second on the floor with a 9.25, while her teammate Lucy Haas was fifth (8.825). “I’m really focusing on floor, which has always been my favorite event,” Reis said. “I’m just working on little things to get my score up, especially for the postseason events.” Reis also tied for fourth on the beam with an 8.9, tying her teammate Skylar Koczor, a junior at East. Olivia Gonda, a sophomore at West, had a solid day for Lincoln-Way as well, as she finished fifth in the all-around (32.55). Lincoln-Way will compete at Andrew again for the SouthWest Suburban Conference meet on Jan. 29 before hosting a regional at East in the first week of February. Lincoln-Way is in the Hinsdale Central Sectional. Reis said Lincoln- Way’s great team bond will help it in the big events down the stretch. “It’s great having everyone support you,” she said. “Everyone’s going to have a bad routine sometimes. Having everyone else around to help you get back on your feet is really important.” LISTEN UP “I feel like it’s one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life. I’ve had a lot of fun, and I’m really happy that I tried this.” Anthony Bendy – LW West graduate, on returning to wrestling at Joliet Junior College after battling cancer Tune In Girls Basketball, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 14 LW Central at LW West • The Knights and the red-hot Warriors square off in a crosstown showdown. Index 34 – This Week In 33 – Athlete of the Week FASTBREAK is compiled by Sports Editor Steve Millar at s.millar@22ndcm.com.
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