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mokenamessengerdaily.com sports
the mokena messenger | January 23, 2020 | 41
Athlete of the Week
10 Questions
with Jacob Falejczyk
Jacob Falejczyk is a
senior swimmer and water
polo player at Lincoln-
Way East.
The team is doing
tremendous this
season. What are your
impressions of the
season so far?
It’s been really great to
see. We lost a lot of good
guys from last year’s team
but we came into the season
working hard and it’s
been really cool to see the
team come together.
How did you first
start getting into
swimming?
I started swimming in the
third grade and I haven’t
stopped since. I saw a flyer
for the Gators swim team
and figured, ‘What’s the
harm?’ Now there’s just a
bond and I love it.
Do you play any other
sports?
I played football in
grade school. But I pretty
much got into swimming
so I stopped that after seventh
grade. But then I got
into water polo through
swimming.
So what do you like
better, swimming or
water polo?
Early on it was swimming.
But I love the physicality
of water polo, so now
it’s that. I’ve broken my
nose twice playing water
polo. But I just enjoy everything
about it, especially the
bond with your teammates.
What have you
learned from East
boys swimming coach
Steve Anderson?
He’s pushed me far beyond
what I’ve thought I
could do. He’s a great motivator.
He doesn’t give up
on us and we don’t give
up on him. He’s taught me
that hard work pays off
outside the pool, too.
What’s your favorite
event in swimming?
The 100-yard butterfly is
my favorite. It’s definitely
the most difficult but I like
to push myself and see how
much I can improve. I went
to state last year in the 400-
yard freestyle relay and it
was great to share that with
my teammates.
Speaking of going to
state, what was it?
Like to not only go to
state in water polo but become
the first Griffin team,
boys or girls, to bring
home a trophy in the sport
with a fourth-place finish.
It was very humbling to
get to state and to thrive
Julie McMann/22nd Century Media
3 Roundup
2
off each other there. It was
great to make history at the
same time, too.
If you could be any
superhero, who would
you be and why?
Batman. Because he
doesn’t have any superpowers.
He gets his power
from his character. He’s a
high-character guy.
Are you planning to
play water polo or
swim in college?
As of now, no. I’m going
to major in chemical
engineering and plan to go
to the University of Dayton.
But if the opportunity
to play water polo or swim
on a club team there was
available, I’d probably
take it. These sports are
my passion.
What is the best thing
about being an athlete
at Lincoln-Way East?
Being able to be on a
team. You get to be part
of a new community and
school. You form a bond
and become great friends
with different people.
Interview conducted by
freelance reporter Randy
Whalen.
Mokena’s Knight continues strong
play as Celtics split pair of games
STEVE MILLAR, Sports Editor
Providence senior
guard Lauren Knight says
the Celtics have a great
team bond.
That was apparent when
Knight hit a 3-pointer to
top the 1,000-career point
mark in a Jan. 9 win over
De La Salle. The referees
briefly stopped the game
so Knight could be recognized,
and Knight was
swarmed by her teammates,
including the Celtics
reserves who stormed
the floor.
“It was awesome,”
Knight said. “I was so
excited. My teammates
were really great. They
were all so excited for
me. That’s really awesome.
“Everyone is always
happy for each other. No
one is selfish.”
Knight, a Mokena resident,
was hopeful that
team chemistry could
help the Celtics bounce
back from a tough 58-42
home loss in a Girls Catholic
Athletic Conference
crossover Jan. 14.
Ashley Raymer led the
Celtics with 17 points.
Knight added 13 and Annalise
Pietrzyk scored
seven.
The Celtics got back
in the win column with a
66-32 road win over St.
Joseph on Thursday, Jan.
16.
Providence improved
to 16-5 and 5-0 in the
GCAC White.
Knight led the way
with 19 points while her
younger sister, Kelly,
scored 13. Raymer contributed
14 points.
LW East graduate
Allegretti headed to the
Super Bowl
In his first NFL season,
Nick Allegretti will
play in football’s biggest
game.
Allegretti, a Lincoln-
Way East graduate, is
headed to Super Bowl
LIV in Miami with the
Kansas City Chiefs.
The Chiefs beat the
Tennessee Titans 35-24 in
the AFC Championship
Game on Sunday, Jan. 19,
to seal their first trip to
the Super Bowl since the
1969 season.
Allegretti, an offensive
lineman out of the
University of Illinois,
has played in both of the
Chiefs’ playoff games,
primarily on special
teams.
The Chiefs will take on
the San Francisco 49ers
in the Super Bowl at 5:30
p.m. Sunday, Feb. 2, at
Hard Rock Stadium.
Henning takes on Hawaii
Lincoln-Way East’s AJ
Henning played his final
high school football game
in paradise.
Henning played in the
Polynesian Bowl, featuring
dozens of the top
players in the country, on
Saturday, Jan. 18, in the
Honolulu suburb of Halawa,
Hawaii.
He had one catch for
seven yards to help Team
Mauka beat Team Makai
20-13.
It was Henning’s second
All-Star game as he
also participated in the
U.S. Army All-American
Bowl, recording one
catch for three yards.
Fans can next expect to
see Henning on the track,
as he said he plans to
compete for the Griffins
in the spring. He finished
fourth in Class 3A in the
100-meter dash last year.
Griffins, Knights finish
second at SWSC dance
competitions
The Lincoln-Way East
competitive dance team
put up a score of 83.65 to
finish as the SouthWest
Suburban Blue runnerup
at the conference
meet Jan. 15 at Lockport.
Sandburg won the championship.
Lincoln-Way Central,
meanwhile, finished second
in the SouthWest
Suburban Red competition,
which was won by
Andrew.
Both teams are set to
compete in the Normal
Sectional on Saturday,
Jan. 25.
LW co-op gymnasts win
Neuqua Invite
Lincoln-Way won the
Neuqua Valley Invitational
on Saturday, Jan. 18,
scoring 141.775 to edge
Andrew co-op (141.5).
Allie Reis won the
floor exercise (9.575),
took third on vault (9.4)
and was fourth in the allaround
(35.725).
Korina Jarosz was
the winner on the uneven
bars (9.35) and the
runner-up on the balance
beam (9.3). Skylar Koczor
(9.45) was second on
vault, while Olivia Gonda
(8.75) took fourth on
bars.