NL_022020

34 | February 20, 2020 | the new lenox patriot sports
newlenoxpatriotdaily.com
Athlete of the Week
10 Questions
3 Roundup
4
LW West senior duo
with Javen Estrada
bowls way to state
Javen Estrada is a junior
wrestler at Lincoln-Way
West.
How long have you
been wrestling and
how did you first get
started?
I started when I was 6,
I think, so I’ve been wrestling
for 11 years. My dad
[James] always wanted
me to wrestle and he got
me into it as soon as he
could.
What do you like most
about the sport?
I just like being a part
of a team. It’s great having
teammates and all working
together and pushing each
other in practice to get better.
How do you feel like
you have improved
from last season to
this season?
I think I’m a lot better on
my offense. I didn’t really
shoot last year, and now
I’m going out there and attacking
a lot more.
With the postseason
beginning, what part
of your game have
you been working on
most?
My defense. It’s just
about shutting people
down and not letting them
score on me. I think it’s
been working, so it’s good
to see that hard work pay
off.
What is it going to
take for you to have
a shot at a state
championship?
I just need to push the
pace against everyone.
I can’t worry about the
rankings or anything. I
just have to go out there
and wrestle like I know I
can.
What is the biggest
thing you’ve learned
from your coach, Brian
Glynn?
There are a lot of things
I’ve learned from him. So
many things. I think the
biggest is just to enjoy
the sport and do what you
love.
What’s the best thing
about being a part of
this West team?
It’s great because a lot
of us have been competing
together a long time
and we’ve gotten to bond
together. There are a lot of
us around the same weight
Julie McMann/22nd Century Media
who have big goals and we
help each other a lot.
You’re stranded on a
deserted island and
can have an endless
supply of one food.
What do you want?
Pizza. Bacon, sausage
and pepperoni with some
hot sauce on it.
If you could be any
superhero, which
would you want to
be?
Superman. I think it’s
cool how he can go from
just being an average, normal
person to being a superhero
out of nowhere.
If you could travel
anywhere in the
world, where would
you want to go?
Probably Cuba. We were
learning about it in Spanish
class, and it seems like
a fun place to go.
Interview conducted by
Sports Editor Steve Millar.
STEVE MILLAR
Sports Editor
JOE BIELANSKI
Freelance Reporter
Lincoln-Way West seniors
Mackenzie Ullian
and Olivia Daujatas will
be able to close out their
high school careers together
at state.
Ullian (1,227 pins in
six games) and Daujatas
(1,219) finished fourth and
sixth, respectively, at the
East Moline United Sectional
on Saturday, Feb.
15, at Highland Park Bowl
in Moline.
The duo claimed the final
two of five individual
advancing spots to the
state meet, which is set for
Friday, Feb. 21, and Saturday,
Feb. 22, at The Cherry
Bowl in Rockford.
“I’m glad I got there
again,” Ullian said. “It’s a
great way to end my high
school career, and I’m glad
I get to go with another
teammate.”
Ullian competed at
state two years ago as a
sophomore when the Warriors
made it as a team but
missed out last season.
“That definitely motivated
me to step up my
game and make it back this
year,” she said.
Ullian and Daujatas
were in advancing positions
most of the day, but
Daujatas briefly fell out
after a 160 in the fourth
game.
“I was definitely upset,”
Daujatas said.
“I had tears in my eyes
when I had two open
[frames] in a row.
“After that game, I was
just like, ‘Oh God, oh God,
what is going to happen?’
I just started grinding. I
grinded out a 215 and a
210 and now I’m going to
state.”
Daujatas finished seven
pins ahead of LaSalle-Peru’s
Isabella Weber for the
final advancing spot.
Lincoln-Way Central
sophomore Abby Nolan
was just 15 pins behind.
West’s other sectional
qualifier, senior Megan
Kukulka (1,076) finished
29th but had the high game
of the tournament with
a 265 and fired her high
three-game series of 625
in the afternoon.
Providence’s Carly
Kowalik also competed at
the sectional.
LW West girls basketball
completes undefeated
conference run
LW West rolled to an 88-
46 win over Bradley-Bourbonnais
on Feb. 11. Taylor
Gugliuzza scored 19
points and Bri Wooldridge
had 15.
The Warriors (26-3,
8-0) finished off their undefeated
SouthWest Suburban
Red championship
season with a 67-46 win
over Stagg on Thursday,
Feb. 13. Gugliuzza had 23
points.
LW Central girls basketball
finishes regular season
strong
The Knights held on to
top the host Chargers 40-
32 in a SouthWest Suburban
Red game Feb. 11,
finishing the regular season
with an 18-12 record
and 6-2 in conference
play.
“We talked about that a
lot,” Central coach Dave
Campanile said. “It’s nice
to get to 18 wins. That’s
something we haven’t had
at that level since [2007-
08] So, it’s a great accomplishment
for our girls to
get to 18 wins. For me, it’s
more important to have
momentum going into the
playoffs.”
The Knights, seeded
seventh in the Class 4A
Stagg Sectional, were set
to open the postseason at
10th-seeded Bloom in a
regional semifinal Tuesday,
Feb. 18. With a win,
they would advance to the
regional final Thursday,
Feb. 20, likely against second-seeded
Homewood-
Flossmoor.
Against Stagg, freshman
Azyah Newson-Cole led
the way with 12 points,
four rebounds and four assists.
Senior guard Regan
LoConte added 11 points,
junior guard Colleen Erdman
had seven points, and
junior forward Haley Stoklosa
added five points and
11 rebounds.
“It’s exciting because, I
know that it’s my last one
and for all of my years
on varsity, we’ve never
[won this many games].”
LoConte said. “It’s great
to be with my teammates
and exciting to know what
we are capable of in the
regional. It’s big because
going in, we have hope in
what we can do.”