IHSSCA honors its best
at 29th annual girls banquet
By Ken Keenan
ELMHURST -- A retired coach whose teams amassed more than 500 wins, a
player who scored 85 career goals, and a longtime pillar of the
downstate soccer community were among the many award winners at the
Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association's 29th Annual Girls
Soccer Honors Banquet on June 11 at Diplomat West Banquet Hall.
With approximately 500 attendees on hand, the IHSSCA honored its 2015 Hall of
Fame inductee, Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, and dozens of
all-state and all-sectional honorees. In addition, coaching
milestones were recognized, as were members of the Chicago Fire Girls
All-State All-Academic Team.
Naperville North forward Abbie Boswell, who started in every match for
the Huskies throughout a stellar, four-year career, was named Player
of the Year. Boswell tallied 85 goals, including 23 this
season. Her career ended with a 3-2 upset loss in sectional play
to eventual Illinois High School Association Class 3A state runnerup Neuqua Valley.
The Ball State University-bound Boswell helped Naperville North win
state titles in 2012 and 2013, and saw the Huskies post an outstanding
74-10-6 record during her time on the pitch. That included a 17-3-0 mark this
year to finish with a no. 4 ranking in the final Chicagoland Soccer Top 20 Poll.
The Huskies held the top spot in the May 4 poll.
"This is super exciting. I'm very happy," Boswell said. "I've been
playing ever since I was little, and I love soccer so much I'd like to
keep playing forever. Soccer has been my favorite part of high school
-- being part of a close-knit group that you can trust is such an
amazing thing. It is a family. You become so close, it's so sad to
leave them. I'd like to stay, but you've got to move on.
"I've learned a lot of stuff, and I have more love for the game
because of the amazing players on my team. To be picked (as Player of
the Year), out of everyone in the state, it feels amazing. It's a good
feeling to be rewarded this way."
Coach of the Year honors went to New Trier skipper Jim Burnside. The
Trevians (no. 1 in the final Chicagoland Soccer poll) nabbed their second-straight
Class 3A state title this year with a 2-0 win over Neuqua
Valley, and finished 27-1-1 overall.
"There's a lot of great coaches, but behind anything great, there are
great players, assistants and a lot of luck," Burnside said. "To be
included in this group is humbling.
"People talk about the back-to-back titles, but this is about this year's team -- this particular group of players. Every year, I learn more about myself, who I am as a person.
I may be a coach and a teacher, but I'm also a student. It's always challenging -- and fun -- and when it's not challenging and fun, I'll stop doing it."
Tony Bauman, who concluded his coaching career at Bloomington High School at the end of this season, won't stop his involvement with soccer. The IHSSCA Soccer Person of the Year played at Normal and attended his first IHSSCA honors
banquet in 1988. Eleven years later he coached the Penn High School (Mishawaka,
Ind.) boys team to an Indiana state championship.
Returning to Illinois in 2003, Bauman coached the
Bloomington girls team for 12 seasons, and led the boys side for
eight. Bauman, who also served as a men's assistant coach at Illinois
Wesleyan University, will assume athletic director duties at
Bloomington, beginning this fall.
Off the field, Bauman was director of coaching for the
Bloomington-Normal Soccer Club, which morphed into the Illinois
Fusion, an organization catering to the state's youth and high school
soccer travel players. He also created a 7-on-7 summer league, and
works with the Prairie City Soccer League, an AYSO program featuring
nearly 1,300 players.
Bauman said that joining fellow Soccer Person of the Year Larry
Tamburini, his former coach at Normal who earned the
distinction in 2000, was an honor in itself.
"Larry was instrumental in getting high school soccer started in the
Bloomington-Normal area, so to be able to follow in the footsteps of
one of my coaches -- my mentor -- is special," Bauman said.
Matt Chapman, the girls soccer coach at Normal and a former
high school teammate, submitted the nomination leading to Bauman's
selection.
"There are so many people in the (Bloomington-Normal) area still
involved with the game, and Matt thought it was fitting to nominate
me," Bauman said. "I do what I can to promote the game for the youth
in our area, but I'm just one small piece of the soccer community.
There were a lot of other people deserving as well, so to be
recognized for my efforts is an honor."
Another former coach, Henry Wind, was inducted into IHSSCA Hall of
Fame. Before retiring in 2011, Wind coached the boys team at
Benet for 21 years, and led the girls squad for 20. His boys
teams compiled 280 wins, earned eight East Suburban Catholic
Conference championships and nabbed state crowns in 2000 and '01.
His girls squads won 277 matches and netted seven ESCC titles.
"It's a great, great honor to be respected and honored by the IHSSCA,"
said Wind, who was born in Holland and raised in Canada before moving
to Aurora at age 19. After that he became a star goalkeeper at
Northern Illinois University.
"It's incredible to be included with all
the coaches who have gone before me into the Hall of Fame," he said.
Wind continues to work with Benet's girls program as a volunteer
assistant. He has a strong bond with many former players -- he continues to receive Christmas cards from former players, dating to the Benet program's start, in 1990.
"I still enjoy being around the kids, and helping make them better,"
he said. "I miss coaching, but I really miss the camaraderie -- the
family aspect of it -- and seeing the kids mature from young pups and
then go off to college. And I wouldn't be (a Hall of Fame inductee)
without them. They won two state championships, not me.
"This is about the kids who played for me -- boys and girls -- that's
why I'm here."
Among the midfielders representing the Chicago Fire's All-State
All-Academic First Team was Lockport's Margaret Lesnefsky, who finished
her senior year with a 4.50 grade-point average while ranking sixth in
a class of 827 students. She scored 31 on her ACT exam, and plans
to study neuroscience at Saint Louis University.
"I'm honored to be part of the (Fire's) team," she said. "There's so
many brilliant girls out there. The fact that I'm one of those, I'm
shocked. It's amazing to be part of it, and congrats to all the other
girls who made it as well."
Lockport coach Todd Elkei said, "It takes a special kind of kid who
can do both. You need the discipline it takes to excel ... the hard
work, commitment and dedication to be successful. Nothing's going to
be easy or given to you. Without a doubt, Meg's one of those kids who
has a competitive spirit in everything. She's everything we look for
in a student-athlete."
"You sacrifice a lot, especially sleep-wise, but you keep pushing
through every day," Lesnefsky added. "And teammates support you, so
that helps. There are so many memories I've made -- on and off the
field -- that will last a lifetime."
David Quinn, the Fire's senior account executive in group sales,
echoed Elkei's sentiments regarding the All-State All-Academic
selections.
"We're recognizing soccer players for more than being a soccer player
-- that academics are important," he said. "When you're a competitive
athlete, you don't want to lose -- you want to win. These girls want
to be successful, and that goes hand-in-hand with the classroom.
"The reality is, how many kids will go on to be pros? So academics is
important. And sports can help you in providing the experiences, and
teamwork, that you take into the workplace and the rest of your life."
at 29th annual girls banquet
By Ken Keenan
ELMHURST -- A retired coach whose teams amassed more than 500 wins, a
player who scored 85 career goals, and a longtime pillar of the
downstate soccer community were among the many award winners at the
Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association's 29th Annual Girls
Soccer Honors Banquet on June 11 at Diplomat West Banquet Hall.
With approximately 500 attendees on hand, the IHSSCA honored its 2015 Hall of
Fame inductee, Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, and dozens of
all-state and all-sectional honorees. In addition, coaching
milestones were recognized, as were members of the Chicago Fire Girls
All-State All-Academic Team.
Naperville North forward Abbie Boswell, who started in every match for
the Huskies throughout a stellar, four-year career, was named Player
of the Year. Boswell tallied 85 goals, including 23 this
season. Her career ended with a 3-2 upset loss in sectional play
to eventual Illinois High School Association Class 3A state runnerup Neuqua Valley.
The Ball State University-bound Boswell helped Naperville North win
state titles in 2012 and 2013, and saw the Huskies post an outstanding
74-10-6 record during her time on the pitch. That included a 17-3-0 mark this
year to finish with a no. 4 ranking in the final Chicagoland Soccer Top 20 Poll.
The Huskies held the top spot in the May 4 poll.
"This is super exciting. I'm very happy," Boswell said. "I've been
playing ever since I was little, and I love soccer so much I'd like to
keep playing forever. Soccer has been my favorite part of high school
-- being part of a close-knit group that you can trust is such an
amazing thing. It is a family. You become so close, it's so sad to
leave them. I'd like to stay, but you've got to move on.
"I've learned a lot of stuff, and I have more love for the game
because of the amazing players on my team. To be picked (as Player of
the Year), out of everyone in the state, it feels amazing. It's a good
feeling to be rewarded this way."
Coach of the Year honors went to New Trier skipper Jim Burnside. The
Trevians (no. 1 in the final Chicagoland Soccer poll) nabbed their second-straight
Class 3A state title this year with a 2-0 win over Neuqua
Valley, and finished 27-1-1 overall.
"There's a lot of great coaches, but behind anything great, there are
great players, assistants and a lot of luck," Burnside said. "To be
included in this group is humbling.
"People talk about the back-to-back titles, but this is about this year's team -- this particular group of players. Every year, I learn more about myself, who I am as a person.
I may be a coach and a teacher, but I'm also a student. It's always challenging -- and fun -- and when it's not challenging and fun, I'll stop doing it."
Tony Bauman, who concluded his coaching career at Bloomington High School at the end of this season, won't stop his involvement with soccer. The IHSSCA Soccer Person of the Year played at Normal and attended his first IHSSCA honors
banquet in 1988. Eleven years later he coached the Penn High School (Mishawaka,
Ind.) boys team to an Indiana state championship.
Returning to Illinois in 2003, Bauman coached the
Bloomington girls team for 12 seasons, and led the boys side for
eight. Bauman, who also served as a men's assistant coach at Illinois
Wesleyan University, will assume athletic director duties at
Bloomington, beginning this fall.
Off the field, Bauman was director of coaching for the
Bloomington-Normal Soccer Club, which morphed into the Illinois
Fusion, an organization catering to the state's youth and high school
soccer travel players. He also created a 7-on-7 summer league, and
works with the Prairie City Soccer League, an AYSO program featuring
nearly 1,300 players.
Bauman said that joining fellow Soccer Person of the Year Larry
Tamburini, his former coach at Normal who earned the
distinction in 2000, was an honor in itself.
"Larry was instrumental in getting high school soccer started in the
Bloomington-Normal area, so to be able to follow in the footsteps of
one of my coaches -- my mentor -- is special," Bauman said.
Matt Chapman, the girls soccer coach at Normal and a former
high school teammate, submitted the nomination leading to Bauman's
selection.
"There are so many people in the (Bloomington-Normal) area still
involved with the game, and Matt thought it was fitting to nominate
me," Bauman said. "I do what I can to promote the game for the youth
in our area, but I'm just one small piece of the soccer community.
There were a lot of other people deserving as well, so to be
recognized for my efforts is an honor."
Another former coach, Henry Wind, was inducted into IHSSCA Hall of
Fame. Before retiring in 2011, Wind coached the boys team at
Benet for 21 years, and led the girls squad for 20. His boys
teams compiled 280 wins, earned eight East Suburban Catholic
Conference championships and nabbed state crowns in 2000 and '01.
His girls squads won 277 matches and netted seven ESCC titles.
"It's a great, great honor to be respected and honored by the IHSSCA,"
said Wind, who was born in Holland and raised in Canada before moving
to Aurora at age 19. After that he became a star goalkeeper at
Northern Illinois University.
"It's incredible to be included with all
the coaches who have gone before me into the Hall of Fame," he said.
Wind continues to work with Benet's girls program as a volunteer
assistant. He has a strong bond with many former players -- he continues to receive Christmas cards from former players, dating to the Benet program's start, in 1990.
"I still enjoy being around the kids, and helping make them better,"
he said. "I miss coaching, but I really miss the camaraderie -- the
family aspect of it -- and seeing the kids mature from young pups and
then go off to college. And I wouldn't be (a Hall of Fame inductee)
without them. They won two state championships, not me.
"This is about the kids who played for me -- boys and girls -- that's
why I'm here."
Among the midfielders representing the Chicago Fire's All-State
All-Academic First Team was Lockport's Margaret Lesnefsky, who finished
her senior year with a 4.50 grade-point average while ranking sixth in
a class of 827 students. She scored 31 on her ACT exam, and plans
to study neuroscience at Saint Louis University.
"I'm honored to be part of the (Fire's) team," she said. "There's so
many brilliant girls out there. The fact that I'm one of those, I'm
shocked. It's amazing to be part of it, and congrats to all the other
girls who made it as well."
Lockport coach Todd Elkei said, "It takes a special kind of kid who
can do both. You need the discipline it takes to excel ... the hard
work, commitment and dedication to be successful. Nothing's going to
be easy or given to you. Without a doubt, Meg's one of those kids who
has a competitive spirit in everything. She's everything we look for
in a student-athlete."
"You sacrifice a lot, especially sleep-wise, but you keep pushing
through every day," Lesnefsky added. "And teammates support you, so
that helps. There are so many memories I've made -- on and off the
field -- that will last a lifetime."
David Quinn, the Fire's senior account executive in group sales,
echoed Elkei's sentiments regarding the All-State All-Academic
selections.
"We're recognizing soccer players for more than being a soccer player
-- that academics are important," he said. "When you're a competitive
athlete, you don't want to lose -- you want to win. These girls want
to be successful, and that goes hand-in-hand with the classroom.
"The reality is, how many kids will go on to be pros? So academics is
important. And sports can help you in providing the experiences, and
teamwork, that you take into the workplace and the rest of your life."