Testing 3rd Level Section: Max St. George’s record time, St. Francis volleyball title head 2015 accomplishments

With the calendar about to flip to 2016, there is no better time to honor the sensational state championships and top-four state performances the athletes from St. Francis, Wheaton North and Wheaton Warrenville South enjoyed this year. Here’s a look at their accomplishments.

State champions

Max St. George, Wheaton co-op

Sport: Boys swimming

Event: 100 backstroke

State run: Max St. George made history in his final meet as a Wheaton co-op swimmer. The senior became just the third swimmer in school history to win a state championship and the first to break a state record as he captured the 100-yard backstroke title. Seeded first heading into state, his time of 48.07 in the prelims set the state record, and his time of 48.20 in the final was a healthy 1.2 seconds ahead of runner-up Daniel Hein of DeKalb.

Quote: "It feels great," St. George said. "I've been working toward this all season. I was going for both [the record and title]."

St. Francis

Sport: Class 4A girls volleyball

State run: The expectation each season for St. Francis girls volleyball is a state title, but this most recent championship was something special. The Spartans captured their 12th state title and became the first team to win four consecutive titles, all of which Wisconsin-bound hitter Molly Haggerty played on. It was the 19th state trophy longtime coach Peg Kopec earned in her tenure, and she officially announced her retirement soon after the title match.

Quote: "When I was a freshman, I set high goals. I was wishing for winning four and for it to actually happen is unbelievable," Molly Haggerty said. "Every championship has special meaning. I think this one's the best just because of the teammates. We've gone through a lot this year. … This one will definitely mean the most to me."

Second in state

Wheaton co-op

Sport: Boys gymnastics

State run: Wheaton graduated the top two state all-around finishers, yet still posted the highest sectional score (season-high 153.15) after opening the season at 137.70. At state, Wheaton posted a team score of 149.40 to finish second to Stevenson after winning the previous three state titles. In addition to individual medalists Lucas Cooperman and Ben Szot, seniors Adam DeCrane, Joey Drummond and Alec Modransky, sophomore Austin Tate and freshman Aiden Moran also were individual state qualifiers.

Quote: "Stevenson deserved it. They earned it," Cooperman said. "They worked hard and beat us, but we did a great job, too, and we should be proud of that."

Lucas Cooperman, Wheaton co-op

Sport: Boys gymnastics

Event: Parallel bars

State run: Cooperman was second on parallel bars at the sectional meet but made a huge jump at state. From an 8.70 score in the sectional, Cooperman posted a prelim score of 9.150 and finished second in the state with a 9.0. Cooperman added fourth-place state medals on floor (9.20) and horizontal bar (8.250)

Number to know: .25 – Points behind first place on the parallel bars

Ben Szot, Wheaton co-op

Sport: Boys gymnastics

Event: All-around

State run: Szot had a senior season to remember, capped by an outstanding all-around showing at the state meet. His score of 52.550 was good for second and was just .15 back of the winner. Szot added state medals on rings (9.050) and bars (8.950) with third-place showings on each, and he also was an event finalist on horizontal bar (tied for fourth, 8.250), pommel horse (fourth, 9.0) and vault (eighth, 8.850).

Quote: "We exceeded all of our goals and expectations," Szot said. "I hit all of my routines this weekend, which was quite amazing."

St. Francis

Sport: Class 2A boys golf

State run: The Spartans were no strangers to the state tournament, having qualified as a team in both 2013 and 2014, but 2015 was their best showing yet. After placing eighth in 2013 and fifth in 2014, St. Francis moved into trophy position and finished second with a team score of 638, holding off Dunlap (639) and Vernon Hills (640) for runner-up honors. Senior Jonathan Nocek was seventh individually (150). Luke Armbrust (18th, 154), Ryan Keefe (46th, 166), Connor Reinke (68th, 171), Connor Buckley (81st, 173) and Kevin Doherty (103rd, 182) also played at state.

Number to know: 2 – Number of strokes the Spartans' score improved from the first round at state (320) and the second (318)

Third in state

St. Francis

Sport: Class 3A baseball

State run: The Spartans made it back to the state finals for the second time in three seasons and endured some brutal weather conditions to finish third. A state semifinal game against Nazareth had its start time delayed and then the game was put on hold twice, and the third-place game against Morgan Park had an afternoon as opposed to morning start time. St. Francis won 5-4 in a five-inning game. Brett Whelton drove in a pair of runs and Colin Wisted was the winning pitcher in relief, tossing three innings.

Number to know: 26-14 – St. Francis' record in the 2015 season

Wheaton Warrenville South

Sport: Class AA girls golf

State run: The Tigers didn't have a top-10 finisher, but the remarkably consistent scoring of Sarah Hauenstein (tied for 16th, 158), Emma Field and Annalee Dannegger (both tied for 26th, 161), Hadley Moritz (tied for 31st, 162) and Priya Desai (tied for 40th, 165) helped the Tigers earn the first state trophy in program history. Julia Hauenstein (97th, 192) also played at state and helped the Tigers to a team score of 640.

Number to know: 320 – South's team score in the sectional, and its per-round average at state

Fourth in state

Qarin Johnnic, Wheaton Warrenville South

Sport: Class 3A wrestling

Weight class: 138 pounds

State run: Sustained success in wrestling is never a given, but Johnnic made it happen as a senior. He followed up a fourth-place finish as a junior with another fourth-place medal at 138 pounds as a senior in February. Johnnic opened up the tourney with a pair of wins, and after losing to the eventual state champion in the semifinals, he rebounded to beat Tyree Johnson of Downers Grove South 8-3 to advance to the third-place match.

Number to know: 42-9 – Johnnic's record as a senior in 2014-15.

Heidi Nassos, Wheaton Warrenville South

Sport: Class 3A girls track and field

Event: Pole vault

State run: Nassos closed out her high school track and field career in fine style, and it went beyond a state medal. With a mark of 10 feet, 6 inches in the sectional, Nassos placed fourth in the pole vault and was seeded in the middle of the pack at state. Nassos made a huge move up in the state prelims with a mark of 11 feet, and she increased that to 11-9 in the finals to place fourth overall.

Number to know: 2 – Number of events in which Nassos qualified for state. She also made it in triple jump