There’s no better feeling than a final pitch being thrown over the inside of the plate for the last strike of the game. Making the last goal to win the championship and rushing to your team — that is the best feeling in sports.  

With the school year drawing to a close, it’s time to reminisce about all of the athletic success Lane has obtained this year.

Boys Soccer won city and took home a regional title as well. Along with their newfound success comes newfound talent. Andrew Ricks, boys varsity soccer head coach, has seen the team grow so much in his past 14 years of coaching at Lane.

“Our philosophies have stayed the same, but our talent has grown an immense amount,” Ricks said.

With consistent philosophies and high expectations held by Ricks, the team’s success was not a surprise. Marcin Kieta, Alex Mezyk and Alfredo Guzman were a few of the key players who really showed up this season, according to Ricks.

Girls Varsity Soccer showed up at city, winning a third consecutive championship, against Jones. They ended their season with a record of 16-3-3.

Varsity Cheer has come out this year victorious, winning the city title with new coach Justine Cronin. Despite the struggles the team faced with their competitors, especially with rival Taft, the team enjoyed a successful season.

“After being city runner-ups for the past three years, it was really special to finally win the city title my senior year with all my teammates” said Jalyssa Montes, Div. 778.

The Girls Swim Team won city in November. Jazmin Rivera broke city records in the 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly.

During the winter season, Boys Basketball improved their record from last season, winning the Luther North Christmas tournament. Girls Varsity Basketball had a very competitive season and finished out the year with a 18-10 record.

Jeremiah Olojo went all the way to state for Wrestling and ended up placing 6th overall in the finals.

The Girls Swim Team won city in November. Jazmin Rivera broke city records in the 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly.

Diving into the spring season, Girls Water Polo swept in city — both their varsity and JV teams took home the city title. Daniel Puczko stood out this season, qualifying and advancing to state for Boys Swimming. He broke the 200-yard and 500-yard freestyle school records for 2017 season and his 500 qualified him for state.

Boys and Girls Track and Field also made a strong appearance during their seasons. Girls Track qualified four individuals to the state meet. Maria Aguilar threw 96-05 in the discus to qualify for the second year in a row. Amira Hardman won the long jump in the city finals and easily qualified for state in her triple jump. Anna Baltudis raced her best (45.70) in the 300m intermediate hurdles for the win at city, and Maggie Scholle made her fourth appearance in the 3200m run at state. Baltudis ended her high school career with a 5th place finish in the 500m low hurdles at the state track and field championship.

Boys Track came in 2nd overall at city and qualified for state. Xavier Josephs, Div. 763, ran the 110 high hurdles and the 300 intermediate hurdles, placing 4th and 5th respectively.

“At every meet there’s a different tactic because the competition you face at different meets varies,” Josephs said.

Throughout the season, the team adjusted to their opponents helping them attain individual and team success, according to Josephs. Michael Banks and David Oluyadi led their team to a 3rd place finish in sectionals. Banks won the 110m high hurdles and Oluyadi took first in the triple jump at sectionals.

Boys Volleyball came out swinging against Walter Payton in the city finals. The team ended their 12-year drought and won city with the help of new coach Pablo Lopez. They ended their regular season with an impressive conference record of 8-1.

Eric Brzeski, Div. 870, has been on the varsity volleyball team for the past three years and has seen the team go through many changes.

“It’s a great feeling to be able to take home the city title for not just the program but Lane as well,” Brzeski said.

Boys Varsity Baseball made it to city quarterfinals but lost to Simeon 7-4. The JV team came back in their city game from a 7-run deficit, winning 8-7 against Taft.

Girls Varsity Softball made it to the city championship but fell short in the 6th inning, losing 8-7 against Whitney Young.

“We take this loss as an opportunity to grow,” said Katie Gallegos, Div. 952. “It’s important to remember the pain of failure because it will inspire our success in upcoming years.”

The girls varsity softball team picked themselves back up and won their regional championship 7-2 against York May 27. They advanced to sectionals for the first time in recent history. Going into their sectional semi-final game against Leyden June 1, they held a record of 25-7.  

The Girls JV Softball Team as well made it to city and slaughtered Taft 10-0 for the win.

The Girls Lacrosse Team showed up and won city for the third year in a row against Northside. They finished the season with an impressive undefeated record in conference.

The Girls Rugby Team ended their regular season with only a single loss.They hosted the first ever rugby playoff match in the Lane stadium against Taft and won 17-10. The “Lane Tech Ladies” ended up placing 4th overall in state.