Schools

Lincoln-Way West Pom Squads Score Regional, State Victories

Lincoln-Way West's varsity and junior varsity pom squads scored victories in regional and state competitions and drew praise from their coaches for their accomplishments.

They had their “hip” and their “hop” going.

The 19-member Lincoln-Way West High School junior varsity pom squad scored a historic first in the JV finals of the TEAMDance Illinois competition Sunday, Feb. 12, at Argo.

The Warriors claimed what can be equated to the first team state championship in Lincoln-Way West history with their winning 2-minute 55-second performance in the JV Division II Hip Hop category.

Find out what's happening in New Lenoxwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The performance followed on the heels of a victory by the Lincoln-Way West varsity poms on Saturday, Feb. 11. The varsity Warriors placed first in Class AA Pom and Class AA Hip Hop in the regional finals at Lincoln-Way West.

The Warrior girls next will be headed to the varsity poms state competition on Sunday, March 4, at the Peoria Civic Center.

Find out what's happening in New Lenoxwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The Lincoln-Way West varsity roster reads like this: Angela Bieser, Jessica Blatzer, Alison Buldak, Jodi Diaz, Danielle Enders, Taylor Gallagher, Tary Hollingsworth, Erin Lavelle, Lexie Lucia, Natalie Malinowski, Kailyn O’Connor, Kathleen O’Keefe, Alexus Petrongelli, Nikki Revak, Abby Richmond, Megan Smith, Ginette Soper, Amy Stoeckley, Nicole Vander Wall and Moira Ziebart.

“This is the first time in Lincoln-Way West history that a team has earned first place at the state level,” Warrior varsity coach Melissa Sweeney said in a news release. “We are so proud of our girls. All their hard work and effort has paid off.”

In the JV finals at Argo, Lincoln-Way West received a judge’s score of 83.5 out of 100 and outpointed four others competing for the title in the Hip Hop class. About 50 teams from around the state competed after qualifying earlier at TDI events.

The Warriors’ JV lineup stacked up like this: Juniors—Ali Johnson, Ashley Kowalsky; sophomores—Hannah Sigrist, Beth Heise, Sarah McDonald, Alexia Velasquez, Andrea Zielinski, Morgan Richter, Nicole Sterr, Jenny Richardson, Meghan Baltas, Dominica Hart, Ally Burdick, Kari Molloy, Paige Zawislak; freshmen—Sydney Novak, Carlee Wajchert, Erin Dolan Gabby Tanquilut.

Justine Haw, a graduate of the Lincoln-Way school district and local dance instructor, assisted the JV Warriors with music and choreography.

“What was special about (the performance) was that it was a JV team doing hip hop, which is a difficult category to do well,” Lincoln-Way West junior varsity coach and school counselor Anne Orlowski said. “They worked so hard all season, made changes when needed and practiced every day.

“They were very, very dedicated. The championship was well-deserved.”

 

 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here