CSLV: Playing Catch-Up

Olympics notes, 5 early summer standouts, and head coaching changes.

OF NOTE 

It’s been a hot minute!

I won’t be catching you up on everything that’s happened in the CSL Universe over the last month, but can touch on a few things. 

In a theme that should sound familiar to you if you’re a regular reader at this point, I’m not entirely certain what the future of the newsletter looks like. I’m not trying to monetize it anymore. Full transparency, I’m still gauging whether I should continue the newsletter. I haven’t put anything behind a paywall for a while. While I can’t say I think you should be paying a subscription fee, I certainly won’t have any issue if readers continue to pay a subscription just to throw a few bucks a month or even a few bucks a year toward my work. 

If I do continue the newsletter next season for the third scholastic year, game-to-game results are not going to be a priority. Newsy bits, feats/accomplishments will fill the newsletter. I do for the time being intend to continue using social media as a resource as well.

5 SUMMER STANDOUTS

Evanston wrestling’s Jeremy Marshall (’26) competed for the Illinois 16U National Dual Team in freestyle and greco. (Pic via Evanston Wrestling on Twitter/X). 

Maine South boys basketball’s Panayiotis Sotos (’26) has been getting attention for his summer ball play, scoring 28 in a win over Riverside Brookfield. 

Glenbrook South baseball’s Nick Hoffer (’26), a 6-5 lefty hurler, has been written about recently by Prep Baseball Report scouting.

Deerfield’s Hunter Whitney (’25) won the IJGA Kellman Stroke Play Senior Boys Class at Deerfield Golf Club with a 1-under-par, besting a field of 35 competitors. 

Evanston’s Hunter Schmidt (’27) won the  IJGA Kellman Stroke Play Junior Boys Class at Deerfield Golf Club, defeating 33 other golfers with a +2 score. 

COACHING CHANGES 

I’m a bit more reliant on social media for this, as it’s hard to keep up on every coaching change. A few big changes.

Dusty Napoleon takes over the New Trier head baseball coaching job from his father Mike. 

Mike Clark wrote about the changing of the guard for The Record North Shore.

Nick Morley takes over as Glenbrook South’s boys cross country coach from longtime coach Kurt Hassenstein. Dion Martorano wrote more about it for Journal & Topics.

John Przekota takes over as the head girls water polo coach at New Trier, taking over for Matthew Wendt.  

New Trier hired Andrew Ortman as its new girls wrestling coach. 

Peter Min has been hired as Maine East’s new boys volleyball coach, replacing Rintu Philip.

DID YOU SEE?

Deerfield graduate and future Stanford Cardinal swimmer Annika Parkhe competed in the US Olympic Trials, finishing 16th in the semifinals of the 100 meter fly in a time of 59.02 seconds. For reference, 72 athletes competed in the women’s 100m fly ay the trials. Her time in the first heats before the semifinals was 58.58, which was 13th going into the semifinals. 

New Trier had 5 former swimmers at the Olympic Trials for swimming:

Greta Pelzek (’21), Kaelyn Gridley (’22), Carly Novelline (’22), Charlie Bufton (’24) and Tierney Lenahan (’25). 

Glenbrook South (’25) multi-sport standout Tyrone Cotton verbally committed to FCS power South Dakota State for football.

New Trier girls lacrosse’s Sonja Keneally committed to Tufts University to play the same sport there. 

Maine West’s Abi Garcia committed to Cleveland State for softball. 

Maine South’s Zak Stoilov (’25) committed to Army for football. 

Highland Park pitcher  Luke Weber was named the Lake County News-Sun Baseball Player of the Year. 

Glenbrook North will have 3 former Spartans on the football team this fall at Northwestern University. GBN Football’s Twitter/X account shared these images. 

Former Niles West golfer Bryan Liston competed in the Chicago District Golf Association Chicago Adaptive Open in the Men’s G15 group and carded a 2-day score of 180.

Glenbrook North graduate Ryan Purdy will join the coaching staff for the Army swim team.

Maine West is hosting its annual CSL 7 on 7, where each CSL football team will be in attendance as well as a few dozen others, with competition set to start at 5 p.m.

New Trier girls lacrosse’s goalkeeper, Megan Gallagher was honored as a USA Lacrosse All-American. 

Glenbrook South graduate James Reeder (’24) was drafted by the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings with a 7th round pick (198). 

Niles West’s Nicholas Kempf was drafted by the Washington Capitols I the 4th round (pick 114).