Tennis: As predicted by many to the start season, New Trier defended its state championship in dominant fashion. The Trevians earned 55 points, easily outpacing Deerfield (36 points) as all four of their entries finished in the top five. Senior Robert Stineman defeated teammate Jared Hiltzik 6-2, 6-2 in the finals of the single championships while the doubles team of Drew Campbell and Thomas Fawcett were runner-ups in doubles. Stineman and Hiltzik were the top two seeds in the singles draw and made them stand up. Stineman completed an undefeated season and will compete for Stanford’s tennis …

Soccer: The transition into spring hasn’t meant consistent good weather this year, but it always bring the entertainment of the Loyola Academy – New Trier rivalry. For the fourth time this season – both water polo teams and girls lacrosse were the other three -- the two athletic programs will match up in a sectional final. The IHSA Class 3A Sectional final will be held at Evanston on Friday night. New Trier won another regional championship with a 3-1 victory over Niles West on May 20 and followed it up with a 2-1 win against Maine South on May 24. Lauren Shellenback scored the game-winner …

Water Polo: Coach David Goodspeed’s frustration was evident immediately following New Trier’s 16-11 loss to Loyola in the Illinois High School Association's (IHSA) Northbrook Sectional championship game. For the last six years now, New Trier hasn’t been able to advance to the state championship round. Despite being the No. 1 seed in this year’s sectional, New Trier couldn’t finish the job. “The refs gave us a lot of kick-outs, but we only scored on about half of them,” said Goodspeed, whose team struggled to score against Loyola’s defense. New Trier will have some experienced players coming …

Softball: New Trier (16-6, 9-0 CSL South) completed an impressive regular-season rally on Monday, clinching the Central Suburban League title with a 3-1 victory over Glenbrook South. It was the Trevians’ second win against Glenbrook South this season as they remained undefeated in league play. Brigit Ieuter allowed only a single hit and struck out six batters to get the win. Jackie Stern provided much of the offense, scoring two runs and driving in the game-winner with an RBI triple in the fifth inning. After a dismal start to the season, it looked like 2011 would be a rebuilding year for New…

Badminton: After winning a state championship and graduating a number of talented seniors, many expected a drop-off from New Trier this season. But so far, the Trevians are proving that they are title contenders once again. New Trier rallied to win the CSL championship last weekend and advanced both of its singles players and doubles teams in Thursday’s sectional. Mari Georgiadis cruised to individual titles in both events, but New Trier coach Deborah Ofcky singled out Audrey Mang as a player who has progressed above and beyond expectations. “Audrey did an awesome job,” Ofcky said of Mang …

Track: Some things change and some things stay the same for New Trier’s boys track team. Mark Wukas has taken over as head coach, replacing Jim Casey, but the Trevians still rely heavily on their distance runners. “Some of the squads have been inconsistent in their performance,” Wukas said. “The distance squad is our perennial strength and true to form. We have four potential guys going to state from them.” That strength was shown at the Spartan Relays where New Trier captured the 4x1600 and 4x800 relays for its only event victories. Among the strong group of distance runners is senior Tommy …

Softball: Confidence is contagious, and New Trier seems to be catching it at the right time. After a sub-par spring break trip to Normal, IL, New Trier (7-6, 4-0 CSL South) finds itself as the conference leader. Last Thursday, New Trier defeated Glenbrook South on the road for its fifth consecutive victory, giving the team a one-game lead over the Titans in the Central Suburban League (CSL) South conference. “Where we are now versus where we were when we left Normal, IL, this team has really come together,” said coach John Cadwell, whose team started off 0-4. Everything has been clicking for …

Volleyball: Midway through the season, New Trier looks to be right on track to contend for a state championship. The Trevians took third place at the Mustang Invitational Tournament at Downers Grove South by winning four of their five matches. New Trier won each of their first matches in two games, defeating Hinsdale South, Stagg and Barrington in pool play. In the semi-finals, the Trevians lost a hard-fought match to host Downers Grove South 25-19, 25-22. But New Trier rallied to beat Lake Park 25-19, 25-19 in the third place game on Saturday. In the latest boys volleyball rankings by the …

Lacrosse: More than their 10-0 record or six victories by double-digit margins, New Trier coach Peter Collins can tell his team is on the right track by the way they practice each and every day. After losing to Loyola in last year’s state championship game, the Trevians have come out with a vengeance in 2011, defeating teams from four different states and not allowing a team to score more than nine goals in a game. “Our players come to practice with a lot of enthusiasm, focus and a desire to get better,” Collins said. “They love to compete. We were excited about our younger players getting …

Water Polo: The 4-5 record New Trier sported nine games into the season didn’t mean much to coach David Goodspeed. He had set out a challenging schedule at the start to provide a benchmark for his team. “Although we had a losing record, we felt like it has been a good start to the season because we were in every game versus very good opponents,” Goodspeed said.  Of those five early-season losses, four of them were to top-10 teams with the other coming against Loyola Academy at home after beating the Ramblers on the road. The tough early schedule has paid off for the No. 14 Trevians, who have …

Girls Water Polo: Coach Matt Wendt knows his team’s improvement this season is there. He sees it every day in practice and the Trevians’ have easily handled the opponents that are clearly overmatched. But the hardest leap to take is from good to great, and New Trier (9-7-1) is still not quite over the hump. “It has been a great year so far with much improvement, however it is not being reflected in our win-loss record.” Playing through a tough non-conference schedule, New Trier has faced several top-15 opponents. Against No. 7 Loyola, the Trevian lost 10-9 in overtime on March 18 and tied the…

Boys Volleyball: High expectations can often be a burden for sports teams with dreams of success. But through the first half of the regular season, New Trier has met almost every challenge they’ve faced. “We expected to be a confident, consistent and talented team this season and that is exactly what this group has demonstrated over the last five weeks,” coach Sue Ellen Haak said. Last weekend, the Trevians took home the championship in the Warren Tournament, defeating CSL foe Deerfield in the championship by a score of 25-18, 25-17. Earlier this season, New Trier finished fourth out of 24 …