Rebounding from a second-place State finish last year, the LHS math team won the IHSA class 3AA State championship earlier this month, finishing 33 points ahead of runner-up and fellow District 128 team Vernon Hills.
The team, led by senior president Alec Zheng and junior vice president Elliot Stahnke, used steady consistency throughout the entire May 1-2 tournament at the University of Illinois to claim the top prize.
“We had [team members] finishing in the top five for most of the events, which was great; we stayed consistent like that throughout the whole tournament,” stated assistant head coach Mrs. Jennifer Loika.
There were only two competitions among individual and group events in which Libertyville had the top finish–the rest finished in at least the top 10–with many participants in the top five. The Junior Algebra II team, consisting of Jason Ji, Hannah Loizzo, Hannah Manetsch, Elliot Stahnke, Ken Wu and Daniel Zhou, placed first, and the Freshman/Sophomore II Relay team consisting of Jesse Yan, Aaron Chen, Lewis Cherry and Karl Gaertner claimed the top spot.
The team captains organized meetings before school to complete extra practice in preparation for the tournament.
“Considering we’re asking a bunch of high schoolers, even the ones who enjoy math, to come in early before school to do extra work, I’d say the turnout was pretty great. It just goes to show how dedicated the students in math team are, which is awesome,” stated Zheng.
The team placed in the top five for 12 other events, which led to their championship, the second state title in three years. In an important event for overall team points, Stahnke and Zheng finished second in the Junior/Senior Two Person team event, pouring in 33 points for LHS.
Individual accomplishments included sophomores Anne Hong and Ryan Bogan placing fifth and seventh, respectively, for the Geometry written test. Yan also helped the team as a whole, as he placed seventh in the Algebra I written test. In the Algebra II written test, juniors Ken Wu and Daniel Zhou tied for sixth place, along with junior Elliot Stahnke finishing ninth in the competition. The seniors also did not disappoint in the individual competitions, as Maya D’Souza and Alec Zheng finished eighth and 10th, respectively, in the Pre-Calculus written exam.
“Going down in a coach bus with some of your closest friends and getting pumped up together to try and reach one mutual goal is truly the euphoric experience; winning was only the cherry on top,” stated senior Ryan Tang.
Reclaiming its trophy from two years ago, there was much joy on the way back from Champaign to Libertyville, as the team was relieved it could claim the top prize in the state.
“Above all, I would say, math aside, the kids are what made the tournament so fun for everyone around. [The math team members] really get along with each other. The coaches were never worried about anyone saying something inappropriate on the bus; it was just a lot of fun,” stated Loika.
