After the IHSA announced that spring sports teams would not be able to participate in state tournaments, not only do athletes lose their chance to compete one more time in their school uniforms, but the seniors are missing out on their final season and senior night. The junior players of the NCHS Girls Water Polo team didn’t like the idea that they wouldn’t get to honor their teammates. So junior’s Grace Lueken and Gianna Luperna, along with their teammates took action, “We kind of knew it was going so when we got the info, I think that was the harder hit that we wouldn’t be able to come back to our season and it was just kind of a very sad day, all of us saying goodbye the seniors and thank you for being such fantastic leaders and we support them regardless,” remarked Lueken.
Luperna added, “Obviously we all love our seniors and with polo season coming to an end, it’s kind of hard because we don’t get to see them and it’s hard our senior night got cancelled. They all do swim and got their swim season night but polo is different and I know they were looking forward to it so we figured we might as well do something with the season being canceled… special for them.”
The underclassmen met in the parking lot of Elmood Elmenatry with their signs and red streamers to decorate cars before heading out to each senior’s house, surprising Maria Gabrielli, Emma Guccioni, and Maddie Jannusch in the best way possible.
Each senior was honored with a parade of more than ten cars full of screaming teammates, waving, and cheering for them one more time. They also received their senior poster and notes from teammates. Even though time is up for the Redhawk seniors, juniors on the NCHS Girls Water Polo team know that the next time they can jump in the pool for water polo season, they have to honor their three teammates who didn’t get a chance to complete their high school careers, “next year we have to come back and it adds more fuel to our fire and we have to make it count for them,” says Laperna.
Check out other positive stories during the COVID-19 pandemic in Naperville News 17.
