Our nominated athletes from Metea Valley are the Patterson twins from the Water Polo team and Zach Wentz from the Lacrosse team, presented by BMO Harris Bank.
The Patterson Twins
Not many spring sports were actually able to get their seasons started in 2020, but water polo did get a few games in before the shutdown. Metea Valley girls water polo was off to an undefeated start after wins over Hinsdale South and Lincoln Way West in early March. The senior heavy roster had high hopes this year, made up by the likes of Leah Marty, Gabby Morin, Araya Williams, Emily Huang, Lexi Noe, Lucy Siwicki, Alyssa Ramirez, and Haleema Gurmani. But it was the twin duo of Lanie and Aimee Patterson that set the tone for the MV defense. Aimee rose the ranks as one of the state’s top goalies, while Lanie proved to be a strong two way player, capable of getting stops and splashing in goals as well. The Patterson’s also helped the Mustang swim team to 5th place at state in the fall, the first top 5 finish in program history. Aimee was part of the school record breaking 200 and 400 free relay teams that finished 2nd and 4th respectively and she finished 12th as an individual in the 50 freestyle. Lanie earned a 7th place medal of her own as part of the 200 medley relay team that also broke the school record. Both girls will continue to swim in college as Aimee Patterson will head south to the University of West Florida while Lanie will be swimming at Lewis University.
Zach Wentz
The cancelation of spring sports is tough on all athletes but it certainly weighs a little more on senior captains like Metea Valley’s Zach Wentz. A four year varsity member of The Valley boys lacrosse Co-Op, Wentz was ready to showcase his leadership on and off the field with fellow captains Jake Cornwell and Carson Wilberg. Other seniors like Noah Glorioso, Chris Delby, Colton Walker and Max Connolly filled the Valley roster. As a midfielder in 2019, Wentz was 2nd on the team in faceoff percentage and his 22 goals was also 2nd best on the team. His efforts earned him honorable mention All Dupage Valley Conference honors and provided on opportunity to play at the next level. Despite the disappointment of 2020, Zach Wentz will spend the spring of 2021 playing lacrosse for Aurora University. Congratulations to Zach and to all the Metea Valley seniors on your fantastic Mustang careers.
Check out other nominated athletes in our Athlete Profiles!
