Saint Patrick High School honored the athletes in the class of 2006 at their annual Senior Athlete Awards Dinner at Poretta’s Banquet Hall on the evening of May 18. Each athlete was presented a plaque, with special awards given to athletes who were recognized as East Suburban Catholic Conference Scholar-Athletes and earned Illinois High School Association Scholastic Achievement Awards. The night concluded with the presentation of the Mark Cummings Award and the Athlete of the Year Award.

Trent Koenig earned the Mark Cummings Award. Koenig was a four-year varsity starter on the Shamrock wrestling team, who twice earned All-Conference honors. Mark Cummings was a teacher and football coach at Saint Patrick that died on January 9, 1975 of a cerebral hemorrhage. For 17 years, Cummings shared a unique gift with the student-athletes to discover the positive in every situation and cheerfully accept life’s challenges. The recipient of this award best exemplifies the Shamrock spirit that Cummings exemplified.

Mike Giller was honored as the 2005-06 Athlete of the Year. Giller earned All-East Suburban Catholic Conference honors in both baseball and basketball this year. For his outstanding play during the basketball season, the Pioneer Press named Giller All-Area. He was named All-Tournament at both the Saint Patrick Thanksgiving tournament and the prestigious Elgin Holiday Tournament. Giller is the leading hitter on the Shamrock baseball team, and this week he is looking to lead the Shamrocks to their first IHSA Regional Championship in baseball since 1981. Giller will play baseball on a scholarship at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign next season.

Ten Shamrocks were recognized as East Suburban Catholic Conference Scholar Athletes and won Illinois High School Association Scholastic Achievement Awards: Patrick Blazer (soccer), John Cvikota (football, volleyball), Walter Gaskew (track), Stephan Hanowsky (volleyball), Loren Hizel (cross-country, track), Michael Kotz (football, baseball), Adrian Mendoza (football), Kevin O’Connor (golf), Nicholas Theisinger (tennis), and Stephen Zachar (soccer). Fourteen other Shamrocks earned IHSA Scholastic Achievement Awards: Hubert Lubowicz (soccer), Erick Alvarez (football), Matthew Ledenbach (football), Matthew Labek (football), Tim Mohs (football, baseball), Stephan Brennan (soccer), Nicholas Kalom (volleyball), Brian O’Connor (golf), Chris Garrity (swimming, water polo), Anthony Pasquini (swimming, water polo), David Hibbler (football), Michael Fahey (basketball), Frank Prill (track), Matt Merkel (golf, bowling, volleyball).
East Suburban Catholic Conference Scholar Athletes
(l-to-r) Mike Kotz, John Cvikota, Adrian Mendoza, Loren Hizel,
and Stephen Zachar.