Leah Fortune had anything but a typical senior season of high school soccer.

Missing five games to play for the Brazilian national team before returning to lead Wheaton Academy to the Class 2A title, Fortune redefined playing at a high level.

But whether the setting was Rio de Janeiro or Naperville, the University of Texas-bound superstar brought energy and humility to the game that matched her talent.

“It’s 100-percent teamwork and what God is doing for 22 girls,” Fortune said of Wheaton Academy’s success, diverting the focus from the 29 goals and 13 assists she had in just 22 games for the Warriors.

“It’s her passion for the game and her positive attitude that’s infectious more than anything,” Wheaton Academy coach Scott Marksberry said. “Obviously she’s very talented and a very hard worker, but it’s her excitement for playing and excitement for being with the team that sets her apart as a player. Everybody enjoys playing with Leah, not just because she’s a great player but she has so much fun out there when she plays.”

Fortune was born in Brazil while her father, Hudson, was working in the South American nation, and has been part of its national team for two years.

The Warriors expected to be without her for part of the season due to the national team commitment, and whatever potential turmoil became a benefit to everyone involved.

“It was definitely a challenge, a lot of strength mentally and emotionally,” Fortune said of the midseason trek to Brazil, “but my high school is just an incredible group of girls. And Coach Marksberry has made the transition 100-percent possible.
“I love playing with these girls. They have passion to learn which you don’t see that much, and a lot of heart. I think that’s why we played so good in the playoffs because we continued to learn and thrive off of each other, which is awesome.”

Fortune returned and Wheaton Academy rolled, going 16-0-1 in its last 17 games to finish 22-3-2 and atop Class 2A.

“We came through a lot,” Fortune said, “but the turning point was against Lyons Township (1-0 win April 9) when I was in Brazil. The girls were e-mailing me and telling me that all of a sudden they were playing good.
“When I came back we had a tough week (a loss to Benet on April 20), but after that it was nonstop joy, passion, determination, and looking in each others’ eyes and knowing we could do it. And now we’re here (as state champions). It’s exciting.”

As excited as winning is, Fortune really lights up when talking about her family, God and teammates.

“My family is the biggest support system,” Fortune said. “Both of my sisters (Ariel and Calah, stars on Wheaton Academy’s 2004 state championship team) are even here. They flew in at midnight, one from California and one from North Carolina. They’re great.”

As for her incredible senior season, another family-like bond figured prominently.

“It really is the story of 22 girls and what God is doing,” Fortune said. “We’ve had so much passion and joy and probably one of the best experiences because of the girls and coaches that made it possible. It’s such a blessing.”

Wheaton Academy has been equally blessed by her talents.

“For what she does, and her vision on the field — she’s outstanding,” Marksberry said. “And what’s rare as a coach is that she is still the hardest-working player on the field. She’s the most talented and the hardest working. She doesn’t take days off, which is very impressive.”

The next recipient of very good Fortune will be Texas.

“They have an incredible program,” she said. “I definitely see God putting soccer in my future, and one thing Texas says is that they’ll be able to develop me if that opportunity (to play professionally) does happen. I’m just really looking forward to playing and being a Longhorn.”

Dave Owen

Meet the rest of the 2009 girls spring sports all-area team.

Badminton
Amy Arend
Wheaton Warrenville South, senior
Achievements This senior capped off an outstanding badminton career with another trip to state. She finished second in the singles bracket at the Naperville Central sectional, losing only to eventual fifth-place finisher Michelle Wang of the host Redhawks. Arend then went on to win two matches at state. A year prior, she had qualified for the state meet as part of a doubles team.

Softball
Izzy Bruce
West Chicago, junior
Achievements While Mary Connolly’s pitching was the driving force of the Wildcats’ success this season, Bruce provided exceptional defense at the critical shortstop position and also contributed offensively en route to all-DuPage Valley Conference honors for the second straight year.

Soccer
Sarah Carlson
Wheaton North, senior
Achievements An all-sectional selection, this senior was the backbone of the Falcons’ team. Also an all-DuPage Valley Conference honoree, the outside midfielder was second on the squad with five goals while tying for the team lead with three assists. Carlson finished her Wheaton North career with nine goals and six assists for 24 total points.

Softball
Mary Connolly
West Chicago, sophomore
Achievements After displaying dominant pitching as a freshman with 23 wins, 295 strikeouts and a 0.66 earned run average, Connolly suffered anything but a sophomore jinx. She went 22-4 with a 0.57 ERA, 259 strikeouts and 12 shutouts. Often facing elite pitching in the DuPage Valley Conference, she also hit better than .300 (.323) for the second straight year.

Soccer
Lauren Davis
Glenbard West, sophomore
Achievements Only a sophomore, Davis was the top scoring threat on a balanced Hilltopper attack. In her first varsity season, Davis led Glenbard West in goals with 12 and also dished out five assists. She scored five goals in three games as the Hilltoppers won the team title at the Niles West Invitational.

Track
Annette Eichenberger
West Chicago, junior
Achievements Eichenberger raced to third place in Class 3A in the 800-meter run (2:15.00) at the state meet in Charleston, an impressive finish to a great junior year. Building on her sixth-place finish in the 800 as a sophomore, Eichenberger was West Chicago’s first top-three finisher at state since 1975 (when Merri Preisel was third in the shot put).

Softball
Jenny Eldridge
St. Francis, senior
Achievements Eldridge moved right from hitting big shots on the basketball court to hitting line drives in softball. The Suburban Catholic Conference’s Co-Player of the Year capped her four-year varsity career with a .398 batting average, 11 doubles, 29 runs and 24 RBIs. She was also a standout at catcher for a conference and regional champion Spartans’ squad made up mostly of underclassmen but which finished 26-7.

Soccer
Leah Fortune
Wheaton Academy, soccer
Achievements Along with leading her team to the Class 2A state title, Fortune put up numbers that many quality players would need two years to compile. Playing in 22 games, Fortune finished with 29 goals and 13 assists. A member of the U-20 Brazilian National Team (for which she missed five Warrior games to compete for this spring), Fortune continues her brilliant career at the University of Texas.

Softball
Jayme Hefler
Glenbard West, senior
Achievements Hefler was the second punch of a lethal 1-2 combo at the top of the order. The center fielder caused havoc for opposing defenses with an eye-popping .587 on-base percentage to go along with a team-best .540 batting average. She struck out only seven times in 128 at-bats, stole a team-high 27 bases (27-for-30), was second in runs with 33 and also drove in seven runs. Hefler is committed to Lewis University.

Soccer
Lauren Livingston
Wheaton Warrenville South, senior
Achievements A four-year varsity player, Livingston was the stabilizing force behind a team that had a successful spring. Playing at outside midfield, she was a catalyst and a tireless worker. She finished the season with three goals and two assists and ended her career at Wheaton Warrenville South with 15 goals and 16 assists. Livingston will play next season at Bowling Green.

Soccer
Becca Long
Wheaton Academy, senior
Achievements Part of a talented midfield for the Warriors that included big-time scorers Fortune and freshman Crystal Thomas (18 goals, 22 assists), Long provided excellent all-around play and leadership for the eventual Class 2A state champions. While cast in a more defensive role, Long still scored eight goals (including the game-winner to defeat Class 3A sectional finalist York).

Soccer
Andi Matichak
St. Francis, freshman
Achievements The Spartans’ talent-rich freshman class will be heard from for the next three years and Matichak has already made a very loud impression as an elite goal scorer. The high-powered forward finished the season with 30 goals and eight assists for the Class 2A sectional finalists that went 22-4. Her output includes a five-goal game against Illinois Math and Science Academy.

Softball
Kahla Nolan
Wheaton North, sophomore
Achievements This hurler stepped up her game this spring and played a large role in the Falcons winning 22 games. Nolan finished with a record of 16-8 while sporting an earned run average of 1.33. The sophomore tossed 158 innings, allowing just 127 hits and 31 walks. Nolan should only get better next year and is one of the main reasons there is a lot of optimism within the Wheaton North program.

Track
Libby O’Brien
Glenbard South, senior
Achievements O’Brien will go down as one of the all-time greats of the Raiders’ track program. She finished in style last month, anchoring the 4 x 400-meter squad to the program’s first relay state title, running with Emily Gniatczyk, Kim Iacobazzi and Val Wass. In her four years, O’Brien won four individual all-state medals in the 400 and three all-state relay medals (800 medley in 2006 and 4 x 100 this spring).

Soccer
Lexi Peterson
Wheaton Warrenville South, freshman
Achievements The newcomer to the high school game should be a force to be reckoned with for the next three teams. A quick player who also has a lot of technical ability, the freshman led the Tigers with 12 goals. The all-DuPage Valley Conference pick and all-sectional honorable mention selection also set up her teammates to the tune of 10 assists.

Track
Kathryn Pickett
Glenbard West, sophomore
Achievements The Hilltoppers have a steady dose of talented underclassmen and Pickett played a vital role. She earned an all-state medal at the IHSA state finals two weeks ago in the long jump, finishing fourth with a leap of 17 feet, 11-1/2 inches (teammate Sarah Udelhofen was all-state in the high jump). Pickett competed in two other events at state, the 100 hurdles and 300 hurdles.

Soccer
Meghan Pipal
Glenbard South, senior
Achievements Pipal will be tough to replace for the Raiders in the midfield after three seasons on the varsity squad. The Olivet Nazarene-recruit closed the season tied for second on the team with seven goals and had a team-best four assists. Pipal helped the team go unbeaten in eight of last nine matches, including its last four in the Western Sun Conference to finish third (4-1-2) and 8-8-4 overall.

Softball
Lauren Podgorski
Glenbard South, senior
Achievements Podgorski was the catalyst that made the Raiders go and helped advance them back to the Class 3A state semifinals. The senior leadoff hitter scored a team-high 34 runs going into state and stole a team-best 21 bases. Podgorski also was third on the team in batting average (.315), knocked out a team-high five triples and drove in 11 runs. She was also the MVP of the Western Sun Conference.

Soccer
Meagan Radloff
West Chicago, sophomore
Achievements Despite playing in likely the most talent-rich soccer conference in the state (the DuPage Valley), West Chicago made a strong late-season run led by the offensive talents of sophomore Radloff. Her 20-goal season included a May 8 hat trick in a win over Glenbard North and four goals in the regional quarterfinals against Elgin.

Track
Kelly Smith
Wheaton Warrenville South, senior
Achievements This senior was one of three Tigers that advanced to the state meet and the lone competitor to make it to the finals. Taking part in the pole vault, Smith then grabbed an-all state medal by placing ninth after clearing 11 feet. A week earlier, she had placed second at the Class 3A Leyden Sectional with the same mark.

Badminton
Rachel Staky
Wheaton North, junior
Achievements This junior had an outstanding spring on the badminton court, winning the singles sectional title at Glenbard East with a two-game win over Shinjean Balagtas of the host Rams. In fact, Staky was dominant at the sectional as she didn’t lose a game. Making her first appearance at state, she won her opening match in three games before bowing out of the tournament with two straight losses.

Softball
Meaghan Sullivan
Wheaton Warrenville South, senior
Achievements A multiple all-DuPage Valley Conference selection and academic all-conference pick, this senior ended her outstanding Tigers’ career in fine fashion. The second baseman was the leader of a young and inexperienced team both in the field and in the middle of Wheaton South’s batting line-up. Sullivan will continue her softball career when she attends Butler University this fall.

Softball
Paige Wilson
Wheaton North, sophomore
Achievements After an impressive freshman year, this shortstop was again outstanding this spring. Tops on her team with a whopping .493 average, Wilson had six doubles, four triples, 11 RBIs and scored a team-high 20 runs. Wilson also struck out just seven times in 67 at bats and had an on-base percentage of .564 while stealing 12 bases. She got the job done defensively, too, committing just four errors.

Softball
Jenny Wittenberg
Glenbard South, sophomore
Achievements Just a sophomore, Wittenberg provided pop in the batting order and also played a strong right field. She led the team in nearly all offensive areas with a team-high .376 average, .406 on-base percentage, .462 slugging percentage and 24 RBIs. The all-Western Sun Conference pick was second with 18 stolen bases and third with 18 runs scored.

Honorable mention
GLENBARD SOUTH
Taylor Cochrane, soccer; Ashley Ellis, track; Emily Gniatczyk, track; Kristen Grossman, softball; Kim Iacobazzi, track; Brianna Meath, softball; Danielle Warner, soccer; Val Wass, track; Jess Wilkes, softball

GLENBARD WEST
Molly Abromitis, soccer; Erin Aubrey, track; Kinn Badger, track; Bridget Flanagan, track; Cassie Goggin, softball; Kristin Papierski, soccer; Angie Stearn, track; Ashley Steinhilber, softball; Sarah Udelhofen, track; Michele Waggoner, softball; Katie Watt, soccer; Briana Wyatt, softball

WHEATON NORTH
Rachel Holaway, softball; Chelsea Hupp, soccer; Annie Torppey, soccer; Kelsey Ullrich, softball

WHEATON WARRENVILLE SOUTH
Liz Ciesielski, soccer; Jill Langlas, soccer; Shannon Nevins, track; Kathryn Regalado, track; Rebecca Schuh, badminton; Bridget Shrigley, soccer; Kari Zapletal, badminton

WHEATON ACADEMY
Sarah Daly, track; Meghan Grant, soccer; Paige Huizenga, softball; Kelly Johnson, softball; Jenn Lee, soccer; Crystal Thomas, soccer; Alexa Sharkey, soccer; Ally Witt, soccer

WHEATON ST. FRANCIS
Laura Behnke, softball; Meagan Gitchell, soccer; Emily Karpinski, softball; Yasmeen Mahmud, soccer; Taylor Ronchetto, softball; Lauren Szalach, soccer

WEST CHICAGO
Jamie Dash, softball; Cristal Galvan, soccer; Kaity Olson, softball; Chrissie Rovtar, softball