No. 2 of 2010 Sports: Girls Basketball Streak Reaches 57

Editor's note: Craig Brueske's No. 2 pick for Top 10 Sports Moments of 2010 is another heart-tugger. Geneva coach  is battling breast cancer even as she coaches this season. She is one heck of a basketball coach and human being.

And at No. 2 ...

Girls basketball streak reaches 57

Geneva's extended its amazing regular-season winning streak to 57 games with three consecutive victories to begin the 2010-11 campaign. The streak finally came to an end on Nov. 27 with a  in the championship game of the Vikings' annual Thanksgiving Tournament.

3. Another sectional crown for girls hoops team

Led by senior forward  and junior guard , the Vikings captured their second straight Class 4A sectional championship with a 62-48 triumph over Rockford Boylan in Huntley. Coach 's squad won its first 31 games before suffering a season-ending, 60-54 supersectional loss to Hersey on March 1. Wicinski's putback sealed the Vikings' 47-45 regional championship victory over host St. Charles North.

4. Football team rebounds from 0-2 start

After suffering season-opening losses to  and , people started wondering what was wrong with Geneva's football team. Well, the answer was … . Senior two-way standout  and junior quarterback  helped propel coachs Vikings to eight straight victories, including the team's seventh straight —this time as first-time members of the Upstate Eight Conference River Division. Scoreboard operators were kept busy late in the season when the Vikings piled up 69 points in back-to-back weeks ( on Oct 22; 69-28 first-round 6A playoff win over  on Oct. 30).

5. Senior-led cross country team caps amazing run

What started with back-to-back state championships came to an emotional end for Geneva's , which placed fourth at the  meet last month at Detweiller Park in Peoria. Seniors Kelly Whitley, Tess Ehrhardt, Liza Tauscher, Rachel Hammond and Megan Brady were part of a group that led the Vikings to back-to-back state titles in 2007 and 2008. Whitley (2^nd in 2007 and 2008; 18^th in 2009) earned all-state honors for the fourth straight year (top-25 finish).

6. Hip hip hooray for Hipchen!

Junior outfielder Chris Hipchen set a new Viking team record with 13 home runs this past season, eclipsing the previous mark (12) set by Nick Herrera (2004, 2006) and Cory Hofstetter (2008). The right-handed hitting slugger belted three home runs in one game against Kaneland on April 6.

7. Riley Perry sets new career-win standard

Senior right-handed pitcher Riley Perry established a new career win record when he notched his 20^thvictory during the Vikings' 1-0 regional semifinal whitewash of West Chicago—the last of his four shutouts this past season.

8. A softball surprise!

Led by Stacey Cladis, Melissa Barber, Anna McCaffrey, Elana Wright, Bridget Weitzel and Kirsten Searcy, 12^th-seeded upset fifth-seeded Glenbard North in the regional semifinals before rallying to a 4-2 regional championship win over fourth-seeded Lake Park. It was the Vikings' first regional title since 2005.

9. Kat Yelle reaches personal milestone

Senior point guard  scored the  of her four-year varsity career during's 82-18 Upstate Eight Conference River Division win over Elgin on Dec. 10.

Yelle has signed with Ohio University on a .

10. Boenzi pockets pair of top-10 state finishes

Senior capped his high school athletic career in style by placing fourth in the shot put (59-2 ¾) and sixth in the discus (167-11) at the Class 3A boys state track and field meet held this past May in Charleston.