Athletic News

Boys Golf won the State Championship and had two golfers win individual medals (Liam Kelly 3rd & Jack Gill 8th)

STATE CHAMPS! GIRLS TENNIS PULLS OF THE 3 PEAT AND TAKES HOME THE 1ST PLACE TROPHY FOR THE THIRD SEASON IN A ROW!

The Kinetic Wellness and Athletic Departments are honored to name their office suite after Bonnie Beach and Lee Kennicke. Two pioneers of Title IX, Beach and Kennicke promoted gender equality in sports and were instrumental in transforming the landscape of athletics in Illinois and beyond. Their passion and vision played an influential role in shaping the Athletic and Kinetic Wellness Departments into what they are today.

Beach and Kennicke attended an official dedication on Sept. 18 alongside family, friends, fellow retirees, alumni, staff, and students. A plaque outside the office will serve as a lasting reminder of their contributions to New Trier and to the advancement of girls' and women's sports. 

Bonnie Beach

Beach worked at New Trier from 1967-2001, serving as a teacher, adviser, department chair, and head coach for girls volleyball, field hockey, and badminton. She led the unification of two separate boys and girls P.E. departments, developing a deep and comprehensive Kinetic Wellness curriculum. Beach was a member of the State Advisory Committee for Volleyball and coached the first IHSA Girls Volleyball Champions in 1975. She co-founded the Illinois Coaches Association for Girls’ and Women’s Sports in 1977 and served as the association’s first president. Beach also served as New Trier Education Association President from 1984-1985 and won the Women’s Sports Foundation national award in 1990.

Lee Kennicke

Throughout her 30-year career at New Trier, Kennicke served as an assistant coach, head coach, and Assistant Athletic Director, as well as the Girls' Physical Education Department Chair at New Trier East prior to the merger of East and West. She co-founded the Illinois Coaches’ Association for Girls’ and Women’s Sports and created and led New Trier’s Student Athlete Leadership Team (S.A.L.T.). When she served as assistant coach for girls volleyball, her team won the first-ever IHSA Girls Volleyball Championship. She was the first head coach for girls swimming and diving, track and field and badminton. She captured three state titles in badminton and oversaw multiple state tournaments as an IHSA State Tournament manager.