Oak Lawn Teen Selected For IHSA All-State Academic Team

CHICAGO — An Oak Lawn teen has been selected as a member of the Illinois High School Association 2020-21 All-State Academic Team. Marist High School senior Thomas Kavanaugh was chosen from a group that included hundreds of students throughout the state. The 26-member team includes 13 male and 13 female honorees and represents the IHSA’s top academic honor.

Kavanaugh served as the captain of the Marist cross-country team and also competes in track and field in the spring. He is a member of the school’s decorated math team. His list of potential colleges includes Marquette University, Vanderbilt University, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Purdue University. He plans to major in finance or engineering. He was named a National Merit Finalist earlier this year.

“This is an incredible honor for Tommy, who has worked hard in every facet of high school life,” Marist Principal Dr. Kathryn Baal said. “He should be very proud of his hard work and commitment.”

Every IHSA member school was invited to nominate one female student and one male student by the February deadline. Nominees needed to possess a minimum 3.50 grade point average on 4.0 scale after their seventh semester, have participated in at least two IHSA sponsored sports or activities during each of the last two years, and demonstrated outstanding citizenship.

The nominations were evaluated by a committee made up of IHSA principals, representatives of the Illinois Activities Directors Association, and representatives of the Illinois Athletic Directors Association. One male winner and one female winner from each of the seven IHSA Board of Directors Divisions were selected initially, while the final 12 spots on the team were then rounded out with at-large candidates from anywhere in the state.