At the West Suburban Silver championships, May 2, the Oak Park and River Forest High School badminton team placed fifth. Senior Anika Gupta was third in first singles, while senior Wes Wong took third in fourth singles.
OPRF coach Paul Wright has been pleased with how things have gone this season, despite challenges, including a season-ending injury to one of the Huskies’ top players in senior Josie Badrinath.
“Despite being sidelined,” Wright said, “Josie has been a tremendous leader, stepping up as a mentor and helping coach younger players as they’ve transitioned to varsity-level play.”
Wright commended his seniors: Badrinath, Gupta, Wong, Alice Cadwell, Malini Datta-Nemana, Sonja Emerson, Ada Klein, Stella Ludwig, and Mariana Nache, for their “incredible spirit, commitment, and sportsmanship.
Moreover, the program’s future looks increasingly promising as Wright said a fourth level of competition will be added next year, a result of the number of participants increasing over the past three seasons.
“Thanks to the support of athletic director Nicole Ebsen and the school board, we’ll expand to include freshman, junior varsity one, junior varsity two, and varsity levels, offering more students the chance to compete, grow, and be part of one of the programs that truly represents ‘those things that are best’ at OPRF,” Wright said. “We’re proud of our team and excited about the future of Huskie badminton.”
OPRF competes in this week’s sectional at Lake Forest. Klein and Wong will compete in singles, while Cadwell and Gupta along with Ludwig and junior Olive Tepfer make up the Huskies’ doubles units.
Hammerschmidt honored by Bears
The Chicago Bears of the National Football League named OPRF junior Leia Hammerschmidt as the ninth recipient of the 2025 Community High School All-Star Award. The award honors high school football and flag football players who make a positive impact on their communities, celebrating them for their service and teamwork, which inspires future generations to lead both on and off the field.
Hammerschmidt is a three-sport athlete at OPRF. In the fall, she played flag football for the Huskies and head coach James Geovanes, then spent the winter playing basketball for head coach Renee Brantley. This spring, she’s playing softball for head coach JP Coughlin, hitting .355 with five home runs and 23 RBI as OPRF is in contention for the West Suburban Silver title and is one of the favorites in the upcoming IHSA Class 4A state tournament.
More importantly, Hammerschmidt gets the job done outside of athletics. She has a 4.57 grade point average and does community service with Beyond Hunger, an Oak Park- based non-profit organization whose goal is to help with families needing assistance obtaining food to prevent hunger.