Nealen Laxpati of Lincoln Park High School is one of 26 student athletes state-wide named to the Illinois High School Association's All-State Academic Team. Laxpati is a senior.
"Selection for the All-State Academic Team is a tremendous recognition of a student's academic performance, and also of the student's demonstration of character and citizenship," said IHSA Executive Director Marty Hickman. "Competition for this recognition is intense and selection certainly recognizes team members as truly outstanding young people."
The winners were chosen from 462 nominations. Selection is based on grade point average, participation in sports activities and outstanding citizenship. The All-State Academic Team includes one male and one female senior student from each of the seven IHSA Board of Directors statewide geographic divisions, plus 12 at large selections. Another 50 students earned honorable mention.
Laxpati has been an integral part of the Lincoln Park varsity soccer team, which won the Chicago city cup in 2001, as well as the varsity swimming team, twice winning division titles. In swimming, he is very proficient in the 100M freestyle and backstroke events. This is noteworthy inasmuch as he hadn't learned to swim until his freshman year in high school! He carried his swimming abilities into water polo and was named team MVP.
His academic achievements include awards in the state ICTM Math Competition, the Illinois State History Fair, the Dharma Foundation Essay Contest, and the Academic Decathlon. He participated in a television program entitled "Teens Speak Out on Diversity."
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