Lentz triplets contribute to Grove athletic programs
By Jason Arndt
Staff Writer
Two sisters, one brother and all three are senior student-athletes attending Union Grove High School.
The Lentz triplets – Abby, Allison and Christian – have each played a role for the Bronco athletic program.
While Abby begins her fourth season on the girls soccer team this spring, Christian just finished his senior campaign for the Bronco boys soccer team last fall at the same time Allison concluded her tenure as a member of the girls volleyball squad.
Christian, who committed to play soccer at Division III Macalester College in St. Paul, also served as kicker on the football team for the last two years.
Early rivalry
The Lentzes, children of Jodi and Jerry, grew up in the Village of Yorkville and played multiple sports together while they were students at Yorkville Elementary School.
“It was always a competition on who got the best grades, got a bonus on their allowance, if we scored a couple of goals,” Allison said.
Allison, meanwhile, credits Christian for playing the role of referee whenever she and Abby had arguments at home.
“He is kind of the glue that holds us together, when we are fighting, he tells us to chill out,” she said.
Soccer siblings
Christian, a four-year starter, served as Union Grove’s team captain the last two years.
A back line player as a freshman, he moved to midfield the following season, but moved back to playing defense during his junior and senior seasons as a center back.
Through his four years, Christian steered the Broncos to more than 25 shutouts, garnering three consecutive Southern Lakes Conference first team honors as well as first team All-Racine County.
His favorite memory as a Bronco came as a junior when Union Grove shut down its first two opponents by a combined score of 19-0 and moved to the WIAA Division 2 sectional semifinal against eventual state runner-up New Berlin Eisenhower.
“We lost in double-overtime to New Berlin Eisenhower, the state runner-up, so I think that playoff run was just our most impressive team achievement,” he said.
Christian also served as key member of the State Cup-winning Bavarian Soccer Club team last summer.
While soccer is his first love, he does remember one achievement in football.
“I did get a tackle in a football game, but that wasn’t my proudest achievement,” he joked.
Abby, who has played soccer since she was in grade school, enters her fourth season as a letter-winner on the girls team.
A defender, she started as a freshman and has played a total of 58 games her first three seasons.
Her biggest achievement came as a sophomore, when the Broncos defeated conference rival Burlington. The Demons defeated Union Grove a year earlier to claim the title.
Christian, meanwhile, praised Abby’s play while balancing a heavy class load consisting of Advanced Placement courses.
Additionally, what impresses him the most about Abby is her ability to stay calm and always seems to have happier demeanor compared to him and Allison.
Abby, who plays for AFC Union, said she and Christian have formed a common bond because of soccer.
“Christian and I relate a lot more with soccer,” Abby said. “I think it is really cool that Allison was able to branch out and really pursue the sport (of volleyball) that she loved.”
Branching out
Allison, who once played soccer, turned to volleyball after she endured a back injury prior to high school.
She played varsity basketball as a junior.
“I kind of fell in love with volleyball for its fast pace,” said Allison, a four-year varsity player for Union Grove.
Allison primarily played along the back row as a defensive specialist and became part of last fall’s historic season that saw the team advance to state for the first time since 1985.
Allison said the Broncos state run was phenomenal.
“It was a wild ride. I had to work a lot harder than the other girls to earn my spot,” she said. “The girls on the team were so cohesive and (it) was really awesome to be a part of.”
Abby, who watched her sister play, found the Broncos state matchup against conference rival Burlington as ironic and admits she cried after Union Grove lost at the Resch Center in Green Bay.
“It was pretty funny to have them go all the way to state and then have them play Burlington,” Abby said. “I was definitely very proud of her, I know when they lost the last point and were done, I cried.”
Allison played club volleyball at Wisconsin Juniors in Pleasant Prairie, Southport in Kenosha before joining Epic Volleyball.
Logistics
In the fall, when Christian and Allison each played a sport, Abby sometimes found the choice of attending a sibling’s game a challenge.
“I definitely watch my brother’s games a lot more, because we both play soccer, so I am more interested in soccer,” she said. “But I watched Allison play at the state tournament and I watched her Senior Night game. I watch a little bit of both.”
Long-term Lentz
When Christian attends Macalester College, where he hopes to become an actuary in the insurance industry, the sisters share a goal of entering the dental field.
The sisters have no plans to play their respective sports in college.
“I actually had a spot to play on a team in college, but I decided I wanted to focus on academics in college, so I am going to University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh for their pre-dentistry,” said Abby, a National Honor Society member.
Allison, however, looks to take a year off to enlist in the Army National Guard before returning to Wisconsin and attending Marquette University.
Christian, also an NHS member, admires Allison’s choice to serve the country.
“I am really proud of her for enlisting in the National Guard,” he said. “I think it is really brave and cool for her to do that.”
Dedicated parents
Their achievements would not have been possible without parental support, according to all three siblings.
“It is kind of hard to sum up everything that they have done for us,” Christian said, adding their parents balanced full-time jobs as well as hectic sports schedules.
Abby agreed, adding their parents sometimes didn’t return home until 9 p.m., simply because of transportation.
“They drive all over, all night for practices,” Abby said. “They didn’t have to do any of this for us, but they did, just so we could be better.”
But, according to Allison, they made it work.
“There were so many times where there where two of us getting dropped off at the same time, and running back to get either one of us,” she said. “They made it all work, they made us good people and good athletes and I just really hope I can live up to what they did.”
-
-
-
-
-