The Uni chess team placed fourth at the IHSA state tournament held in Peoria on Friday, Feb. 10, and Saturday, Feb. 11. The finish was Uni's best since the IHSA did away with the small-school division in the 1990s. (Had there been such a division this year, Uni would have overwhelmingly won the state championship.) Individual highlights included freshman Gordon Ruan's second-place finish on first board, sophomore Alex Zhai's third-place ranking on second board, and junior Annie Liang's fifth-place finish on fifth board. Liang was the highest-ranking female in the state.

photos courtesy John Garvey