Titan Top Three highlights three impactful students in South sports, chosen by the sports editors. This issue’s Titan Top Three features freshman Shiv Gupta, who has a passion for sports broadcasting, junior Elin Koltun, who was an alternate player for Varsity Girls’ Tennis, and junior Mateo Barillas, who took a spot on South’s top 10 record board for runners.

Gupta grows platforms

Since fourth grade, freshman Shivam Gupta has wanted to get involved in sports reporting and broadcasting.

Now, Gupta publishes videos on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, interviewing high school athletes and sharing his ideas about professional sports.

Gupta discovered sports broadcasting and created his own website in fourth grade, publishing sports articles. Soon after, he realized his audience would prefer shorter videos that sum up his ideas quickly rather than reading full articles, and created social media platforms in eighth grade.

“Interviews are what I’ve recently been doing, but I used to do podcast episodes, hot takes, stand-ups at games, previews, and predictions,” Gupta said. “I’ll probably go back to doing that during winter and spring sports, because there’s not as many sports in those seasons.”

Now with about 3,000 followers across all platforms Gupta has had success with getting his name known locally, he said. In the future, Gupta plans to continue growing his platforms and potentially find a job in sports broadcasting.

“When I’m older, I want to be commentating on games as a job,” Gupta said. “For now, with social media, I’m trying to get my name out there and get as much recognition as possible.”

Koltun plays alternate

After being introduced to tennis through a friend at 10 years old, junior Elin Koltun turned an interest into passion.

Two years on JV taught Koltun how to improve her game, she said. Joining the varsity team this hear introduced her to the inclusivity and sportsmanship of her new team, she said.

“We all challenge each other and are able to grow,” Koltun said. “Everyone was open to welcoming new people on the team, and were all very inclusive.”

As the varsity team transitioned into sectionals this year, Koltun was selected as an alternate player—someone who is a backup competitor and stands ready to replace a primary player if they become unable to play. This gave Koltun a chance to focus on the tactics of other players, inspiring her to apply those skills to her game, she said.

“Being an alternate player was a mix of pressure, because I had to be ready in case anything came up, while also trying to be as encouraging as I could,” Koltun said. “It opened up a new perspective, and I got to see how others were playing.”

After being able to pick up on tactics from other players and incorporating them into the way she plays, Koltun hopes to make the sectionals line-up during her next year on the team, she said.

“This season has definitely helped me improve a lot, especially because of a lot of the good players on varsity,” Koltun said. “I think I definitely can make it to sectionals if I work towards it.”

Barillas sprints top 10

Senior Mateo Barillas earned a spot on South’s top 10 record board for the Loyola course at Loyola Munz Campus after running a 16:10  three mile during the Loyola Academy Flight Night on Oct. 9.

Running became a family tradition for Barillas after his older sister spontaneously ran a half marathon with their mother, he said. The experience sparked an interest in running in the family. Barillas then began track in seventh grade  before joining cross country as a junior.

Alongside Barillas, South’s varsity boys finished 11th out of 20 teams. Despite earning a spot on the record board, Barillas considered the Loyola race one of his worse. He ran a 15:38 at the Peoria Invitational the week before and hoped to improve on it, he said. Racing in the dark without his glasses made it difficult to see, and he eventually lost sight of teammates whom he had hoped to follow throughout the race, Barillas said.

“Loyola was one of my worst races, so seeing that I made the top 10 shocked me,” Barillas said.

Looking ahead, Barillas hopes to continue developing as a runner and keep moving up South’s all-time rankings.

“I believe I can go way faster,” Barillas said. “I really want to do my best and pour my heart out into the sport that I love.”