and Spanish Language Athletics Marist sponsors the following sports for both boys and girls, all of which are governed by the Illinois High School Association (IHSA): basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, soccer, track & field, volleyball, and lacrosse. Boys compete in baseball, football, and wrestling. Girls compete in poms, cheerleading, softball, and swimming Marist also sponsors boxing and ice hockey, though these teams do not compete in state series sponsored by the IHSA. Marist competes in the East Suburban Catholic Conference (ESCC). Marist also competes in the largest school classes of the state series sponsored by the IHSA. Known more for academics than athletics, Marist has won the following IHSA sponsored state championship series: Baseball: 1977–78 Softball: 2011–12, 2014–15 Volleyball (boys): 2001–02, 2009–10, 2018–19 Volleyball (girls): 2017–18, 2018–19 Wrestling: 1982–83, 1986–87 The varsity wrestling team won twenty-seven consecutive varsity conference titles dating from the 1980–81 season through the 2006–07 season. The school claims this to be an American high school record. While not sanctioned by the IHSA, Marist won the Kennedy Cup, the oldest hockey prize in Illinois high school hockey, as a part of their Chicago Catholic Hockey League Championships in 1991,1994 and 1995. Rivalries Since its foundation Marist has enjoyed a natural rivalry with neighboring school Brother Rice. Games between the two schools are often referred to as the "Battle of Pulaski”. When Marist became a coeducational school, the local all-girls high school in the neighborhood Mother McAuley became a natural rival. The rivalry between Mother McAuley and Marist have heated up with the use of social media. Activities The Marist band is somewhat unusual in that it is not only an extracurricular activity, but also an Honors academic class. The band functions as a marching band generally in the autumn (performing pregame, halftime, and postgame shows at home football games), and as a concert band for the remainder of the year (highlighted by Christmas and Spring Concerts). The general exceptions are their annual performances in the Chicago Columbus Day Parade, the Chicago Thanksgiving Day Parade, and the Chicago St. Patrick's Day parades. The band is generally not a competition band, but has been successful enough to perform on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and to be the featured marching band to open the new Comiskey Park in 1991. The Marist band has won numerous honors and awards, and has traveled across the country to perform in