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Fightin' Irish Boys Athletics is please to announce the start of the 2008-2009 sports season. Our Athletic site will offer players, parents, faculty and fans to get the latest news on Bishop McNamara Athletics. Please check back here for information on your favorite Bishop McNamara team.
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2008-2009 Bishop McNamara Boys Cross Country - Highlights
WASSON, SIMS ADVANCE TO STATE
The Irish cross-country team will have two representatives competing in the State Cross-Country Meet this Saturday. Garrett Wasson and Aimee Sims both ran outstanding races to advance to State Finals in Peoria.
Aimee overcame a knee injury that kept her out of last week’s Regional meet. Although not completely healed, Aimee ran a courageous race to stay near the front of the pack and grab the final qualifying spot. The girl’s team, beset by injuries and illness for the past few weeks, put up a courageous battle, but it was too much to overcome, as they finished 12th in the 20 team field. Jen Storer, Libby Rogers, Caitlin Schaeffer, and Alexa Koziol finished just 20 seconds apart to complete the Irish scoring.
Garrett has saved his best for last, as he ran the fastest time of his life on a very tough course tp place 8th overall and earn his trip to Peoria. As usual, Garrett started controlled and moved up through the field throughout the race, eventually working his way into the top 10 and insuring his state final spot. With the team’s #3 runner (JP Moore) suffering from the effects of a food allergy, the rest of the Irish stepped up, but the team finished 8th and missed the top 5 qualifying spot. Michael Breault ran the fastest time of his life to give the Irish a solid #2, and then Aaron Trost, Sam Ekhoff, and Ben Moss finished just 20 seconds apart for the final scoring places.
Aimee and Garrett will compete Saturday morning at Detweiler Park in Peoria. Aimee runs at 9:00 am and Garrett runs at 10:00 am
BOYS WIN TITLE; BOTH TEAMS ADVANCE
The
boy’s and girl’s cross-country teams put on quite a performance at
the IHSA Regional Meet on Saturday. Both teams advanced to the
Sectional Meet this Saturday where they will try to qualify for the
State Finals in Peoria.
The guy’s team ran their best race of the season to upset the heavily favored Beecher Bobcats by two points. It was a tremendous team effort that saw the Irish come back from a 15 point deficit entering the final mile. Garrett Wasson led the Irish once again, as he ran step for step with 3 All-State performers for most of the race before settling for 4th place overall. Michael Breault ran perhaps the best race of his career to finish just 2 places back of Garrett, passing 2 runners in the final quarter mile. JP Moore, Aaron Trost, and Sam Ekhoff ran down 3 Beecher runners in the last mile to seal the Irish victory. Ben Moss and Jonathan Boudreau also ran great races to help the Irish cause.
The girl’s team was running without #1 runner Aimee Sims and Liz Ostrowski (injuries), had 3 girls running with illness, but they still managed to move on the Sectional with their 4th place finish. The Lady Irish used a close pack of runners to claim their spot. Jennifer Storer was the team’s first runner, finishing in 15th place with Alexa Koziol just 6 seconds behind her. The Irish then put 5 runners into the chute within 14 seconds. Libby Rogers, Caitlin Schaeffer, Alyssa Pitts, Val Belcher, and Jaclyn Lowman practically tripped over one another getting into the chute and insuring that the team would advance to next weekend’s Sectional. Hopefully, all will be healed and healthy by then so that the Lady Irish will have an opportunity to advance to the State Meet.
The Irish will compete in the IHSA Sectional at Paxton on Saturday. The top 5 teams advance to the State Meet.
IRISH SPEND WEEK IN THE BIG-TIME
AMBOY, PEORIA INVITES RUN AGAINST THE BEST
The Irish
cross-country team spent the last week competing against the best
teams across the state, and ran very well. On Monday, the team
traveled to the Amboy Invitational. The meet had 56 of the best
Class A teams in the state competing. The Lady Irish finished a
solid 14th in the outstanding field, led by a great performance from
sophomore Aimee Sims. Running against a field of All-State runners,
Aimee finished an outstanding 13th in the field. The next four Irish
runners finished just 17 seconds apart to help give the team a
“sweet sixteen” finish among the best in the state. Jennifer Storer,
Libby Rogers, Alexa Koziol, and Caitlin Schaeffer did the honors for
the Irish.
The boy’s team just missed a “sweet sixteen” finish, as they
finished 17th out of 56. Garrett Wasson led the team with an
impressive 18th place finish in a loaded field of All-Staters. While
not quite as close as the girls, the 2-5 spots on the boy’s team
finished just 34 seconds apart. JP Moore, Michael Breault, Aaron
Trost, and Ben Moss did the job for the guys.
Saturday found the Irish at another prestigious meet – the Peoria
Heights Invitational. The meet is held on the State Meet course and
has an outstanding field of 50 teams competing. The girl’s team,
competing without their #1 runner due to injury, still managed to
finish 10th overall. Once again, placing their runners close
together was the key. The Lady Irish placed 6 runners in a span of
36 seconds. Val Belcher led the way, and was closely followed by
Jennifer Storer, Libby Rogers, Alyssa Pitts, Caitlyn Schaeffer, and
Alexa Koziol. At full strength, the team may have had a top 5
finish. The boy’s team also managed a top 10 finish, by grabbing
that final 10th spot. Garrett Wasson showed once again that he can
challenge for All-State honors in November, as he finished 11th
overall. Just 40 seconds separated the next 5 Irish harriers, with
JP Moore, Aaron Trost, Ben Moss, Michael Breault, and Sam Ekhoff
piled into the finish chute one after the other. It was a good week
for the Irish against some of the state’s best.
The Irish now compete in the IHSA Regional at Beecher on Saturday.
ALL-AREA CHAMPS
GIRLS DEFEND TITLE; BOYS TEAM 2ND
The Lady Irish successfully defended their All-Area title on Thursday, against all odds. Running without their #2 runner and facing the state-ranked (8th) Beecher Bobcats and a resurgent Herscher team, the girls put on a clinic of team running to capture the title by 2 points. Sophomore Aimee Sims led the team once again, running with the eventual winner for a mile and a half, and then finishing strong with her best time of the year by a bunch. The Irish then started a long line of bright green jerseys, as they captured places 10-11-12-13-15. Libby Rogers, Val Belcher, Caitlin Schaefer, Alexa Koziol, and Jen Storer finished in that order to give the Lady Irish their 2 point victory. It was the girl’s 5th championship of the season to go along with victories at All-City, Paxton Invite, El Paso Invite, and Prairie Central Invite. Nice job, ladies!
The boy’s team also had their best day of the year, as they finished 2nd to the #5 ranked team in the state. Garrett Wasson caught and challenged the two leaders at the two mile mark before finishing 3rd with his best time of the season. Michael Breault also had a big personal best, as did JP Moore as they finished 9th and 11th. Aaron Trost, Sam Ekhoff, and Ben Moss then finished within 6 seconds of each other in places 16-19-20 to insure the runner-up finish. It was the boy’s best race of the season as they head into the biggest meets of the season.
Three Irish also placed in the top 5 in the Freshman-sophomore
races. Rachel Breault took the 4th place medal in the girl’s race,
while Josh Benoit (5th) and Caleb Wasson (8th) were medalists in the
boy’s race.
The Irish travel to Amboy on Monday for the biggest Class A meet in
the state (55 teams)
GIRLS CHAMPS AGAIN
WASSON, SIMS WIN INDIVIDUAL TITLES
The Lady Irish cross-country team just keeps on winning. On
Saturday, the girls won their 4th team championship of the year at
the Prairie Central Invitational. They took 5 of the top 9 places to
completely dominate the race. Sophomore Aimee Sims took command of
the race early and ran away with the individual title with a
personal best effort. Her teammates backed her up by taking places
5-6-7-9 to ice the win. Alyssa Pitts, Caitlin Schaeffer, Liz
Ostrowski, and Jennifer Storer did the honors, with Val Belcher
close behind in 11th. Alexa Koziol and Amanda O’Brien took the top
two places in the Open race, while Alexa Salkeld, Rachel Breault,
and Jordan Coash captured the medals for places 5-6-7 in the
Freshman-Sophomore race.
The boy’s team also had a great meet, bringing home the 2nd place
trophy to yet another state ranked team. Garrett Wasson pulled away
from the field in the second mile and never looked back, winning by
a wide margin in a personal best time. The Irish then put 4 runners
just 20 seconds apart to grab the runner-up spot. Michael Breault
led the quartet into the chute in 10th place, followed by teammate
JP Moore in 11th. Aaron Trost and Sam Ekhoff then finished the Irish
scoring a few seconds later in places 14 and 17. The
freshman-sophomore boys also captured the runner-up place as the
five scoring runners finished in 5 consecutive places – Josh Benoit
(12th), Chris Cluver (13th), Andrew Berens (14th), Sean Crowley
(15th), and Caleb Wasson (16th). The Irish also took the top two
places in the Open race, as Devin Deatherage and Mark Austin
finished first and second.
The Irish will host the All-Area Meet at KCC on Thursday; first race
starts at 4:30
Sep 30, 2008
LADY
IRISH WIN TITLE; BOYS SECOND
SIMS RUNS TO INDIVIDUAL TITLE
The Irish
cross-country team competed in the 15 team El Paso Invitational on
Tuesday and came home with a first and a second place trophy. The
8th ranked girls used a front runner and a tight pack of 5 to
capture the team championship. The boy’s followed the same formula
to finish 2nd in the boy’s field.
In the girl’s race, Aimee Sims took command of the race at the half
mile mark, and then fought off a late challenge to capture the
individual title. Her teammates ran the entire race together and
finished in places 13-14-15-16-18-21 to ensure the championship. In
order, they were Libby Rogers, Alyssa Pitts, Caitlin Schaeffer, Liz
Ostrowski, Jaclyn Lowman, and Jennifer Storer. This was the girl’s
3rd team championship this season, adding to titles that they won at
the Paxton Invitational and the All-City.
The boy’s also
had a race leader, as Garrett Wasson grabbed an early lead and
stretched it about 100 yards by the half way point. Late in the race
he was challenged by a runner from Olympia, and eventually settled
for second after a gutsy race. The Irish “pack” then took over as
the next 4 runners finished just 20 seconds apart. Michael Breault
(15th), Aaron Trost (17th), JP Moore (18th), and Sam Ekhoff (28th)
finished the scoring for the Irish and insured the runner-up trophy,
being beaten only by the #6 ranked team in the state.
In the open races, the Lady Irish took the first 6 places. Val
Belcher captured the individual title, and was followed into the
chute by Alexa Koziol, Rachel Breault, Amanda O’Brien, Alexa
Salkeld, and Jordan Coash.
The team will compete Saturday in the Prairie Central Invitational
LADY IRISH = 2 TROPHIES
GIRL’S
FS FIRST, VARSITY 2ND; BOYS FS SECOND, VARSITY 3RD WASSON, SIMS
FINISH 3RD IN GOOD FIELD
The Irish cross team competed in the 13 team Herscher Invitational on Saturday, taking a first, two seconds, and a third. The girl’s freshmen-sophomore team captured the championship trophy, placing all 5 scorers in the top 9. Frosh Caitlin Schaeffer and Liz Ostrowski led the way for the young Lady Irish, finishing 2nd and 3rd. Then Alexa Salkeld, Jordan Coash, and Rachel Breault finished 7-8-9 to seal the win. In the varsity race, the Irish placed 2nd to a very strong Beecher team. Aimee Sims finished 3rd overall in a very good field of runners, while teammate Alsyssa Pitts placed 11th. Seniors Libby Rogers and Jaclynn Lowman also had top 20 finishes, placing 15th and 17th overall.
The boy’s varsity squad finished 3rd in the meet as they continue to
struggle with various illnesses. Garrett Wasson had a great day. He
ran with the leaders (including the 5th place runner in the 2007
state meet) well past the 2 mile mark, and then held on for 3rd with
a season best time. Michael Breault placed 12th, while no other
Irish runner could crack the top 20. The FS boy’s team had just 5
runners, but made the most of it, placing 2nd overall as a team.
Josh Benoit and Sean Crowley led the young Irish, finishing 8th and
10th, with Chris Cluver (13th) and Andrew Berens (17th) next into
the chute.
THE TEAM COMPETES IN THE EL PASO INVITE ON TUESDAY, AND THEN TRAVELS TO PRAIRIE CENTRAL FOR ANOTHER INVITE ON SATURDAY
ALL-CITY CHAMPS X 2
BOYS WIN
11TH IN A ROW; GIRLS WIN 4TH IN A ROW
WASSON WINS INDIVIDUAL TITLE
The
Irish cross-country team put on a clinic of team running on Thursday
to win both the boy’s and girl’s All-City titles. The boy’s won
their 11th All-City crown in a row, while the girl’s added their 4th
in a row. Both races were close, and it took an all-out effort by
the entire team to claim victory.
In the boy’s race, Garrett Wasson led the charge, as he won the individual title. After running the first mile and a half with a Bradley harrier, Garrett easily pulled away and won by over 30 seconds. Teammate Michael Breault ran a great race to take 3rd. The Irish than grabbed 5 of 6 places between 6th and 11th to seal the win. Sam Ekhoff (6th), JP Moore (7th), Aaron Trost (9th), Jon Boudreau (10th), and Devin Deatherage (11th) all finished in front of the Boiler’s #4 runner to insure the victory.
The girl’s team also relied on a tight pack of runners to earn the victory. Sophomore Aimee Sims ran a courageous race up front to take the runner-up spot, and then watched as 6 teammates grabbed spots 5 thru 11. Alyssa Pitts captured the last medal in 5th, and was followed into the chute by Libby Rogers, Jennifer Storer, Liz Ostrowski, Caitlin Schaeffer, Alexa Koziol, and Val Belcher. That long green line of Irish gave the Lady Irish a 3 point victory. The girl’s team is currently ranked 7th in the state. On Saturday, the Irish will compete as the only Class A team in the Minooka Invitational
IRISH DOMINATE PAXTON INVITE
IRISH BRING HOME 3 TROPHIES FROM INVITE
The
Irish cross-country team competed in the 23-team Paxton Invitational
on Saturday, and came home with 2 first place trophies and a third.
The Lady Irish took home all of the hardware winning both the
varsity and JV races, while the varsity boys captured the 3rd place
trophy.
The boy’s team was led by senior
Garrett Wasson who ran in the lead pack for most of the race, and
hung on to place an outstanding 3rd behind two runners who place
13th and 27th in last year’s state finals. The Irish then packed
Michael Breault, Sam Ekhoff, and Aaron Trost in places 15-18-19,
with Ben Moss rounding out the top 5 in 28th place in the field of
100 runners.
The varsity girls were led by the 6-7 finish of Alyssa Pitts and
Aimee Sims, splashing through the puddles and mud to finish just 2
seconds apart. Libby Rogers followed in 18th place with sophomore
teammate Val Belcher just two places behind her. Jaclyn Lowman
fought off illness to take 26th place and assure the Irish of
victory. In doing so, the team defeated the #6 ranked Class A team.
In the JV race, freshman Caitlin Schaeffer finished an outstanding
5th to lead the young Irish to victory. Rachel Breault also cracked
the top 10 in 9th, with Alexa Salkeld just missing with her 11th
place finish. Jordan Coash (18th) and Ellen Rogers (35th) help seal
the team title.
The boy’s team was led by senior Garrett Wasson who ran in the lead
pack for most of the race, and hung on to place an outstanding 3rd
behind two runners who place 13th and 27th in last year’s state
finals. The Irish then packed Michael Breault, Sam Ekhoff, and Aaron
Trost in places 15-18-19, with Ben Moss rounding out the top 5 in
28th place in the field of 100 runners.
The boy’s JV team finished 4th, with the front 4 finishing just 16
seconds apart. Chris Cluver, Josh Benoit, Caleb Wasson, and Sean
Crowley finished 23-24-26-29. Andrew Berens finished their scoring
in 36th place.
The Irish host the All-City Meet on Thursday at KCC. First race is
at 4:30.
IRISH BEST OF AREA TEAMS AT CONDITIONER
The Irish
cross-country team opened their season in impressive fashion on
Wednesday at the 14-Team Irish Conditioner. The girl’s varsity team
placed 3rd and the boy’s team placed 4th to much larger schools. No
team from the Kankakee area beat either Irish team.
The boy’s team was lead by the 6th place finish of Garrett Wasson
and Michael Breault, both running personal best times. They were
backed up by JP Moore and Sam Ekhoff in 14th, and Aaron Trost and
Devin Deatherage in 21st, all of whom also ran the best times of
their careers.
The girl’s team bunched their 3 scoring pairs between 10th and 16th.
Libby Rogers and Aimee Sims grabbed the last pair of medals with
their 10th place finish, with teammates Alyssa Pitts and Jaclyn
Lowman finishing in the very next spot (11th). Val Belcher and Alexa
Koziol finished 16th to wrap up the Irish scoring. Jennifer Storer
and Amanda O’Brien captured the final pair of ribbons with their
20th place finish.
The girl’s freshman-sophomore team also placed 3rd, as Irish pairs
finished 2nd and 3rd in the race. Alexa Salkeld and Liz Ostrowski
took the runner-up spot, with freshmen Rachel Breault and Caitlin
Schaeffer right behind in 3rd. Jordan Coash and Ellen Rogers
completed the scoring for Irish, placing 17th overall. The boy’s F-S
team were led by the 19th and 20th placing of Josh Benoit/Caleb
Wasson and Sean Crowley/Chris Cluver. Mike Rosenow and his partner
placed 27th.
The Irish return to action in the 20 team Seneca Invitational on
Friday. Good Luck!!
2008 Cross Country Roster Announced
Boy's Roster Freshmen: Josh Benoit Sean Crowley Caleb Wasson Sophomores: Andrew Berens Chris Cluver Juniors: Mark Austin Michael Breault Sam Ekhoff Ben Moss Aaron Trost Seniors: Jonathan Boudreau Devin Deatherage JP Moore Garrett Wasson
For any questions, contact coach Ken Klipp by email (kcklipp@comcast.net) or phone 815-937-1958
2008 SCHEDULE & RESULTS
| Day | Date | Opponent | Location | Time/Result | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed | Sep 3 | Irish Conditioner | Small Park | 4:30 | |
| Fri | Sep 5 | Seneca | Away | 4:30 | |
| Sat | Sep 13 | Paxton Inv. | Away | 9:00 | |
| Thu | Sep 18 | All City | Home | 4:30 | |
| Sat | Sep 20 | Minooka Inv. | Away | 9:00 | |
| Sat | Sep 27 | Herscher Inv. | Away | 10:00 | |
| Tue | Sep 30 | El Paso Inv. | Away | 4:00 | |
| Sat | Oct 4 | Prairie Central | Away | 9:30 | |
| Thu | Oct 9 | All Area Kcc | Home | 4:00 | |
| Mon | Oct 13 | Amboy | Away | 10:00 | |
| Sat | Oct 18 | Peoria Hts. Inv. | Away | 1:00 | |
| Sat | Oct 25 | Regional | T.B.A | T.B.A |
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