Lady Irish 2009-10 Season Begins
Lady Irish Athletics is please to announce the start of the 2009-2010 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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Welcome to Bishop McNamara Girls Cross Country
KEN
KLIPP - Head Coach Ken Klipp
would like to welcome you to the Bishop McNamara Catholic H.S.
Girls Cross Country. Bishop McNamara Cross Country has a long
history of providing quality cross country athletes to compete
throughout the State of Illinois. The program has built with a
combination of leadership and great student athletes. That strong
tradition will continue this year as the 2008-2009 cross country
season beings.
Check back here for updates of on our season and check below for upcoming events and a tradition of winning.
GIRLS SUPER AT PEORIA!
TEAM 3RD, SIMS 2ND
The Lady Irish cross-country team brought home the 3rd place trophy
from the 51 team Peoria Heights Invitational on Saturday. Although
the #2 and #4 ranked teams in the state beat the Irish, the team,
rated 18th in the state, defeated the #10 and #11 ranked teams with
one of their best races of the season. Junior Aimee Sims ran another
great race, storming home down the last straight-a-way to take
second place overall, just one second back from the winner. Freshman
Hannah Crowley continued to impress, as she grabbed the 23rd place
medal in a loaded field. Fellow freshman Ashley Oosterhouse was
43rd, Alexa Koziol was 54th, and Caitlin Schaeffer was 75th to give
the Irish the bronze. Jordan Coash (81) and Rachel Breault (97)
completed the Irish scoring.
The boys team had some strong individual efforts while finishing 13th in the field of 51. Aaron Trost ran his best time of the year (16:30) to finish 37th overall. Skylre Bothwell improved his personal best by a minute to place 69th. Freshman Mitchell O’Brien and Sophomore Sean Crowley also ran big PR’s to round out the Irish scoring.
In the JV races, Josh Benoit took the 16th place medal by improving his personal best by over a minute. In the girl’s JV race, Samantha Berens had the race of the day – a personal best by a whopping 1:24 – to take home the 14th place medal.
The Irish will now compete in the IHSA
Regional at Beecher next Saturday.
LADY IRISH 9TH AT AMBOY
SIMS 3RD IN GREAT FIELD
The Irish cross-country team traveled across the state on Columbus Day to compete in the biggest Class A meet in the state. The meet included 48 teams, including many state ranked teams, as well as state ranked individuals.
The Lady Irish ran particularly well, placing 9th out of the 48 schools, despite running without one of their top 5 runners. Aimee Sims led the way, finishing 3rd in an outstanding field of over 250 runners. Aimee led the lead pack most of the way, before settling for 3rd in the final straight. Freshman Hannah Crowley continued to impress, finishing 36th. Fellow frosh Ashley Oosterhouse placed 62nd with teammate Alexa Koziol close behind in 76th. Rachel Breault (132) and Jordan Coash (136) completed the Irish effort.
The varsity boys did not field a complete team, but got a great individual effort from Aaron Trost, as he finished 35th overall. The freshman-sophomore boys team had a solid showing, finishing 6th in the large field. Freshman Mitchell O'Brien led the way with his 25th place finish, followed closely by Caleb Wasson in 31. Sean Crowley and Josh Benoit finished together in 41st and 42nd, while Cody Trost finished the Irish scoring in 59th place.
The Irish travel to Peoria on Saturday to compete on the State Meet course at the 40 team Peoria Heights Invitational.
ALL-AREA CHAMPIONS!
LADY IRISH DEFEND TITLE; SIMS WINS
The girl's cross-country team is the class of the area. On Thursday,
the Lady Irish successfully defended their All-Area title from a
year ago, scoring just 17 points to win it (15 pts is a perfect
score). The team placed all 5 scorers in the top 11 to completely
dominate the meet.
Individually, Aimee Sims was the story as she avenged her All-City loss to Sarah Higgins from Bradley. Aimee ran right on Higgins heels throughout the race, and used a devastating kick to win by 10 seconds in a new personal best time under very tough conditions. Two freshmen were next into the chute, with Hannah Crowley (4th) and Ashley Oosterhouse (6th) cracking the top 6. Senior Alexa Koziol grabbed the final medal in 10th with sophomore teammate Caitlin Schaeffer next in 11th. Rachel Breault ran a personal best in 15th with classmate Jordan Coach close behind in 18th. The 20th-ranked girls add the All-Area title to the All-City championship from earlier in the season. In a few weeks they will try for the trifecta by going after the IHSA Regional crown.
On the boy's side, Aaron Trost ran 17:00 in the rain to take the 8th place medal with teammates Skylar Bothwell and Michael Breault next in 16th and 17th. The freshman sophomore team took second place by placing 4 runners together in places 5 thru 8. Sean Crowley led the young Irish in 5th with teammates Mitchell O'Brien, Josh Benoit, and Caleb Wasson close behind. Cody Trost wrapped up the Irish scoring in 15th with Bailey Wedig in 18th.
Samantha Berens captured the 8th place medal
in the girl's FS race with teammate Ellen Rogers in 15th.
The Irish travel to Amboy on Monday for the 55-team Amboy
Invitational
SIMS WINS; GIRLS TROPHY
IRISH RUN “EUROPEAN” STYLE AT EL PASO
Up hills, through creeks, over hay bales and steeple chase barriers,
and through a vineyard – all of these were part of the course at the
18-team El Paso Invitational on Tuesday. It is called
“European-style” cross-country, and the Irish responded well to the
unusual conditions. Aimee Sims ran to her 3rd Invitational title in
a row, and the girl’s team brought home the 3rd place trophy.
The Lady Irish finished behind the #3 and #5 ranked teams in Class A. Aimee took the lead early in the race and then ran away from the field, winning by 24 seconds over the #4 and #6 ranked runners in Class A. Freshman Hannah Crowley placed 17th in the outstanding field, with sophomore teammate Caitlin Schaeffer close behind in 21st. Ashley Oosterhouse (28) and Alexa Koziol (31) finished the Irish scoring. The girl’s team is ranked 18th in this week’s team rankings.
The varsity boys, despite having a couple of runners missing, managed a top 10 finish in a good field of teams. Aaron Trost had the highest finish for the Irish in 23rd place.
The younger Irish finished 2nd in the Open
race. Freshman Mithchell O’Brien finished 5th in the field of 98
runners to lead the Irish to their runner-up finish. Caleb Wasson
and Sean Crowley placed 10th and 11th, with Josh Benoit close behind
in 14th. Cody Trost finished the scoring for Irish in 24th place.
On Saturday, the Irish will travel to Prairie Central for another
multi-team Invitational
IRISH CHAMPS AT HERSCHER
LADY IRISH, SIMS WIN TITLES; FS BOYS CHAMPS
The girl's cross-country team made it 3 team championships in a row, as they dominated the field at the Herscher Invitational on Saturday. They have won the All-City, Illiana, and Herscher titles in the last 10 days. Aimee Sims won her second individual championship in a row, as she beat the second place runner by over a minute. The Lady Irish then took 6 of the next 11 places to run away with the title. Freshmen Hannah Crowley and Ashley Oosterhouse, and sophomore Caitlin Schaeffer ran together for most of the race and finished in 4-5-6, with senior Alexa Koziol one place back in 8th to seal the win. Sophomores Jordan Coash and Rachel Breault grabbed medals in places 10 and 12 to complete the domination.
The FS boy's team were also impressive in their victory, as they
took 4 of the top 8 places. Sean Crowley led the Irish charge with
his runner-up finish, with teammate Josh Benoit right on his heels.
Caleb Wasson, who led the first mile of the race, held on for 7th,
while freshman Cody Trost used a blistering kick to move up 3 places
into 8th in the last 50 yards. Bailey Wedig finished the Irish
scoring in 12th, with Korey Decker in 24th.
The varsity boys ran well in a loaded field that featured the #1 team in the state. Aaron Trost led the Irish with a personal best time, as he finished 13th. Ben Moss also ran a PB to take 19th, with Michael Breault (23), Mitchell O'Brien (30) and Skylre Bothwell (34) completed the Irish scoring.
The Irish compete twice this week. They
travel to El Paso for a European-style meet on Tuesday, and then
travel to Prairie Central for an Invitational meet on Saturday.
GIRLS IC INVITE CHAMPIONS ... SIMS WINS INDIVIDUAL TITLE
The cross-country traveled to Illiana Christian on Saturday, and
came home with two trophies, including a championship trophy. The
varsity girls, running just two upper classmen, won their 2nd title
in 3 days, adding the invite championship to their All-City title
from Thursday. The FS boys also brought home a trophy as they
finished 2nd.
In the girl's race, Aimee Sims led the way
once again, as she won the individual championship as well. Aimee
ran neck-and-neck with a Chicago Christian runner through the race,
pulling away in the final 300 meters to win in a season-best time.
The freshmen duo of Ashley Oosterhouse and Hannah Crowley were next
finishing in 8th and 9th with identical times. Caitlin Schaeffer
(18th) and Alexa Koziol
(21) sealed the 4 point win for the Lady Irish.
In the boy's varsity race, Aaron Trost continued his outstanding year, as he raced to 5th place overall in a very good field of AA runners. Michael Breault (20), Mitchell O'Brien (26 in his first varsity race), Skylre Bothwell (31), and Ben Moss (32) completed the Irish scoring. The FS boys put 3 runners in the top 10 to secure their second place trophy. Josh Benoit finished an outstanding 4th, while Caleb Wasson and Sean Crowley finished with identical times in 6th and 7th. Cody Trost (13) and Bailey Wedig (22) finished the Irish scoring.
This Saturday, the Irish travel to Limestone Park to run in the
Herscher Invitational. The first race begins at 10:00 AM. Come on
out and become an Irish cross-country groupie.
Directions to Illiana Christian Invitational on Saturday, September 19
The meet is held at North Creek Meadow Forest Preserve just south of Lansing, IL. The only directions we have are these: From I-80/94 take the Torrence Avenue exit south about 2.5 miles to the Glenwood-Lansing Road. Turn west and go about a quarter mile to the park entrance on the right side. The first race (FS Girls) is at 9:00 AM.
ALL-CITY CHAMPIONS! (AGAIN)
BOYS: 12 IN A ROW
GIRLS: 5 IN A ROW
SIMS AND TROST 2ND
The Fightn' Irish ran their best race of the season on Thursday at the new Perry Farm course to capture both the boy's and girl's All-City titles. It was the boy's 12th title in a row, and the girls 5th. The Irish had a great TEAM effort to pull it off.
In the girl's race, the team used all 8 of their runners to claim the title by a single point. Aimee Sims led the way with her runner-up finish. After Bradley took the next two places, the Irish grabbed the next 4 spots. Freshmen Hannah Crowley and Ashley Oosterhouse placed 5th and 6th, followed by Alexa Koziol and Caitlin Schaeffer. Rachel Breault (10th), Jordan Coash (11th), and Samantha Berens (12th) finished ahead of Bradley's 5th runner to seal the victory.
The boy's dominated their race, taking 8 of
the top 10 places. Aaron Trost and Ben Moss finished 2nd and 3rd to
lead the Irish. Michael Breault (5th) then led a long green line of
Irish, taking places 5 thru 10. In order: Breault, Mitchell O'Brien
(6th), Skylre Bothwell (7th), Josh Benoit (8th), Caleb Wasson (9th),
and Sean Crowley (10th). Cody Trost (14th), Michael Hodak (19th),
Andrew Berens (20th), Kory Decker (25th), and Bailey Wedig (26th)
rounded out the All-City Champions. Congratulations to all on a
great accomplishment.
The All-City Champs travel to Illiana Christian on Saturday for a
10-Team Invitational
DOUBLE TROPHIES AGAIN
FS TEAMS 1ST AND 3RD
SIMS RUNNER-UP; TROST 8TH
At the Paxton Invitational on Saturday, the younger Irish harriers
stole the spotlight once again, bringing home two trophies. The FS
girl’s team dominated their race, while the FS boys used a tight
pack to earn the 3rd place trophy.
In the girl’s race, the Lady Irish grabbed 5 of the top 7 places to completely dominate the race. Ashley Oosterhouse held off fellow freshman Hannah Crowley by 1 second to win the individual title, with sophomores Caitlin Schaeffer, Jordan Coash, and Rachel Breault finishing close behind in 4th-5th-7th to seal the win. The boy’s FS team ran together throughout their race, and all 5 runners finished within a seven second time spread. Mitchell O’Brien, Josh Benoit, Caleb Wasson, Sean Crowley, and Cody Trost took places 11 through 15 to earn the 3rd place trophy.
The varsity
runners also had some impressive performances. Aimee Sims led the
race from the get-go, stretching her lead to as much as 40 yards,
before settling for 2nd behind an All-State runner from St. Joe.
Aaron Trost eased out of starting box, falling to about 30th place
at the mile, but then he stormed back through the field to take the
8th place medal in a season best time.
The Irish will host the All-City Meet at the Perry Farm on Thursday
at 4:30. The boy’s team will be going for their 12th All-City title
in a row, while the girl’s team will be trying for their 5th in a
row.
YOUNG IRISH SHINE AT SENECA
BOTH FS TEAMS EARN TROPHIES; SIMS 3RD
The Irish cross team competed in the 20-team Seneca Invitational on Friday, and came home with two team trophies and a number of individual medals.
The freshman-sophomore squads grabbed the spotlight, as both teams earned trophies, one of them the first-place award. The girl’s squad placed 5 runners in the top 10 (4 in the top 6) to dominate the meet and bring home the championship trophy. Caitlin Schaeffer and Ashley Oosterhouse finished 2nd and 3rd to lead the Lady Irish, with another pair of teammates, Hannah Crowley and Jordan Coash, close behind in 5th and 6th. Rachel Breault grabbed the 10th place medal to round out the Irish scoring.
The FS boy’s also picked up a trophy with their 4th place finish against a number of much larger schools. As in the girl’s race, a closely packed group of runners was the key. Caleb Wasson and Sean Crowley took the last two medals at places 14 and 15. Three teammates then finished close together to insure the trophy – Josh Benoit (21st), Mitchell O’Brien (24th), and Cody Trost (26th).
Aimee Sims and Alexa Koziol competed in a very good varsity girl’s field. Aimee ran with the lead pack through the first mile, and then held on to earn the 3rd place medal, running over 2 minutes faster than her last Seneca Invite. Alexa improved a whopping 1:30 over her previous Seneca-best, and placed 33rd out of 125 runners.
Aaron Trost, Ben
Moss, and Michael Breault ran together through the first mile to
pace the varsity boy’s effort. Aaron finished 18th, with Ben next in
29th, and Michael in 38th in the field of 125 runners.
Next Up: The Paxton Invitational on Saturday, September 12
SEASON PREVIEW
The 2009 Irish Cross-Country team hopes to continue the winning Irish tradition. Last year, the Irish added 16 trophies to the trophy case, including both All-City Titles, the girl’s All-Area title, and the boy’s IHSA Regional title. Two Irish runners (Garrett Wasson and Aimee Sims) also qualified for the State finals. Both teams return a number of key members of the 2008 squad.
State qualifier Aimee Sims is back to lead the Lady Irish after a stellar track season where she earned a medal in the state 800 meter run. She will be joined by seniors Alyssa Pitts and Alexa Koziol to give the team a strong leadership nucleus. A quartet of sophomores also return for Irish. Caitlin Schaeffer earned varsity letter last year, and should be much improved with another year of training. Rachel Breault, Jordan Coash, and Ellen Rogers also return to give the Irish a strong underclass group. They will be joined by a number of in-coming freshmen, including last year’s classic champion Ashley Oosterhouse, as well as Hannah Crowley and Samantha Berens.
The boy’s team lost state qualifier Garrett Wasson to graduation, but return three members of the Regional Championship team. Michael Breault finished a strong 6th at the Regional behind Garrett and 4 All-State runners, so he should be the man to beat for the Irish. Fellow seniors Aaron Trost, Ben Moss, and Mark Austin also return, giving the Irish a very strong group up front. After that the Irish will be counting on help from last year’s freshmen-sophomore team. Juniors Andy Berens and Mike Rosenow will vie for the remaining varsity spots. They will be challenged by a talented sophomore class that includes Josh Benoit, Sean Crowley, Caleb Wasson, and newcomer Kory Decker. Add in last year’s Irish Classic champion Mitchell O’Brien and fellow freshmen Cody Trost and Bailey Wedig, and the Irish should once again be among the best in the area and the state.
THE TEAM GLADLY WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS. ANYONE INTERESTED IN JOINING THE CROSS-COUNTRY TEAM SHOULD SEE COACH KLIPP OR A TEAM MEMBER.
IRISH OPEN SEASON
MOSS/TROST, KOZIOL SIMS LEAD IRISH
The Irish cross-country team opened their season by hosting the 14-team Irish Conditioner on Wednesday at Small Park. The freshman-sophomore teams both placed high, while the varsity effort was highlighted by individual places.
Alexa Koziol and Aimee Sims teamed up as the lone Irish pair in the varsity race, and ran very well. They placed 7th in a loaded field that saw all 6 pairs in front of them from Class 3A schools with enrollments of about 3000. In the boy’s varsity race, Ben Moss and Aaron Trost led the Irish effort with their 9th place finish, as both ran personal best times for the 6 mile, alternate relay race. Michael Breault and Andrew Berens finished 27th. Ben, Aaron, and Michael all ran between 16:14 and 16:40 for their 3 mile segments, showing great balance up front for the Irish.
On the Freshman-Sophomore levels, the Irish showed they have a very good young team. The girl’s team finished 3rd in the 14 team field, while the boy’s took 4th. The girl’s placed 2 pairs in the top 5. Freshman Ashley Oosterhouse and Soph Caitlin Schaefer took 3rd place, with sophomores Rachel Breault and Jordan Coash close behind in 5th. In the boy’s race, Irish pairs finished just 2 seconds apart in places 9 and 10 to grab the final medals in the race, with Josh Benoit and Caleb Wasson just edging teammates Mitchell O’Brien and Sean Crowley.
THE IRISH WILL COMPETE IN THE 15 TEAM SENECA INVITATIONAL ON FRIDAY
2009 Cross Country Roster
| First | Last Name | Class |
| Mark | Austin | Senior |
| Joshua | Benoit | Sophomore |
| Andrew | Berens | Junior |
| Samantha | Berens | Freshman |
| Sklylar | Bothwell | Junior |
| Michael | Breault | Senior |
| Rachel | Breault | Sophomore |
| Jordan | Coash | Sophomore |
| Hannah | Crowley | Freshman |
| Sean | Crowley | Sophomore |
| Korey | Decker | Sophomore |
| Alexa | Koziol | Senior |
| Michael | Hodak | Senior |
| Samuel | Memenga | Junior |
| Ben | Moss | Senior |
| Mitchell | O'Brien | Freshman |
| Ashley | Oosterhouse | Freshman |
| Elizabeth | Ostrowski | Sophomore |
| Alyssa | Pitts | Senior |
| Ellen | Rogers | Sophomore |
| Michael | Rosenow | Junior |
| Caitlin | Schaeffer | Sophomore |
| Aimee | Sims | Junior |
| Aaron | Trost | Senior |
| Cody | Trost | Freshman |
| Caleb | Wasson | Sophomore |
| Bailey | Wedig | Freshman |
PRACTICE
BEGINS WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12TH
The cross-country team begins practice on Wednesday, August 12, at 7:30 AM at Mac. Anyone participating must have a physical exam on file at the school. The first week of practice is called Camp Mac, and includes practices, canoeing, bicycling, going to the Dunes, and other activities. For more information, contact coach Ken Klipp via email (kcklipp@comcast.net) or phone 815-937-1958.
