Welcome To Girls Track and Field

Welcome to Bishop McNamara Girls Track and Field

Welcome to the Girls 2009 Track and Field page. We will be updating the page as the season approaches with helpful information on highlights schedules, and results. Please check back here for more information.

GO IRISH!

RYAN AND SIMS MEDAL AT STATE
WASSON, CYRIER, AND MITCHELL QUALIFY FOR STATE

GIRL'S RESULTS
The Lady Irish ended a great season in fine fashion at the State Meet. On Thursday during the prelims the 4 x 800 team of Jenessa Franco, Jaclyn Lowman, Libby Rogers, and Aimee Sims ran a great race in a time of 10:12.68 to break the school record that stood for 14 years. Katie Ryan then took the track in the 100 m hurdles and qualified for the finals with a time of 16.14 seconds and came back on Saturday to place 7th over all with a new school record of 15.85 seconds. Aimee Sims came on the track to run the 800 m run and also qualified for Saturdays finals and she finished in 6th place with a time of 2:19.93 and a personal best. Katie took the track again in the 300 m hurdles and ran her best time of the season but failed to qualify for finals but had the 10th best time in the event. The 4 x 400 was the last event on the track and this race was run by Caitlyn Schaefer, Trisha Powell, Katie Ryan, and Aimee Sims. They ran a time of 4:18.03 in a very competitive field and broke the JV school record in this event.

The lady Irish had an awesome season and are now looking forward to a great season next year as well.

BOY'S RESULTS

The boy’s track team will send 3 seniors to this weekend’s IHSA State Track Meet. They qualified for the state meet at last Friday’s Seneca Sectional.

Garrett Wasson got the night started in the 3200 meter run. Garrett took the lead early on in the race and won going away in 10:08, earning him a place in Saturday’s finals.

Matt Cyrier used different tactics to win the 800 meter run. Matt stayed just off the leader’s shoulder until the final 150 meters, where he unleashed his final kick to win the race over two higher ranked opponents.
Kamerin Mitchell returned to the long jump pit after a 3 week injury absence, jumping a personal best 21’ 8 ¾” to place 3rd and earn his trip to Charleston.

Matt and Kam will compete in prelims on Thursday at Eastern Illinois University, hoping to qualify for the finals. Garrett will run in the finals on Saturday morning. BOYS CLAIM 3 TITLES AT RELAYS GIRLS TAKE 2ND

LADY IRISH WIN SENECA SECTIONAL

The Lady Irish captured first place at the Senece Sectionals on Saturday. A great team effort brought the trophy home for the girls. The 4 x 800 team of Jenessa Franco, Jaclyn Lowman, Libby Rogers and Aimee Sims took first place and qualified for state. The 4 x 100 scored points by placing 3rd, Katie Ryan won the 100 hurdles for a trip to state while Alexis Payne scored by taking 5th in the 100m. Aimee Sims won the 800 m for a second trip to state, with Libby Rogers placing 4th to add to the score, followed by the 4 x 200 placing 6th to score. Katie Ryan won the 300 hurdles to compete at State with Jenessa Franco adding points by placing 4th in the mile. Freshman Caitlin Schaeffer placed 4th in the 3200 m run scoring again for the Irish. In a very exciting final event on the track the 4 x 400 placed first with another trip to State. In the field events Alena Benoit placed 4th in the Shot Put and Tricia Powell took 6th in the Long Jump. What a GREAT DAY FOR THE IRISH. The 4 x 800, 4 x 400, the 800m run, 100m hurdles and the 300m hurdle participants will travel to Charleston to compete in the prelims on Thursday and Finals will be held on Saturday.

BOYS CLAIM 3 TITLES AT RELAYS GIRLS TAKE 2ND

WASSON, RELAY TEAM DOMINATE
The boy’s track team won 3 championships at the Irish Relays on Saturday, and made it look easy.
Garrett Wasson started the meet for the Irish with a bang, running away from the field in the “metric mile” (1600 meter run). Garrett led from wire to wire, pulling away from everyone in the 3rd lap to win the race by over 10 seconds. His time of 3:37 was 10 seconds better than his previous best this season.

The foursome of Steve Shomali, Kamerin Mitchell, Delano Samuels, and Matt Cyrier put an exclamation point on the Irish effort, winning the final two events of the day. The Irish got great races from Delano, Kam, and Steve, and that allowed Matt to “cruise” home with an easy victory over the rest of the field. The same group then came back a few minutes later to win the prestigious Ryan Beaupre Memorial 1600 meter relay. The Irish lowered their previous best in the event by almost 6 seconds as they left the rest of the teams in the dust. That same foursome also ran a season best time to finish 3rd in the 400 meter relay earlier in the meet, and Delano made it four medals on the day by taking 3rd in the triple jump with his best jump of the year.

The boy’s team travels to the 15 team Dwight Invitational on Tuesday

The Lady Irish closed out their regular season at the Irish Relays with a second place finish. Katie Ryan won the 100m hurdles and anchored the winning shuttle hurdle relay team. The 4 x 100, 4 x 200, and the sprint medley all placed 3rd while the 4 x 400 and the 4 x 800 took second. Aly Regas and Tricia Powell placed 2nd in the triple and long jump and Alena Benoit took 2nd in the shot put. The girls end their very successful regular season in great shape. Their second season begins this Friday as they travel to Seneca for the Sectional with hopes of qualifying several girls for the State Meet in Charleston

IRISH GIRLS WIN HERSCHER INVITATIONAL

The lady Irish track team captured 1st place in the 14 team Herscher Invitational. The 4 x 800 took 1st place along with Aimee Sims placing 1st in the 800m. Katie Ryan placed 2nd in both the 100m and 300m hurdles. The 4 x 100 placed 5th, while Alena Benoit took 2nd in the Shot and 6th in Discus. Aly Regas placed 3rd in the Triple Jump and got help in the scoring from Libby Rogers with a 4th in the 800m and Jaclyn Lowman with a 5th in the 300m hurdles. The last event on the track proved to be the most exciting to watch. The Irish were up by 3 ½ points going into the final event facing a tough team from Reed Custer and Dwight. The girls needed to place just behind Reed Custer to hold onto the victory. It was in the final stretch that the three teams battled and the girls finished just .24 seconds behind Reed Custer.

GIRLS 2ND, BOYS 4TH AT ALL-AREA MEET

The Irish track teams competed in the All-Area Meet at Manteno on Friday night with great results. The Lady Irish grabbed the 2nd place trophy with an outstanding team effort. The boy's team, still fighting injuries, managed to place 4th with some solid individual performances.

BOYS RESULTS: CYRIER LEADS IRISH WITH 400 WIN
The boy’s track team finished 4th overall at the All-Area Track Meet at Manteno on Friday. The team is still not at full strength as they combat injuries to key individuals, but still managed to compete well as a team, while producing some solid individual performances.
Matt Cyrier was the Irish leader on Friday, as he placed in 3 different events. Minutes after placing a close 2nd in the 800 meter run, Matt stormed home first in the 400 meter dash to give the Irish their only champion on the night. Matt also ran a leg on the 4th place 400 relay team. That team also included Steve Shomali, Delano Samuels, and Kamerin Mitchell. Earlier Kam had taken 2nd place in the long jump, and Steve came back later in the meet to finish 3rd in the 400 meter dash. Garrett Wasson finished 2nd in the 3200 meter run, and Theo Bradley took 5th place in the triple jump to finish the Irish scoring.

GIRLS RESULTS:
Solid performances were turned in by the entire girls team on Friday night. The 4 x 800 team of Jenessa Franco, Jaclyn Lowman, Libby Rogers, and Aimee Sims won their event. The 4 x 100 team of Kayla Palmateer, Aly Regas, Katie Ryan and Alexis Payne finished 2nd to an impressive Kankakee team. Aimee edged out Sarah Higgins from BB to win the 800 m run. Katie Ryan won both the 100m hurdles and the 300m hurdles and was a member of the 4 x 100 and the 4 x 400 team. The 4 x 400 relay placed 3rd, Alexis placed 5th in the 100m, Libby Rogers placed 6th in the 800, and Jaclyn Lowman placed 4th in the 300 hurdles. In the field events Alena Benoit had a PR and placed 4th in the Shot at 32 feet. Aly Regas placed 4th in both the long and triple jump and was on the 4 x 100. Claire Milton placed 5th in the triple jump and Tricia Powell placed 6th in the long jump and was on the 3rd place 4 x 400 team.
The girls are competing well and seeing great success this year and are training for a good showing at Sectionals.

This week, the younger Irish will compete in the Watseka Freshman-Sophomore Invitational on Tuesday, and the entire team will take part in the Herscher Invitational on Friday.

GREAT WEEKEND FOR IRISH TRACK!

STATE INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS - CYRIER STATE CHAMPION!

The Irish track team was awesome at the Indoor State Championship on Friday. Led by state champion Matt Cyrier, every member of the Irish contingent won a state medal by finishing in the top 8 state-wide, all with personal-best performances.

In the 800 meter run, Matt took an early lead, was passed midway through the race, and then roared home to an easy victory, posting his best-ever indoor 800 at 2:01. Matt became a double medalist later on, as he came back to place 5th overall in the 400 meter dash with another personal best.

Kamerin Mitchell placed 4th in the long jump with a season best 21’ 2” to earn his medal. For the Lady Irish, Katie Ryan improved her time dramatically in the 55 Meter High Hurdles, skimming the barriers in 9.09 seconds to bring home the 6th place medal.

Teammate Aimee Sims won her section of the 800 Meter Run, winning the 8th place medal overall with a personal best 2:28. She then came back to finish 11th in the 400 meter dash.
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF THE IRISH MEDALISTS

IRISH GIRLS WIN COMET CLASSIC

It was a great day for the Irish Girls Track Team on Saturday. The Girls scored 96 points to win the 8 team event and brought home a nice trophy.

Tricia Powell placed 4th in the long jump, Claire Milton placed 4th in the triple jump, Daisha Aiken and Angela Williams took 2nd and 3rd in the Shot. Caitlin Schaeffer and Rachael Breault placed 3rd and 4th in the 3200 m, while Katie Ryan won the 55 meter hurdles and Jaclyn Lowman place 6th. In the 55 meter dash Alexis Payne took 2nd and Kalya Palmateer placed 6th. Aimee Sims won the 800 meter run and Libby Rogers placed 3rd. In the 1600meter run Jenessa Franco took 3rd and Alyssa Pitts came in 5th. The 4x200 relay placed 4th and the 4x800 and the 4 x 400 both won. Keep an eye on the Irish, they are sure to be the team to watch. They will run again on Thursday against Bradley and Herscher at Herscher at 4:00

BOYS FINISH SECOND AT REED-CUSTER INVITATIONAL
MITCHELL TRIPLE WINNER FOR IRISH

The boy’s track team grabbed the runner-up trophy in the 8 team Comet Invitational at Reed-Custer on Saturday. The team defeated every area school, while finishing behind Westmont. The Irish won 4 events, while placing 2nd in two others.

Kamerin Mitchell led the way for the Irish as he took part in 3 first place finishes. Individually, Kam won his specialty, the long jump, and then stormed to victory in the 55 meter dash. He finished off his day by running a leg on the victorious 4 x 400 meter relay. Joining him on that relay were double winner Matt Cyrier, and teammates Steve Shomali and Jameel High. Matt had earlier won the open 400, with Steve finishing in second place in the same event. Jameel had earlier earned team points by finishing 6th in both the 55 meter dash and the long jump.

The other Irish victory belonged to distance ace Garret Wasson, who successfully defended his title in the 3200 meter run. Garrett ran away from the field to win in a personal best 10:19. He then came back in the 1600 meter run to finish second with a fine 4:52.

The Irish are back in action on Tuesday at BBCHS vs Bradley and Herscher

Track Preview Girls and boys

GIRLS TRACK PREVIEW

The Irish Girls team promises to be exciting to watch this year. The relays should prove to be the most exciting to be a part of. The 4 x 800 qualified last year for State and hopes are high to repeat and also make the finals. Members of the relay to watch will be Amiee Sims, Jenessa Franco, Libby Rogers, Jaclyn Lowman, Alyssa Pitts and Freshman Caitlin Schaefer. The 4x100 also qualified last year and are looking for an even better finish this year, people to watch in that event include Alexis Payne, Katie Ryan,Kayla Palmateer,

Megan Palmateer, Abby Young and Stephanie Tyson. The 4x200 is hoping to improve this year and are working very hard to join their teammates in Charleston. Those members to watch are Jamie Anderson, Megan Palmateer, new comer Trisha Powell and Abby Young. The 4 x 400 are looking for that trip to State as well. Members of that relay to watch are Katie Ryan, Alexis Payne, Amiee Sims and Jenessa Franco. The hurdle events will include veteran Jaclyn Lowman and Katie Ryan. Jaclyn is excited to try to attain the school record in the 300 hurdles and Katie will be running in the indoor State Meet and promises to be competitive in the 55 hurdles indoors and both outdoor events. Amiee Sims will be very competitive in individual events as well. She will compete in the 800m and 400m at the indoor State Meet and should also perform well in those events outdoors . Several newcomers will help improve the throwing events this year. Daisha Aiken and Molly O’Connor return from a successful season to be joined by Olivia Leonard, Ke-Asha Jones, Alena Benoit and Angela Williams. New Sophomore to join the team is Tatiana Kuydendall . Several Freshman will help fill in many open spots on the team including Rachael Breault, Danielle Mazur, Cecylin Mora, Claire Milton along and Angeline Zinnani.

BOY'S PREVIEW

The boy’s track team returns as the defending IHSA Sectional Champions. Last year the Irish sent 13 athletes to the State Finals. Although graduation has taken its toll, a number of quality athletes return, as well as a number of talented newcomers. Here is a sneak peak.

Returning to lead the Irish are state qualifiers Matt Cyrier, Steve Shomali, Kamerin Mitchell, and Garrett Wasson. The first trio will lead the sprint/jump group. Matt currently has the #1 ranked time indoors in the 400 and the #3 ranked time in the 800. Matt medaled at State last spring, getting the 5th place medal in the 4 x 400 relay. Also back from that relay are Kamerin Mitchell and Steve Shomali. Kam is currently ranked 3rd in the state in the Long Jump. Joining them in the sprint crew are newcomers Jameel High, Ray Glower, Michael Simmons, Theo Bradley, Korey Decker, Ed Dorsey, Travis Grant, Delano Samuels, and Pete Sinise. If this group can produce some jumpers and hurdlers to go with their sprint talent, the Irish will be in good shape.
The distance crew will be led by Garrett Wasson, who qualified for state as a member of the 4 x 800 relay last spring, while also qualifying for state in cross-country last fall. A number of last fall’s very successful cross-country team will join Garrett this spring. Fellow seniors Devin Deatherage and JP Moore will also help lead this group. Juniors Mark Austin, Ben Moss, and Aaron Trost , and freshmen Sean Crowley, Chance Vollmer, and Caleb Wasson will give the Irish depth in the distances, always a strong area for the Irish track team.
The weights will be anchored by lone returnee Pat Norton. Pat threw the discus around 120’ last year and is looking to improve on that. He is joined by newcomers James Witvoet, Justin Crawford, and Sean Dwyer. Although they are new to the events, all should be major contributors to the Irish team scores.

IRISH OPEN SEASON AT ISU

The Irish boy's and girl's track team opened their 2009 season indoors at the Illinois State University Invitational on Saturday. Six athletes competed for the Irish in the field of 20 teams, most of them Class AA.
Matt Cyrier began his senior campaign with a bang with a first and a second. Matt led the 800 meter dash for almost 700 meters before finishing 2nd to a Galesburg runner, posting a fine 2:04 clocking. Matt then came back to win the 400 meter dash in an outstanding time of 52.76. Both times should get him high seeds in the indoor state meet later this month. Kamerin Mitchell also had a good day for the Irish, finishing 3rd in the long jump with a leap of 21', and then running a strong 55 seconds in the 400. Garrett Wasson ran 4:48 in the 1600, while teammate Ben Moss clocked a 5:12.

For the girls, Aimee Sims had a banner day, running 2:30 in the 800 meters (5th), and 63.43 in the 400 meters (6th). Both times should qualify her for the indoor state finals. Katie Ryan ran a strong prelim race in the 55 meter high hurdles, but then hit a hurdle in the finals to finish in 10th place.

The entire Irish team opens the season indoors at Reed-Custer on Tuesday, March 24.

The following athletes have qualified to run in the Indoor State Meet at Illinois Weselyn on Friday March 27,2009:

Matt Cyrier in both of his events
Kamerin Mitchell in the Long Jump
Amiee Simms in both of her events
Katie Ryan in the 55 m hurdles

2009 Schedule/Results

Day	Date	Opponent	Location	Time/Result
Tue	Mar 24	Reed Custer Indoor Meet	Away	4:00 p.m.
Thu	Mar 26	Peotone/Crete	Home	4:00 p.m.
Sat	Mar 28	Reed Custer	Away	4:00 p.m.
Tue	Mar 31	Herscher/BBCHS (boys)	BBCHS	4:00 p.m.
Thu	Apr 2	Herscher/BBCHS (girls)	Herscher	4:15 p.m.
Mon	Apr 6	Manteno/Momence/Beecher	Manteno	4:15 p.m.
Tue	Apr 7	Providence/JCA	Providence	4:15 p.m.
Thu	Apr 16	Clifton Central	Away	4:15 p.m.
Sat	Apr 18	Geneva Invitational	Away	9:00 a.m.
Tue	Apr 21	Prairie Central	Home	4:15 p.m.
Fri	Apr 24	Manteno Invitational	Away	4:00 p.m.
Tue	Apr 28	Watseka Inv. (soph.)	Away	4:15 p.m.
Fri	May 1	Herscher Invitational	Away	4:00 p.m.
Mon	May 4	All-City	Home	4:15 p.m.
Sat	May 9	Irish Relays	Home	9:00 a.m.
Tue	May 12	Dwight Invitational	Away	4:00 p.m.
Fri	May 15	Girls' Sectional	TBA	TBA
Fri	May 22	Boys' Sectional	TBA	TBA