Track and field notes: St. Bede’s Lily Bosnich off to a fast start

Lily Bosnich is off to a fast start for the St. Bede girls track and field team.

The speedy sophomore broke her own school record in the 100 hurdles by running a time of 15.5 seconds in Saturday’s Rollie Morris Invite at Hall High School.

That clocking was just one tenth of a second off of the all-time Bureau County record of 15.4 set by Aubrey Franklin of Bureau Valley in 2008.

Bosnich previously beat the school record in the 100 hurdles of 17.04 set by Jen Thompson in 1992. Thompson set that record practicing on the grass years before the Thomas Heitmann Memorial Track was installed at St. Bede.

Bosnich set the 300 IH record in 2023 at 47.08. She also took part in the school record-setting and state medaling relays in the 4 x 100 (50.30) and 4 x 200 (1:48.15) last year with Sierah Shaver, Anna Lopez and Emerald De La Torre.

The oldest school record in the books at St. Bede is William Andreoni’s pole vault mark of 12 feet set in 1970. For the girls, the oldest record dates back to 1984 in the 400 meters with Michelle Green running a 59.70.

Two St. Bede school record-holders - Bret Dannis (110H, 300H) and Eve Cullinan (HJ) - are also Bureau County record-holders.

St. Bede has produced four state champions over the years, all in hurdles. Bret Dannis won twice (2016, 2017) in the 300H and once (2016) in the 110H, Brent Barth won twice (1976, 1977) in the 120-yard hurdles and once (1976) in the 333-yard hurdles and Chet Nosalik won the 120-yard hurdles (1978).

Keeping track

The Rock Falls boys won their fifth straight championship at Princeton’s Ferris Family Invite on Monday, beating out Kewanee by 41 points. Before their streak, the Rockets had not won at Princeton dating back to 1991.

The Princeton girls won their second title in three years in their own invite and now have won 17 times out of the 34 years the meet has been held.

The Bureau Valley girls won their first championship since 2019 at Hall’s Rollie Morris Invite on Saturday with the 2020 and 2021 meets being canceled by COVID. It was the Storm’s sixth title in eight years the meet has been held, not counting a rainout in 2018, and seventh since 2012.

Mark your calenders

Here’s some important dates for the rest of the track and field season:

Thursday, May 2 - Three Rivers Girls Meet at Mendota, 4 p.m.

Monday, May 6 - Illinois Valley Meet at Ottawa (coed), 4 p.m.

May 8-10 - IHSA Girls Sectionals

Friday, May 10 - Three Rivers Boys Meet at Rockridge, 4 p.m.

May 16-17 - IHSA Boys Sectionals

May 16-18 - IHSA Girls State

May 23-25 - IHSA Boys State

Note: Bureau Valley will host a 1A girls sectional on Wednesday, May 8 and Princeton will host a 2A girls sectional on Thursday, May 9