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St. Bede sophomore Lily Bosnich is very busy in the spring.
After playing volleyball in the fall and basketball in the winter, Bosnich plays softball and runs track and field in the spring.
Bosnich attends practice for both sports every day if there isn’t a game or meet.
“It was hard the first week of doing both, but it’s gotten easier,” Bosnich said. “My teachers are really understanding.”
Bosnich is excelling in both sports.
In softball, she’s among the area leaders in batting average and home runs as she’s helped the Bruins to a 15-2 record.
Bosnich also is among the area’s best sprinters and hurdlers in the area.
She owns the area’s top time in the 300-meter hurdles at 48.04 seconds.
Bosnich also is top five in the area in the 100 hurdles (15.43), 200 (27.14) and 400 (1:04).
Bosnich has broken the school record in the 100 hurdles three times this spring. The old mark 17.04 in the 100 hurdles that stood since 1992.
“I was really happy with the 100-meter hurdles,” Bosnich said after breaking the record for the second time with a 15.74 at Hall’s Rollie Morris Invitational. “I’ve been struggling with doing my three steps and I three-stepped all the way.
“My coaches have been pushing me a lot. It’s hard being in two sports because I go to both practices every day, but they push me a lot.”
FASTEST IN THE AREA
Hall senior Caleb Bickett and Henry-Midland sophomore Daniella Bumber own the titles of fastest in the area.
Bickett leads the area in the 100 (11.34) and 200 (23.14), while Bumber owns the top times in the 100 (12.6) and 400 (58.02) and ranks second in the 200 (26.28).
UNCOMMON COMBO
Bureau Valley senior Landon Hulsing is a jack of all trades for the Storm.
This season, Hulsing has competed in the 200, 4x200, 4x400, 4x800, discus and high jump.
Hulsing owns the area’s top high jump mark at 1.83 and ranks second in the discus at 46.58.
“Landon Hulsing does pretty much anything I need him to, but he’s focusing on high jump and discus this year,” BV coach Dan DeVenney said. “That’s not a common combination you hear about.”
[ NewsTribune area boys track and field leaders ]
TEAM SUCCESS FIRST
Bureau Valley’s Connie Gibson is among the area’s best sprinters this spring, but she’s more interested in relay success and team success.
The Storm have had plenty of both for the boys and girls teams.
Both Bureau Valley teams won the Rollie Morris Invitational on April 13 - the first time in the tenure of coaches Dan DeVenney and Jennifer Backer - while BV swept its senior night meet and girls won the Rock Falls Invitational.
The BV boys have the area’s top 4x400 relay (3:43.88) and rank second in the 4x100, 4x200 and 4x800 relays, while the Storm girls lead the area in the 4x100 (51.77), 4x200 (1:50.8) and 4x400 (4:21.4).
“Because we’re sore losers,” Gibson said with a laugh when asked why BV has been strong in relays. “And because we like to win as a team. I would rather win my relays any day than an individual race.”
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ENJOYING THE COMPETITION
At the Rollie Morris Invitational at Hall, three of the area’s top sprinters ran against each other.
In the 200, St. Bede’s Bosnich (26.9), Bureau Valley’s Gibson (27) and Princeton’s Camryn Driscoll (27.1) placed one-two-three.
“I really like races like that because they help my time get better and help me get better at being more aggressive,” Driscoll said.
Driscoll is top five in the area in the 100, 200 and 400, Bosnich is top five in the area in the 200 and 400 and Gibson is top five in the area in the 200 and runs on the area’s top 4x200 and 4x400 relays.
[ NewsTribune area girls track and field leaders ]
AHEAD OF LAST YEAR
Last season, La Salle-Peru’s Elli Sines placed 14th in the 100-meter hurdles at state, running a 15.97 to finish just shy of reaching the finals.
Sines is already running ahead of last season weeks before the sectional.
She ran an area-leading 15.48 on April 23. She’s also run a 15.73 this season.
OHIO’S BEST
Amboy-LaMoille-Ohio sophomore Jillian Anderson, of Ohio, broke the Ohio record in the high jump by clearing and is close to setting the Clipper program record.
Anderson has cleared 1.568 and the program record is 1.574 set by Laura Rieker in 2012.
JUST FOR FUN
Henry-Midland junior James Braun wanted to try the high jump at practice this season just for fun.
“He found out he’s a natural high jumper,” H-M coach Carrie Meffert said.
In his first time competing in high jump, he cleared 1.67 to win the event April 15 at a meet at Seneca. He cleared 1.75 to win the event during a meet at St. Bede on April 25 and now ranks fourth in the area.
Braun also runs the 800, 4x200 and 4x400.
REWRITING FIELDCREST THROWING RECORDS
Junior Jackson Hakes and sophomore Pru Mangan are rewriting the throwing records at Fieldcrest.
Hakes and Mangan own the school records in the discus - at 42.08 and 31.05, respectively - while Hakes set the record in the shot put with a 12.32 on April 25 at the Ridgeview Invitational.
Mangan also is looking to break the shot put record. Her top toss of 9.22 and the current mark is 10.6 by Carolyn Megow in 2023.
Both can also contribute on the track with Hakes running on the Knights’ 4x100 and Mangan, who also plays softball, having run the 4x200 and 4x800 this spring.
FRESHMEN PHENOMS
La Salle-Peru’s Aubrey Duttlinger and Mendota’s Mariyah Elam came into their freshman year with high expectations after successful junior high careers.
Both have delivered so far.
Duttlinger leads the area in the long jump (5.39) and triple jump, while Elam leads the area in high jump (1.6) and ranks second in the triple jump (10.41) and fourth in the 100 hurdles (16.79).