St. Peter Girls Finish In Top Three At Sectionals, Eight St. Peter Events Qualify For State

It was a nearly 90 minute early morning bus ride to Carmel High School in Mundelein for St. Peter Rocket Track and Field to their new sectional, but that didn't stop them from making a strong impression as the new team on the block. Most of the teams in the northwest suburbs had heard of the St. Peter Rockets, their competitive nature and their signature bright red uniforms. What they witnessed on Saturday was a team that immediately caught their attention on the very first event of the meet and never let up until boarding the bus at the end of the afternoon. When it was over, St. Peter came away with two top three plaques, six athletes in a total of 8 events qualifying for the IESA (Illinois Elementary School Association) State Meet and their reputation of tenacity and competitiveness intact.

The St. Peter 7th grade girls team finished 3rd in the 17 team field behind track powerhouse Fox River Grove and Round Lake Park. 7th Grade athlete Therese Hein led the 7th grade girls with a second place finish in the 200 meter dash in a St. Peter record breaking time of 28.64 seconds. Anne Tavierne, a 6th grader placed 2nd in the 1600 meter run in a time of 5:54. Both girls qualified for the state meet. While those were the only 7th grade state qualifiers, the team showed incredible depth scoring points in nearly every event. Of note was the 4x400 relay team of Anna Burke (7th grade), Rachel Tork (7th grade), Sarah Woodford (7th grade) and Caroline Zimmer (6th grade) who finished 3rd in their race in a time of 5:01.30.

The 8th grade girls added a state qualifier in the first event of the day with MaryGrace Phelan placing second in the 100 meter hurdles in a time of 19.70 barely edging 3rd place teammate Delaney Shanahan by .2 seconds in the finals. Phelan went on to qualify in two more events including a 2nd place finish in the 800 meter run with a time of 2:43. The St. Peter girls maintained their tradition of excellence in the 4x400 meter relay by placing 2nd and qualifying for the state meet for the third year in a row with a time of 4:44.3, edging out 3rd place Fox River Grove by only .3 seconds. The team consisted of Anne Tavierne (6th grade), Katy Huber (8th grade), Madeline Bryan (8th grade) and MaryGrace Phelan (8th grade). Closing out the successful day for the 8th grade girls was Madeline Bryan with a state qualifying 2nd place finish in the high jump with a jump of 4 feet 6 inches. Also notable was Isabel Bettag with a 3rd place St. Peter record breaking discus throw of 76 ft 1 inch. Like the 7th graders, the 8th grade girls team showcased talent at every level by scoring in almost every event and placing 2nd behind Fox River Grove and followed by 3rd place Round Lake Park. 

While overall team scores for the boys weren't available at the time of this writing, the St. Peter boys held their own in the competitive meet. Perennial front runner and 2012 Class A IESA State Cross Country Meet Runner Up Charlie Zimmer continued his winning ways by placing first in both the 800 and 1600 meter run. He will now compete at the state meet in contention for a medal in both events. In the 1600 meter run, Zimmer followed the lead of Sam Brey of Palatine St.Theresa, letting him set the pace until the final 200 meters. Zimmer then made his move and sealed the win with a time of 5:05.22. In similar fashion Zimmer let Tommy Williams of Fox River Grove set the pace in the 800 meter run until passing him in the final stretch and winning the race in 2:20.78. Thomas Hein broke his own St. Peter school record in the discus throw with a throw of 81 feet, 7.5 inches. Also notable for the St. Peter boys was the 7th grade 4x100 team of Logan Callaci (7th grade), Colin Burke (5th grade), David Peterson (6th grade) and Sean Marren (6th grade) with a 3rd place finish in 58.14 seconds. 

Next weekend the majority of the St. Peter team will be competing at Aurora Central Catholic High School for the Aurora Conference Championship meet while the six athletes who qualified for state will be travelling to the Eastside Center in East Peoria, IL for the IESA Class A State Track and Field Championship Meet.