Kaneland Harter Middle School Successful at IESA State Track Meet
The Kaneland Harter Middle School track team sent 28 student-athletes to Peoria on Friday, May 17 and Saturday, May 18 to compete at the IESA State Track Meet. They returned to school Monday with 19 medals, a 2nd Place Trophy, a handful of school records and several personal bests from their efforts this past weekend. The 8th Grade Girls Team total of 35 points was second only to Cahokia Wirth (42 points) and earned them the IESA Runner Up Trophy.
Individually, the Knights 7th graders gave solid performances overall setting many personal best while gaining invaluable experience competing at the highest level. Tyler Nance qualified for the semifinals in the 110 Hurdles and finished 13th in the state out 39 runners with a time of 17.59 sec. Tyler also competed in the 100 Meter Dash and finished 28th in the state out of 44 runners with a time of 12.7 sec. In the Shot Put, Calvin McDonald's throw of 33' 2.75'' was good for 24th place and Shanya Hurston's throw of 25'5.5” earned her 33rd overall. Sandra Gale tied for 15th place in the State out of 37 competitors in the High Jump with her jump of 4'4”. Brooke Delahanty finished 36th in the State in the 800 Meter Run with a time of 2:47.59 while Meghan Andrews finished 41st in the 200m dash running a 29.12.
The 7th Grade girls 4 x 100 relay team of Meghan Andrews, Crystal Durham, Mallory Burgin, Shanya Hurston and Jamie Martens ran a 56.37 for 23rd place out of 40 teams. The 7th Grade Girls 4 x 400 Relay team of Mallory Burgin, Meghan Andrews, Kami Buza, Olivia Swindle and Jamie Martens time of 4:38.02 established a PB and 26th place in the state out of 39 teams.
The KHMS 8th graders exceeded expectations setting several personal records, school records, and bringing home lots of hardware. Connor Hoeft's throw of 41'9.75 inches earned him 16th place in the state in the Shot Put, while Lio Arredondo's 41' 00.25” moved him into 23rd place in the State also in the Shot Put. The 8th Grade Boys 4 x 100 Relay team of Adam Rivas, Brock Harner, Matt Noel and Seth Howlett finished in 20th place in the State with a time of 48.56 seconds. The 8th Grade Girls 4 x 200 Relay team of Maddie Keifer, Nina Rotter, Becca Richtman, Charity Montalbano and Kristen Siebert ran a 1:54.04 for 15th place out of 37 teams.
Leading the class in medals was Nicole Sreenan who qualified in 4 events earning All-State Status in every one of them. Starting off the meet Friday afternoon running in the 400 Meter Dash Nicole and teammate Carley Elliott finishing second and seventh respectively. Nicole finished in a time of 1:00.34, while Carley seeded 28th going into the event set a new personal best running a time of 1:02.36. Carley was a 6th place finisher in this event in 2012. Both athletes complete their KHMS careers with 4 medals setting the bar high for future track and field athletes. Nicole also competed in the 100 Meter dash prelims, semifinals, and finals earning a 4th place finish and her second medal in a time of 13.21.
Our 8th Grade Boys 4 x 400 Relay team also earned medals with an 8th place finish cutting 9 seconds off their PB with a time of 3:49.83 seconds. That school record breaking performance was accomplished by Lio Arredondo, Brock Harner, Matt Redman, Matt Noel, and Seth Howlett. This relay team was seeded 12th prior to the race.
Saving the best for last our 4 x 100m Relay team of Rachel Goress, Aly Jesionowski, Lexie Guerra, Nicole Sreenan and Carley Elliott finished as STATE CHAMPIONS and the new KHMS record holders with a time of 51.21 seconds. This team was seeded 7th going into the race. Shorewood Troy was second with a time of 51.81 seconds. In addition, the group of Nina Rotter, Aly Jesionowski, Becca Richtman, Nicole Sreenan and Carley Elliott finished as STATE CHAMPIONS with a time of 4:12.92 seconds in the 4 X 400m Relay. This team was seeded 5th prior to the race shaving 13 seconds off of their team best and setting a new school record with their time. Minooka was second with a time of 4:13.01.
Congratulations to all 28 athletes! They've made their teammates, coaches, school, and Kaneland Community proud!