St. Thomas of Villanova team honored by mayor
Submitted by St. Thomas of Villanova School
On Saturday, Oct. 15, the St. Thomas of Villanova girls and boys cross country teams finished an outstanding season at the Illinois Elementary School Association Cross Country State Championships in Normal.
The boys team finished 12th, while the girls team won second place. Running against more than 200 girls from public and parochial schools throughout the state, Anne Marie Jordan won first place overall.
To reach the state meet, St. Thomas won its sectional meet and the Northwest Catholic Conference title, competing against schools from Arlington Heights, Palatine, Lake Zurich, Barrington, Mount Prospect and Schaumburg.
According to Mike Murphy, head coach, the ISEA State Championship is the biggest junior high cross country meet in the entire United States.
"The really cool part is that we're one of the smallest schools in our conference," Murphy said. "We're the little guys doing something big, kind of like David and Goliath."
Ten students from sixth, seventh and eighth grade comprised each team from St. Thomas. The top seven runners participated, with three alternates. At the championship meet, the top five runners from each team received scores and the lowest scores determined individual and team placement.
As a result of St. Thomas' outstanding accomplishment, Village of Palatine Mayor Jim Schwantz issued a proclamation " … to recognize not only the coaches and the entire team for their outstanding performance, but also the parents, and our community as a whole, for supporting our local schools and their sports programs."
The week of Oct. 24-30 is St. Thomas of Villanova Sports Week in the Village of Palatine.
"This is such a great thing for us," Murphy said. "The kids worked so hard."
"The team set a wonderful example for the whole school," said Mary Brinkman, principal. "They are supportive of each other. They sparked energy for the entire school."
In November, the teams and their coaches will be presented to the Palatine village council in recognition of their accomplishments.
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