St. Theresa School Track & Field Team Achieves Amazing Accomplishments
The St. Theresa School Track & Field boys and girls teams achieved some amazing accomplishments at the Illinois Elementary School Association State Finals in Peoria over the weekend, May 12-13. Seven athletes qualified out of the local sectional meet. Elena DiVito was the sole seventh grade girl qualifying in the long jump, 100m, 200m and 100m hurdles. Elena is the new IESA 7A long jump champion and state record holder with a jump of 17'2". An amazing story because after her first two jumps, she was on the brink of not even qualifying for the finals. The mental fortitude, confidence and execution on her last attempt are what athletic competition is all about.
"My goal this entire year was to place first in long jump at state. I was completely off on my first two tries. There were girls who had already jumped in the high sixteens. I knew I had only one more chance to make it. All I could think of was our theme from this track season 'Conquer Thyself,' then conquer everyone else," Elena describes her mental state as she proceeded down the runway for her last mark. She jumped a monster distance crushing the previous record by over five inches. She was also runner up in the 100m and 200m dashes. Her combined total points earned her the IESA Girls 7A Team Championship out of sixty teams competing. An incredible feat for a single runner.
Elena's younger sister, Alexa DiVito, only a fifth grader, qualified in the 8th grade hurdles.
On the boys' front, Bobby Widlowski and Brendan Oleksak each qualified in three events, one of which was the mile relay. Bobby and Brendan along with Lucas Doland and Kris Passero competed in the premier relay event. Matthew Attak was listed as an alternate. The seventh grade boys 4 x 400m relay sprinted their way to the podium to secure the last medal position in that event. The boys' team was originally seeded 19th. The only people they surprised by their 8th place finish was their competition. The coaches and athletes knew they had the potential to place.
"We knew we could do it," said Lucas Doland. "We calculated what each of us had to run to make it to the podium and that's what we did."