By FRED KRONER
fred@mahometnews.com
A tradition of excellence more than 30 years in the making was continued on Saturday in a Class 3A boys’ junior high school cross-country sectional meet at Urbana’s Prairie Park.
Mahomet-Seymour eighth-grader Davin Tietz qualified for the state finals by posting an 11-minute clocking in his 2-mile race.
In a field of 103 competitors, Tietz was seventh overall.
State qualifying berths were secured by the top three teams as well as the five fastest runners not on qualifying teams.
M-S placed fifth in the 15-school field, but Tietz was the quickest runner not from the top three schools and will continue his season one more week.
By advancing to state – which will be held on Saturday at Maxwell Park, in Normal – Tietz provided his school with a state-meet competitor for the 33rd consecutive year.
This is the 41st year of the IESA state meet in cross-country.
The last time M-S did not have a male competitor at state – either individually or as part of a team – was in 1986.
Overall, the M-S boys’ squad packed well at Prairie Park. All seven athletes who participated at the sectional completed the course within 57 seconds of one another.
Following Tietz, who will be a first-time state-meet participant, were teammates Auggie Gaudio (20th in 11:21), Lukas Nykaza (25th in 11:26), Ty Clark (35th in 11:41), Finn Randolph (40th in 11:45), Kai Jones (45th in 11:50) and Isaac Warren (49th in 11:57).
All seven Bulldogs finished among the upper half of the runners.
Team honors were won by Morton (65 points). The other team state berths were claimed by Normal Kingsley (67 points) and Normal Parkside (77 points).
Just missing out on advancing full teams were fourth-place Dunlap (123 points) and fifth-place M-S (127 points).
“Our fifth-place finish was one that was done with heart and grit, but did not allow for us to move on,” M-S head coach Lisa Martin said.
Tietz will attempt to provide the school with a top-20 state-placer for the second straight year. In 2018, Gage Williams ran 15th and Gabe Difanis was 17th at state.
Though Tietz will be the lone M-S boy at state, he won’t face a lonely vigil this week during training.
“Davin’s teammates are excited to train with him as he prepares for the competition that state will present,” Martin said.
The Class 3A boys’ state race is scheduled to be the sixth and last of Saturday’s races and will begin at 1:15 p.m.
There is no charge for admission to watch the race. However, a $5 parking fee is charged.
Mahomet-Seymour Junior High Girls’ cross-country
The M-S Junior High School girls’ cross-country team also maintained its strong tradition in the sport.
Every year this century, the Bulldogs have had either an individual or an entire team qualify for state in the sport.
With eighth-grader Ava Boyd joined in the sectional lineup by six seventh-graders for Saturday’s Class 3A IESA sectional meet at Urbana’s Prairie Park, the entire squad flew through the course and garnered one of three team berths for state.
Boyd was the seventh-place runner in a field of 102, completing the 2-mile course in 12 minutes.
The other four scoring runners for M-S were packed within 42 seconds of Boyd.
Avah Turner was 12th in 12:14, Emmaline Culp was 15th in 12:15, Reese Gallier was 22nd in 12:39 and Ava Jansen was 24th in 12:42.
The other M-S competitors were Phoebe Truax (29th in 12:54) and Chloe Bundren (39th in 13:25).
“The Bulldogs got out to a strong start and worked to maintain their positions,” M-S head coach Lisa Martin said. “The intensity of the meet and the level of competition pushed our runners to all run lifetime personal records today.”
Martin said Boyd continued to display the leadership she has shown throughout the season.
“This team has been led by eighth-grader Ava Boyd this season,” Martin said. “She is a perfect example of what hard work in the off-season and dedication during season can do to boost one’s level of ability in cross-country.
“She is a leader on and off of the course. Our younger team members will continue to thrive in future years because of her example of leadership this season.”
The 10-member state roster will also include three sixth-graders as alternants: Hadley Grotelueschen, Isabel Lietz and Haley Reed.
In the sectional team race, Dunlap was the meet champion with 45 points. Normal Kingsley was the runner-up with 61 points and M-S was third with 79 points in the 14-school event.
At state, M-S has finished 14th and 16th as a team, respectively, the past two seasons.
When the girls’ state race begins on Saturday, at Normal’s Maxwell Park at 12:30 p.m., it will mark the 20th year in a row for M-S to have female representation in the state finals. Twelve of those years, the school has been represented by full teams.
During those two decades, there was never more than a two-year streak when teams did not move on to state.
Three of M-S’ runners will be competing at state for the second time. Those who made their state debuts in 2018 were Boyd, Gallier and Turner.
There is no charge for admission to watch any of the state-meet races. However, a $5 parking fee will be charged.
Mahomet-Seymour Junior High Girls’ basketball
Both the seventh-grade and the eighth-grade M-S girls’ basketball teams completed unbeaten runs through their own tournaments on Thursday.
The seventh-graders completed a 3-0 week with a 27-4 triumph over Tolono Unity. Ellie Dallas scored nine points and Talia Francom added seven points.
In Tuesday’s 44-16 triumph over Mount Zion, Addie Eisenmann led the way for the seventh-graders with seven points.
The eighth-graders followed up on a 24-16 victory over Mount Zion on Tuesday with a double-digit conquest of Tolono Unity, 29-13, on Thursday.
Claire Seal dropped in 8 of 13 free throws against Tolono and tallied a game-high 15 points. She also led the way against Mount Zion with 12 points.
The seventh-graders (9-2) and the eighth-graders (8-3) return to action on Tuesday at Urbana.
