St. Bede’s Lily Bosnich looking for ‘redemption’: NewsTribune 1A girls track and field state preview

Since first competing against each other, St. Bede junior Lily Bosnich and Tuscola senior Lia Patterson have become friendly with each other.

“We talked the first time we ran against each other, and we’ve just become friends,” Bosnich said. “This year at Top Times, we got a lot closer. It’s just good to keep in touch with her.”

They enter this year’s IHSA Girls Track and Field State Meet, which is Thursday-Saturday at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, as the two top contenders in the 100-meter hurdles and 300 hurdles.

Bosnich comes in with the top sectional time in both events with a time of 14.63 seconds in the 100 hurdles and a 44.27 in the 300 hurdles, which are both area records, while Patterson is the defending state champion in both events.

Bosnich’s sectional time in the 100s is the top time in the state in Class 1A this season, while Patterson is second at 14.77.

Patterson holds the top spot for the season in the 300 hurdles at 44.06, and Bosnich is second at 44.27.

Patterson’s state-winning times last season were 14.51 in the 100 hurdles and 43.1 in the 300 hurdles.

“I love it,” Bosnich said about competing against Patterson.

Bosnich said she is hoping to perform better at state this season after placing second in the 300 hurdles last year in 45.25 and seventh in the 100 hurdles in 16.9, which was her slowest time of the season.

“I’m hoping this year is my redemption year because last year wasn’t my best race in the finals,” Bosnich said. “I’m hoping that I can do my best and just give it my all.”

Bosnich, who will run in Thursday’s preliminaries, return home Friday to play in the softball team’s regional final should the Bruins advance and head back to Charleston on Saturday, also will run in the 100 and 200 where she’s seeded 14th and 18th, respectively.

Ten other area athletes along with three relays will join Bosnich in the 1A meet.

Henry-Midland junior Daniella Bumber looks to be at or near the top of the podium in all four of her events.

Bumber enters the state meet with the top sectional time and top time recorded in 1A this season in the 400 at 56.53 seconds.

Last spring, Bumber ran a 55.84 at state, which is just shy of the area record of 55.66, to place second behind Pope County’s Ahry Comer, who graduated.

Three other area girls will run in the 400 in Bureau Valley freshmen Elise House (seeded 25th, 1:01.49) and Mya Shipp (31st, 1:01.82) and Amboy-LaMoille-Ohio sophomore Maddie Althaus (32nd, 1:01.91).

“It’s exciting [to be seeded No. 1], but to me it is only a current number,” Bumber said. “I know my opponents are equally as talented as me, and I’m counting no one out.”

Bumber is seeded sixth in the 100 at 12.36 and fifth in the 200 in 25.45 and also will anchor the Timberducks’ 4x100 relay that is seeded sixth at 50.06.

“I want to medal in all of my events and hopefully walk away with a championship,” said Bumber, who placed fifth in the 200 and eighth in the 100 at state last year. “The key to success is to keep cool, calm and consistent. I’ve worked really hard for this moment and sometimes nerves can psych you out. I know I’ve earned this moment, so going in with confidence is what will get me and my team the times we want.”

She’ll run with Alison Mitchell, Taylor Frawley and Audrey Chambers in the 4x100.

“I want us to get to finals and medal,” Bumber said. “We are ranked fifth, and with a little push I have no doubt we will run in the 49s.”

Mitchell, Frawley and Chambers will run with Piper Roach in the 4x200, where Henry-Midland is seeded 10th at 1:48.26.

Frawley aims to return to the medal stand in the long jump after taking eighth last year. She enters with the eighth-best sectional jump at 5.29 meters. Chambers, a freshman, also will compete in the long jump, coming in as the No. 20 seed at 5.06.

Other area athletes competing are St. Bede freshman Kijah Lucas in the high jump (tied for 20th, 1.52 meters), Fieldcrest juniors Macy Gochanour in the 300 hurdles (22nd, 49.55 seconds) and Pru Mangan in the discus (28th, 33.41m), Bureau Valley junior Maddie Wetzell in the 3,200 (29th, 13:09.04) and the BV 4x800 relay of Emma Mussche, Gemma Moore, Wetzell and House (13th, 10:25.08).