St. Ambrose senior captain Sean Whitten (Fort Wayne, Bishop Leurs H.S.) broke the school record in the 60-meter dash at the Illinois State University Early Bird Open. It was the first meet of the season for the Fighting Bees men’s track team, and although the meet usually doesn’t lead itself to record-breaking, Whitten and teammate, junior captain Dan Hall (Moline, Moline H.S.) each covered 60 meters faster than anyone in SAU history.

Whitten broke the tape in 7.21 and Hall in 7.27, both of which surpassed Jake Fouts’ record of 7.39 set four years ago.

“For Sean to start his senior year with a record like that is a real tribute to his hard work,” SAU track and field coach Dan Tomlin said. “It’s been more than three years of working at perfecting his skills, and it’s exciting to think about what more he can accomplish this year. This is only the tip of the iceberg for him.”

Whitten capped off his day with a tremendous triple jump of 13.46m (44-02 ft), finishing second against all NCAA D-I competition.

OTHER TOP 10 FIGHTING BEE FINISHES
Dan Hall – Moline – Long Jump 20-7, 6^th place
Sean Whitten – Bishop Leurs – Long Jump 19-10, 9^th place
Scott Cherryholmes – Davenport West – Shot put 45-0, 6^th place
Nick Heuermann – Peoria Notre Dame – Shot put 43-5, 7^th place
Dustin Renwick – Monmouth-Roseville – 60H 9.14, 10^th place

St. Ambrose senior captain Steph Reagan (Moline, Moline H.S.) broke the school record in the 60-meter dash at the Illinois State University Early Bird Open, and came very close to punching her ticket to the NAIA Indoor National Championships on her first try. Reagan, who was a national qualifier in the 60-meter hurdles as a sophomore finished fourth in the event, coming up .02 seconds shy of hitting the national qualifying standard. Her day was filled with success, as she broke the tape in the 60-meter dash in just 8.44, breaking the old record of 8.55 set by Carrie Schnauber eight years ago.

“This is a sign of good things to come, and a reward for Steph who has spent this year focusing solely on track,” said SAU head track and field coach Dan Tomlin who was in the same class at SAU with Schnauber. “If she progresses this year the way she has in the past, I think there is no doubt nationals will be on her schedule.”

OTHER TOP 10 FIGHTING BEE WOMEN FINISHES
Lindsey Guerin – St. Croux (MN) – Triple jump 32-4, 8^th place
Carli Schieferdecker – Cambridge – Triple jump 31-0, 10^th place
Mandy Streu – Rolling Meadows – Shot put 39-11, 5^th place
Bonnie Schroeder – Central DeWitt – 400 64.22, 7^th place
4x400 – Schroeder, Brooke Rosheisen (Rosary), Reagan, Marla Milroy (Wethersfield) – 4:24.44, 5^th place

In her first race of the season, Brooke Ashcraft (So., United Township) has already etched her name in the record books.

Two Fighting Bee women also had the race of a lifetime, as Maggie Buss (So., Wahlert) and Stephanie Reagan (Sr., Moline) raced the 60-meter dash against gold-medal winner, Mary Wineberg.

The Fighting Bee women’s team, Brooke Rosheisen (So., Rosary), Dana Maier (Fr., Sandburg), Reagan and Bonnie Schroeder (Sr., DeWitt Central) raced to a 10th place finish, while Toby Cewe (Jr., Riverdale), Sean Whitten (Sr., Bishop Leurs), Damon Ekstam (Sr., Marquette) and Dustin Renwick (Jr., Monmouth-Roseville), took 6th.

Renwick earns conference honors in first meet of '09

In the first meet of the 2009 season, Dustin Renwick picked up the first conference honors for the Fighting Bees.

Renwick (Jr., Monmouth-Roseville) raced to a 10th place finish in the 600-meter run at Indiana University's Indiana Open, earning him the honor of Midwest Collegiate Conference Athlete of the Week.

His time of 1:27.45 was the fastest time run by a Fighting Bee in the last decade.

Two school records, NAIA Nationals qualifier highlight Knox Pentangular

The St. Ambrose Fighting Bee men's and women's track and field teams each placed second at the Knox Pentagular Saturday, and highlighted by a couple of school-record performances.

With a lifetime best throw of 41-10, St. Ambrose freshman Mandy Streu punched her ticket to the NAIA Indoor National Championships in Johnson City, Tennessee. Streu, competing in her first meet of the year finished second in the shot put with a toss that would've put her in the top 10 in the NAIA a year ago. The throw was also an SAU school record, besting the previous record of 40-6 set by Kim Jasper in 2000.

"Mandy has worked hard in the classroom and at practice to get where she is today," SAU head coach Dan Tomlin said. "We knew she was a great thrower coming in, but until she pops one out there it's all potential. She'll be able to relax now and keep improving, knowing she'll be on her way to Tennessee."

Other highlights for the women included wins from Brooke Ashcraft in the 3000m, Bonnie Schroeder in the 400m and Lindsey Guerin in the high jump.

On the men's side, another freshman, John Darmody, made it clear he is hoping to make the end-of-season trip too, winning the mile comfortably with a time of 4:25.94, also a school record. The time broke the school record of 4:29.46 set by former SAU runner Cliff Miles. Darmody, who finished third at last year's USATF Junior Olympics in the 1500m run is less than three seconds away from qualifying for nationals.

The freshmen highlights continued in the throwing events where Danny Rufus won the weight throw with a first-time toss of 48-0. Rufus won the weight despite practicing it just twice in his life.

"Coach Rob knows a thing or two about the weight throw," Tomlin said in reference to his throws coach Rob Firrell who was an NAIA National Champion in the event. "It's a little surprising he popped off as far as he did, but he's competitive and a hard-working kid, so I would expect him to only get better."

Sean Whalen, also competing in his first collegiate meet of the year, won the 55-meter hurdles, helping the Bees to a 1-2 finish with Dustin Renwick. Renwick, who was the Midwest Collegiate Conference track athlete of the week this week, took home top honors in the triple jump where he and teammate Sean Whitten went 1-2 in the jumping event.

Pair of freshman Bees earn MCC honors

The Midwest Collegiate Conference announced its weekly honors today, and two Fighting Bees received accolades.

Winning honors for the Fighting Bees were Mandy Streu (Fr., Rolling Meadows) as MCC Women’s Field Athlete of the Week and John Darmody (Fr., O’Dea) as MCC Men’s Track Athlete of the Week.

Streu had a monster day in her first meet of the year as the freshman broke the shot put record, while also qualifying for the NAIA Indoor National Championships. Mandy’s toss of 41-10 broke the previous record by more than a foot and automatically qualified her for nationals which are held the first week of March in Johnson City, Tenn. She is currently ranked ninth in the NAIA in the shot put.

Darmody broke the school record in the mile by nearly four seconds, and won the Knox Pentangular mile in just his first collegiate race. His time of 4:25.94 is just two seconds away from qualifying for the NAIA Indoor National Championships. Darmody, who was an MCC all-Conference performer last fall in cross country also finished third in the 1500m run at the Junior Olympics last spring.

Bees sweep Cornell Indoor Invite

St. Ambrose continued its early season success by winning the five-team Cornell Indoor Invitational Saturday. The men coasted to victory with 173 total points while the SAU women finished with 133 points. Loras College took second with 132 points on the men's side and 115.5 points on the women's side, while conference foe Mount Mercy finished in last place on both the men's and women's competition.

Senior Sean Whitten and junior Dan Hall led the way by winning two events each for the Bees. Whitten won the 200-meter dash in 23.4 before taking first place in the triple jump with an effort of 13.29 meters. Hall broke the tape in 6.80 in the 55-meter dash and won the long jump with a mark of 6.15 meters.

Senior Nick Spencer added a first-place throw of 13.08 meters in the shot put while freshmen John Darmody (2:34.6 in the 1000-meter run) and Sean Whalen (8.21 in the 55-meter hurdles) also had championship times.

Four different women won events for the Queen Bees. Senior Steph Reagan won the 400-meter dash in 62.4, senior Michelle Maciag took the pole vault with a mark of 2.74 meters, junior Marla Milroy won the long jump with an effort of 4.81 meters, and freshman Emily Morrissey was the champ in the high jump with a leap of 1.45 meters.

Freshman Mandy Streu broke her own school record again this week by putting the shot 12.95m. This improved upon her school record throw from a week ago by eight inches and currently ranks her 9th in the NAIA, and the second best freshman in the country.

Three Bees earn MCC Athlete of the Week award

After taking home the team title on both the men’s and women’s sides at the Cornell Invite last weekend, three Fighting Bees were honored by the Midwest Collegiate Conference, as three Fighting Bees were named MCC Athletes of the Week

Freshman Mandy Streu broke the school record for her second straight meet, putting the shot 42-feet 6-inches, which ranks her 9^th in the NAIA. She finished second in the shot put and third in the weight throw at Cornell.

Two freshmen men also were honored by the conference for their performances at Cornell. Sean Whalen won the 55-meter hurdles for the second straight week with a lifetime best time of 8.21, while senior captain Sean Whitten won the triple jump and placed second in the long jump to teammate Dan Hall.

Two school records highlight Bees day at Illinois Wesleyan

Competing with a small squad at the loaded Illinois Wesleyan Titan Open, the Fighting Bee men’s and women’s track and field teams found success in the form of two more school records as both teams jumped, ran and threw to top 10 finishes.

Freshman John Darmody broke his own school record in the mile and crept even closer to the NAIA National qualifying standard, winning the Titan Open mile with a time of 4:24.82, more than a second faster than his time two weeks ago. Earlier in the day he anchored the men’s distance medley relay to a sixth place finish with a 4:22 split in the mile. The team time of 10:42.74 in the DMR ranks as one of the Bees top ten all-time performances in the event.

Another highlight on the men’s side was junior Toby Cewe who recorded lifetime bests in all four events he competed in, 55m, 200m, 400m and long jump. Eric Guerrero (55m) and Danny DeVenney (WT) also notched lifetime bests.

Senior Lindsey Guerin put another feather in her cap in the pole vault, breaking the record she and fellow senior Michelle Maciag set last year at 2.85m (9-4), as she jumped 3.00m (9-10). Guerin cleared the record height with ease, and finished in fifth place. She had the same finish in the high jump where she jumped 1.52m (5-0).

Bonnie Schroeder showed her toughness too as she ran three 400s (DMR, 400 and 4x400) as well as the open 200, and ran no slower than 63.7 in any of her quarters. Senior captain Holly Gruenke ran her lifetime best in the 200m, and sophomore Lauren Gunawan set a new personal best in the pole vault despite being less than 100-percent due to illness. In the throws, Nicole Henggeler bettered her lifetime best toss in the weight throw by more than two feet, while Mandy Streu hit the NAIA Nationals “A” standard in the shot put for the third straight week.

Renwick, Reagan and Streu all have sights on NAIA Indoor Nationals

It was another record setting day for the St. Ambrose Fighting Bee men’s and women’s track and field teams.

The Fighting Bees set two school records, and punched two more tickets to the NAIA Indoor National Championships.

In Vermillion, South Dakota, at the Bill Hillenbrand Invite, junior captain Dustin Renwick recorded lifetime bests in six of the seven events of the heptathlon to break the school record and qualify him provisionally for the NAIA Indoor National Championships with a score of 3,902, which broke the previous school record by nearly 1,000 points.

In a field of NCAA D-I and D-II competitors, Renwick finished 7^th out of 12, finishing off the day with a dazzling 2:57.07 in the 1000m run. The top 16 marks in the NAIA will compete at nationals, Renwick currently ranks 15^th.

“Everytime Dustin competes in the multis, you know he’s going to get better,” SAU track and field coach Dan Tomlin said. “It’s exciting to watch him compete, because he’s really in his element out there. He owns all of the multi-event records now, which is a nice reward for all the work he puts in.”

In Mount Vernon, Iowa, at Cornell College’s Hilltop Invite, two Fighting Bee women made solidified their spring break plans as well, as senior captain Steph Reagan and freshman Mandy Streu each hit NAIA qualifying marks. Reagan, who also qualified as a sophomore in the 55-hurdles, ran a lifetime best of 8.85 seconds in the finals of the 55-meter hurdles to stamp her ticket to nationals.

“Stephanie has had a renewed focus this year, and I couldn’t be happier that she’s qualified again for nationals,” Tomlin said. “She is a model student-athlete and is able to balance everything which shows you how talented she is on and off the track.”

Streu merely added to her already glowing resume. After breaking the school record by two feet already this season, Streu busted out again, tossing the shot two feet further than she’s ever thrown it, tossing the shot 44-5 ¼, which ranks her 7^th in the NAIA, and the top freshman in the country.

“What Mandy’s doing as a freshman is just amazing,” SAU head track and field coach Dan Tomlin said. “We knew she was going to be good, but to already throw 44 is really exciting. This season’s not done yet, and I know she’ll have to start making new goals!”

Senior captain Meredith Tangen also had a lifetime best in the weight throw, as did the third Fighting Bee women’s thrower Nicole Henggeler, making it a great day for the SAU women’s throw crew.

The Fighting Bee men’s day at the Hilltop Invite was highlighted by John Darmody’s mile, in which he continued his undefeated season, clocking a 4:25.00. Also, senior captain Sean Whitten had his best jump of the year in the triple jump, finishing second with a leap of 13.69m.

Bees fall to Vikings, set school records and qualify another

Five school records and another national qualifier highlighted the day as the St. Ambrose men and women both fell victim to their cross-river rivals and NCAA D-III nationally ranked Augustana College.

Freshman John Darmody finally punched his ticket to the NAIA National Championships with a runner-up finish in the mile where he broke his own school record with a run of 4:19.67.

Dustin Renwick continued to write his name in the SAU record books as he set school record in the pentathlon and heptathlon on the same day. Renwick won the pentathlon, and bettered his own school record in the heptathlon by 70 points.

Another senior captain, Damon Ekstam, took home his first collegiate win, racing to a first place finish in the 600-meter dash. Ekstam broke the tape in 1:28.60, while teammate Austin Quinn won the 1000m run in 2:41.86.

In all, the men won seven events, including three by senior captain Sean Whitten who took home the titles in the 200, long jump and triple jump, setting lifetime bests in all three events. Whitten's jump of 45-5 was just an inch away from qualifying him for the NAIA National Championships.

The close calls continued in the shot put where Scott Cherryholmes toss of 48-6.75 was less than five inches from being a qualifying toss. In the pole vault, Anne Ledford broke the school record and set a personal best by nearly a foot clearing 10-5. When the bar moved up to national qualifying at 10-10, she made it over, but hit the bar on the way down, knocking it off.

The women won five total events, as senior captain Steph Reagan took home gold in the 55-meter hurdles and the 300-meter dash. Her time in the hurdles equaled her lifetime best. Teammate Bonnie Schroeder finished second to Reagan in the 300m, but broke the tape with the win in the 400m dash. Mandy Streu continued her domination in the shot put, winning with a throw of 43-7, while senior Lindsey Guerin won the pentathlon on her first ever attempt.

Fighting Bee women take second in MCC

Two national qualifying marks, and a school record highlighted the Fighting Bee women’s track and field day as they finished second at the Midwest Collegiate Conference Indoor Championships.

Three Fighting Bees won conference championships, as SAU finished behind Grand View College in the team points race.

Senior Stephanie Reagan (Sr., Moline) finished her indoor career with not only a conference championship, but also an NAIA Indoor National Championship qualifying time. Reagan won the 55-meter hurdles with her lifetime best time of 8.69, which currently ranks her in the top 25 in the country. Reagan also scored in the 55m, 200m and 400m dashes, as well as anchoring the runner-up mile relay team.

Also having a breakout day for the Bees was Marla Milroy (Jr., Wethersfield). Milroy won the long jump with a personal best of 17-4, eclipsing a 15-year old school record of 17-1.5 set by Coretta Clark in 1994. It was a day filled with close calls for Milroy who was just an inch away from qualifying for nationals in the long jump, and .07s away from nationals in the 55-meter hurdles where she finished third.

In the throws, Mandy Streu (Fr., Rolling Meadows) added a conference championship to her growing resume with a toss of 44-1. Streu, who broke the school record in the shot put three times this year is currently ranked 7^th in the NAIA, and will compete for an All-American top 6 finish on Saturday March 7 in Johnson City, Tennessee. Captain Meredith Tangen (Sr., Davenport West) had her lifetime best throws in the shot and the weight throw to earn two scoring finishes.

The Mile Relay team of Bonnie Schroeder (Sr., DeWitt Central), Brianna Flynn (Fr., Whalert), Kailey Bys (Fr., Davenport North) and Reagan raced to a second place finish, while Schroeder also scored in the 600m and 400m races, and Bys also scored in the 400m dash.

The Distance Medley relay of Dana Maier (Fr., Sandburg), Holly Gruenke (Sr., Kaneland), Cassie Young (So., Davenport Central) and Kristen Syring (Fr., Andrew) raced to a second place finish, while Maier and Young each also scored in the 800m run. Syring joined Jayne Lovdahl (Fr., Monmouth-Roseville), Brooke Rosheisen (So., Rosary) and Sarah Jacob (Jr., Ottawa) for a fourth place finish in the 4x800 relay. Jacob also scored in the mile, while Rosheisen scored in both the high jump and triple jump.

The jumpers also had a stellar day as Lindsey Guerin (Sr., St. Croix Lutheran) finished second in the high jump, fourth in the pole vault, sixth in the long jump and eighth in the triple jump. She was the only athlete in conference to score in all four events. Emily Morrissey (Fr., Stark County) had the best jump of her life, clearing 5-0 to take third place in the high jump, while Anne Ledford (Jr., Rock Island) and Carli Schieferdecker (Fr., Cambridge) had runner-up finishes in the pole vault and long jump respectively.

Fighting Bee men second with gutsy performances

The Fighting Bee men mustered a second place finish and did it in style, taking home four individual conference championships, and qualifying one for the NAIA National Championships at the Midwest Collegiate Conference Indoor Championships.

John Darmody (Fr., O’Dea) raced to wins in the 800m, 1000m and Mile races, earning him the honor of being named the 2009 Midwest Collegiate Conference men’s track Athlete of the Year. Darmody is currently ranked in the top 20 in the NAIA in the mile, and will race at the indoor national championships on March 6.

Joining Darmody will be Sean Whitten (Sr., Bishop Leurs) who solidified his spot on the nationals team with a triple jump of 46-2. Whitten won the triple jump, and currently ranks in the top 10 in the NAIA, heading into the national championships in two weeks. Whitten also ran a lifetime best time of 6.64 in the 55-meter dash to finish fourth, and also scored in the 200m dash and long jump.

The toughest Bees of the day were Dan Hall (Jr., Moline) and Austin Quinn (So., Central Catholic) who backed up Darmody and Whitten in each of their events. Hall, a captain, competed injured the entire day and still scored in the long jump and 200m dash, while Quinn secured the Bees second place team finish with top six finishes in the 800m, 1000m and mile races. He raced to second place in the 1000m run with a brilliant finish.

Keith Randle (So., St. Josephs) anchored the distance crew as he and Jacob Barker (Fr., Pleasant Valley) each scored in the top six in both the 3000m and 5000m races.

The men’s distance medley relay of Matt Schmidt (So., St. Francis), Matt Madera (So., St. Laurence), Damon Ekstam (Sr., Marquette) and Cameron Costello (Fr., Durant) finished second. In the pole vault, Ryan Foster (Fr., IVC) finished third with a vault of 11-6.

Three hurdlers made the finals for the Bees as Sean Whalen (So., Geneva), Dustin Renwick (Jr., Monmouth-Roseville) and Danny DeVenney (Jr., Bureau Valley) finished fourth, sixth and eighth respectively. Whalen and Renwick joined Mitchell Binkley (Fr., Polo) and Costello on the second place 4x800 relay.

Once again, the Fighting Bee men’s throwers dominated the Midwest Collegiate Conference, outscoring all other teams as Nick Heuermann (So., Peoria Notre Dame) finished fourth in both the shot put and weight throw with lifetime best tosses of 42-11 and 44-00 respectively. Nick Spencer (Sr., Washington) was runner-up in the weight throw and fifth in the shot put, while Scott Cherryholmes (Jr., Davenport West) finished second in the shot put. Chad Wilson (Fr., Iowa City West) and Danny Rufus (Fr., IVC) both also scored for the Bees in the weights as Rufus took third in the weight throw and Wilson finished sixth in the shot put.

Track & Field Teams at NAIA Nationals

It took another school record, but St. Ambrose freshman John Darmody closed the gap on the field and went from eighth place to sixth place in the matter of 300 meters to earn All-American honors in the mile run at the NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships. Darmody broke his own school record he set in the preliminary round Friday (4:19.52), finishing with a time of 4:16.26.

"That was one of the smartest and gutsiest races I've ever seen," SAU head track and field coach Dan Tomlin said. "John knew what he needed to do, kept his eyes on that All-American spot and was able to enjoy his closing 50 meters."

When Darmody passed Westmont's Jacob Goodin with 100 meters to go, the pack fell off his back and as he crossed the finish line, Darmody threw a fist in the air, celebrating his accomplishment. The freshman from Seattle who prepped at O'Dea was the top freshman in the country this year, and the only freshman to make the mile finals.

Darmody is only the second Fighting Bee to earn Indoor All-American honors (Rob Firrell, 2002 & 2003).

Stephanie Reagan broke the school record in the 60m hurdles with a prelim time of 9.36 at the NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships in Johnson City, Tennessee, Friday. Reagan did not advance as one of the top 12 into the semifinals, but broke the hurdle mark she set two years ago. Reagan finished 23rd overall, and improved upon her previous best at the national championships by .35 seconds.

John Darmody broke the school record in the mile, finishing in a time of 4:19.52 to qualify for Saturday’s final at the NAIA National Indoor Track & Field Championships in Johnson City, Tennessee.

Darmody finished third in his heat, but qualified on time and will go into the final ranked sixth. The leading time is 4:14.68 run by reigning champion Aron Rono of Azusa Pacific. The top six spots in tomorrow’s final will earn All-American honors. Only current SAU throws coach Rob Firrell has ever earned All-American honors for the Fighting Bees.

Sean Whitten (triple jump) and Mandy Streu (shot put) will compete on Saturday, along with Darmody's final in the mile.

More information on the NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships, including live results, is available here.

Bees turn in great marks at Wash U Invite

Competing at the Washington University Invite in St. Louis, the Fighitng Bee men finished 12^th out of 23 schools, thanks in large part to a win by John Darmody in the 1500, and a new school record by Dustin Renwick in the decathlon.

UW-Whitewater won the meet by four points over the hosts, with St. Louis University finishing third.

Darmody (Fr., O’Dea), who also missed qualifying for the nationals by less than a half-second on Friday night in the 5000m, sat in second place until the final 100m when he slung out to lane 3 and passed for the win in the 1500m run with a personal best time of 4:00.20. He also went on to anchor the 4x400 relay that included Toby Cewe (Sr., Riverdale), Damon Ekstam (Sr., Ottawa-Marquette) and Matt Madera (So., St. Laurence) and finished sixth Saturday afternoon.

Renwick (Jr., Monmouth-Roseville) continued to solidify himself as the best multi-eventer in school history as he broke his own school record in the grueling 10-event competition, scoring 5265 points. This was an improvement by more than 200 points from the record he broke a year ago. Renwick finished fifth, while teammate Ryan Foster (Fr., IVC), competing in his first career decathlon took seventh scoring 4717 points.

Scott Cherryholmes (Jr., Davenport West) notched a pair of scoring finishes in the shot put and javelin to finish out the scoring for the Bees. Cherryholmes’ toss of 170-8 in the javelin placed him sixth on Friday night, while his throw of 48-1.75 in the shot put was good enough for third on Saturday.

The Fighting Bee women’s track and field team used all of their resources Friday and Saturday to finish 9^th out of 21 teams at the Washington University Invite in St. Louis.

Washington University won the meet, outdistancing themselves from Monmouth College and McKendree University to round out the top 3 team spots.

In the throws, Mandy Streu (Fr., Rolling Meadows) continued to shine as she took third place in the shot put with a toss of 42-4.75, and then took fifth in the discus to end the day Saturday with a toss of 125-2. Lauren Gunwan (So., Bureau Valley), also scored points for the Bees in the javelin with a throw of 108-11 to finish sixth.

Lindsey Guerin (Sr., St. Croix Lutheran) had a fourth place finish of 33-1 in the triple jump to finish fourth on Friday night, and came back to notch a fifth place finish in the high jump with a leap of 5-0. Marla Milroy (Jr., Wethersfield) also placed in the triple jump with a seventh place leap of 32-8.75. Continuing with the jumpers scoring, Anne Ledford (Jr., Rock Island) placed 6^th with a outdoor best jump of 9-10.

Guerin and Milroy also took their talents to the track, helping the relays that took the women to a top 10 finish. In the 4x100 relay Anna Flynn (Fr., Wahlert), Holly Gruenke (Sr., Kaneland), Milroy and Guerin raced to an eighth place finish with a time of 52.63. In the 4x400 relay, Dana Maier (Fr., Sandburg), Cassie Young (So., Davenport Central), Jayne Lovdahl (Fr., Monmouth-Roseville) and Teresa Popp (Fr., Rockford Boylan) ran to a seventh place finish of 4:34.75 to round out the day for the Bees.

Darmody qualifies for NAIA & USA Nationals at Lee Calhoun Invite

St. Ambrose freshman All-American John Darmody further etched his name into the history books at SAU on Saturday, qualifying for the NAIA Outdoor National Championships in the 1,500 with a time of 3:57.41 at the Lee Calhoun Memorial.

Darmody's time did more than just qualify him for the NAIA Nationals, though. The 18-year old also ran fast enough to qualify him for the USA Junior National Championships held June 25-28 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.

"Everytime we give John goals he breaks them," said SAU coach Dan Tomlin. "This kind of accomplishment should give him the confidence that he can run with anyone in the country."

Darmody started having huge success last summer when he finished third in the USATF Junior Olympics in the 1,500-meter run, despite never having qualified for a state meet during his prep track career.

Former Davenport West all-stater Scott Cherryholmes won the javelin throw with a toss of 180-0 and also scored in the shot put, and senior Sean Whitten finished eighth in the triple jump.

Fighting Bee women run well, men struggle at Drake Relays

The Fighting Bees took four relays to the Drake Relays, and had what can best be described as a roller-coaster weekend.

On Friday with temperatures in the mid-70s, the men's 4x100 relay ran their slowest time of the season finishing 27th in the field of 30 teams as Dan Hall (Jr., Moline), Toby Cewe (Sr., Riverdale), Eric Guerrero (Fr., St. Edwards) and Sean Whitten (Sr., Bishop Luers) didn't quite have their timing down on the handoffs.

The struggles continued in the 4x200 as Whitten and Cewe joined Matt Madera (So., St. Ignatius) and Justin Heaton (Jr., Geneseo). The relay was disqualified for handing off outside the exchange zone.

For the Fighting Bee women, things fared a bit better as they ran their 4x100 clean to a 24th place finish. Bonnie Schroeder (Sr., Central DeWitt), Marla Milroy (Jr., Wethersfield), Holly Gruenke (Sr., Kaneland) and Steph Reagan (Sr., Moline) ran their second fastest time of the season.

Saturday morning the roller coaster continued as warm weather was gone and the women's shuttle hurdle relay had to compete in the pouring rain and sub-50 degree temps. Reagan joined Anna Flynn (Fr., Wahlert), Kelsey Berg (Fr., Alleman) and Brea Christiansen (So., Kewanee) to race to an outstanding 6th place finish against all colleges and universities. The time was just one second away from the school record and the highest finish for a Fighting Bee relay during head coach Dan Tomin's tenure.

Fighting Bee men, women finish second as a team at MCC Championships

Freshman All-American John Darmody (Fr., O'Dea) tore up the track winning the 800m, 1500m and 5000m races, and broke the conference record in the 800-meter run to lead the Fighting Bees to a runner-up finish, 236-194, at the Midwest Collegiate Conference Track & Field Championships. Grand View College captured the team title.

Darmody was joined on the top step of the podium by Scott Cherryholmes (Jr., Davenport West) who won the javelin and shot put. In the shot put his toss of 50-1.75 qualified him for the NAIA Outdoor National Championships where he will join Darmody (1500m) in representing the Bees. The win by Cherryholmes in the javelin marked the first time a Fighting Bee has won the event which had been dominated by Mount Mercy (11 of past 12 champions). The win in the shot put gives him back-to-back titles in the event.

Darmody continued the tradition of excellence in the mid-distance races, as Fighting Bee men have won the 800m and 1500m three straight years. His time of 1:55.26 broke the meet record set last season by teammate Tommy Fallon (1:55.67).

Dustin Renwick (Jr., Monmouth-Roseville)(400H) and Sean Whitten (Sr., Bishop Luers) (TJ) each had runner-up performances from the Bees who finished 2^nd out of 7 in the MCC.

Coming off back-to-back 3^rd place finishes at the Midwest Collegiate Conference Track & Field Championships, the Fighting Bee women moved up a peg behind tremendous performances to take second place, 268-169, behind 3-time reigning champ Grand View.

Stephanie Reagan (Sr., Moline) concluded her career with a phenomenal race in the 400-meter hurdles, capturing gold by the slightest of margins, 67.46-67.79, and placed in the 100m, 200m, 400m and 100m hurdles. She was also a member of the Fighting Bees 4x100 and 4x400 relays.

Reagan wasn’t the only Bee to have success though, as freshman Mandy Streu (Fr., Rolling Meadows) added to her accolades with a conference championship and conference record in the shot put with a toss of 42-5.5.

Another Bee that reached a milestone was junior Marla Milroy (Jr., Wethersfield). The former Wethersfield All-Stater had her longest collegiate jump of 17-4.75, breaking the school record set by Crystal Seamans in 2000, by nearly three inches. In heartbreaking fashion, Milroy lost the long jump title by a half-inch.

Lindsey Guerin (Sr., St. Croix Lutheran) (high jump), Anne Ledford (Jr., Rock Island) (pole vault), and Nicole Henggeler (Jr., Winterset) (discus) all had runner-up finishes for the Bees who finished second in the seven-team conference.

NAIA Outdoor Nationals Day 1 -- Darmody defies odds again

Freshman All-American John Darmody (Fr., O'Dea H.S.) continues to defy the odds during his freshman season as a Fighting Bee. On Thursday, he qualified for the finals of the 1500m run at the NAIA National Championships with a school record time of 3:54.84.

The time broke the record of Andy Kneiry (3:55.24) set in 1983.

Darmody, who came into nationals ranked 17th out of 17, was the 10th qualifier, finishing 6th in his heat to make the 12-man final that will race Saturday afternoon (3:10 p.m.).

He was in the same heat as 13-time national champion Aron Rono from Azusa Pacific, and pushed a pack that qualified three of the four at-large bids for the finals.

During the indoor season, Darmody earned All-American honors by placing sixth after coming into the competition ranked 11th.

Darmody has also already qualified for the USA Junior Nationals which will be contested simultaniously with the USA Nationals in Eugene, Oregon June 25-28.

Between now and Darmody's final, the Fighting Bees will have much to root for as junior Scott Cherryholmes (Jr., Davenport West) and freshman Mandy Streu (Fr., Rolling Meadows) will each compete in the shot put. Cherryholmes will throw Friday at 1 p.m., while Cherryholmes will throw Saturday at 1 p.m. prior to Darmody's final.

NAIA Outdoor Nationals Day 2 -- Another day, another record

For the second straight day the St. Ambrose Fighting Bees men’s track & field team has taken down a school record.

Scott Cherryholmes (Jr., Davenport West) launched the shot put a lifetime best 51-8.25 to finish 11th at the NAIA Outdoor National Championships, breaking the 43-year old school record by 7 inches.

Dick Kerwin held the school record with 51-1.5 and set it in 1966.

Cherryholmes broke the school record with his first throw, and broke it again, on his final preliminary throw. He now holds the SAU school record in the shot put and the javelin.

“Scott steps up in big meets, there’s no doubt about that,” SAU head coach Dan Tomlin said. “He works so hard day in and day out, and it is very rewarding to see him have such success. He had a throw of about 53 feet that he scratched on his second throw, so he knows he has more. This will only motivate him to get better.”

Cherryholmes, who came into the meet seeded 28th out of 28 throwers but finished the meet 11th, and just a foot away from earning All-American honors. It was the highest finish for an Ambrose thrower since 2003 when now throws coach Rob Firrell finished 7th in the hammer throw.

The Fighting Bees National Championship weekend will conclude tomorrow with freshman school record holder Mandy Streu (Fr., Rolling Meadows) throwing the shot put and freshman All-American John Darmody (Fr., O’Dea) racing in the 1500m finals. Darmody broke a 26-year old record on Thursday in the 1500m prelims.

NAIA Outdoor Nationals Day 3 -- Damody's big day, Bees finish strong

The final day of the NAIA Track & Field National Championship provided even more history for the St. Ambrose Fighting Bees, as freshman John Darmody earned All-American status in the 1500m run.

Darmody (Fr., O'Dea), who also earned the distinction indoors in the mile run, came from eighth place in the final 200 meters to finish sixth and earn the final spot on the podium.

Darmody was the highest finishing freshman in the 1500m, and defied all the odds after coming in ranked last in the field of 17.

“It was a typical John Darmody race,” St. Ambrose head track & field coach Dan Tomlin said. “His goal was All-American, he knew he was going to have to run right around 3:50, and even though he had never even sniffed a time like that he just went out there and did it.”

His time of 3:50.12 shattered the school record he set Thursday of 3:54.84. The old record had been set in 1983 by Andy Kneiry, 3:55.24. He is the only Fighting Bee in history to earn All-American honors for indoor and outdoor track, doing so in his first season at SAU. He and current throws coach Rob Firrell are the only 2-time All-Americans the Fighting Bees have ever had.

Darmody is now training for the USA Junior Nationals for which he qualified as one of the top 1500m runners in the country under the age of 20. According to the USA Junior Nationals registration page, Darmody is currently the top ranked junior. The Junior Nationals coincides with the USA Nationals and will be contested June 25-28 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

Freshman Mandy Streu (Fr., Rolling Meadows) also had a tremendous day in the shot put, finishing 11th with a throw of 43-8, just a foot under her lifetime best. Streu improved upon her finish indoors where she finished 24th. This season, Streu set both the indoor and outdoor shot put records and the indoor weight throw record, while also capturing conference championships and setting conference records in indoor and outdoor shot put.

For the weekend, the Fighting Bee men and women turned in three school records, had a pair of 11th place finishes by shot putters, and an All-American finish. On Friday, Scott Cherryholmes broke a 43-year old school record in the shot put.

“We really had a great meet,” Tomlin said. “These kids will all be back next year, so I’m excited about our potential, and know we’re only going to get better.”

SEE RESULTS LIVE AT: http://www.cfpitiming.com/liveresults/index.htm

Darmody to represent Bees on biggest stage

Although finals are done, St. Ambrose University freshman John Darmody has his hardest test of the year this weekend.

Consider it a Track & Field final. Already a 2-time All-American, Darmody will be racing the 1500-meter run at this weekend’s USA Junior National Championships, run in conjunction with the USA National Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

Darmody, who resides in the Pacific Northwest in Everett, Wash. just outside Seattle, earned his spot in the field of the top athletes under 20 with his 1500-meter time earlier this season.

In May, Darmody raced to an All-American 6th place finish in the 1500m run at the NAIA National Championships in a time of 3:50.12. He also secured the sixth and last All-American spot at the NAIA Indoor Nationals in the mile with a run of 4:16.26.

This marks the first time in school history the Fighting Bees will be represented in the USA Junior Nationals.

“This is a very exciting accomplishment for John and for the entire program,” SAU track & field coach Dan Tomlin said. “He dreams big, and has very ambitious goals, and this is another one of those steps.”

Darmody is heading into the race ranked sixth with a lot on the line. The top two finishers in every event at the USA Junior Nationals qualify for a spot on the US Junior National team, which will compete in the Pan-Am Games next month in Trinidad and Tobago.

During both his freshman indoor and outdoor seasons, Darmody has run lifetime bests on the biggest stage, including a 7-second drop outdoors where he came in ranked 17th before finishing 6th.

Last summer, Darmody showed prominence on the national stage by finishing 3rd in the 1500m run at the USATF Junior Olympics, where he ran a time of 4:03.17.

“John always seems to find a way to get what he wants,” said Tomlin. “This will be a good experience for him as far as competing on the national level and going through the rounds. He’s only starting to realize his potential, and that’s exciting for all of us.”

Darmody's run ends in prelims

St. Ambrose University freshman John Darmody's hopes of making the USA Pan Am Team came to an end Saturday at the US Junior National Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

Darmody ran in the second of two heats and ran 3:58 after the rest of the field took the pace out slow. Darmody, who finished as an NAIA All-American twice this season, had run 3:50, but a slow first lap made that time impossible to hit.

Darmody took the lead at 800m and pushed the pace, but paid the price in the end.

In fact, of the six "at-large" times to qualify for Sunday's final, 5 came from the first heat.

"It's unfortunate it didn't turn out the way we wanted, but he still ran a tremendous race and it was a nice exclamation point on a great season," SAU head coach Dan Tomlin said. "This is just the beginning of his career and I know this experience is only going to motivate him to work harder."

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