The rich history of St. Ambrose Fighting Bee throwers has
added another name to their legacy. Mandy Streu (Rolling Meadows) signed a
national letter of intent Monday to attend the Davenport campus and throw for
the Fighting Bees women’s track team.
Streu, one of the top 20 returning throwers in the state has
qualified for the IHSA State Championships each of her first three seasons.
In 2007, Streu was an IHSA AA sectional qualifier in the shot
with a toss of 38-2.5, and has improved by more than two-feet each year of her
prep career.
Already this season, Streu has improved upon her lifetime
best by tossing the shot 39-9 in her first meet of the 2008 season.
Streu is also the pom-pom team captain at Rolling Meadows
High School, and is active in a number of community activities as well as
working as a lifeguard.
"Mandy is exactly the type of girl we want at St. Ambrose,"
SAU head coach Dan Tomlin said. "It’s obvious that she’s a hard worker, and it’s
also obvious that she’ll make an immediate impact on our team."
The Fighting Bees women’s track team placed second at the
Midwest Collegiate Conference Invite, where the winning shot was tossed 39-2.
The Bee throwers are coached by former NAIA National Champion
Rob Firrell who is also excited about the potential Streu brings to the table.
"She’s energetic, athletic and comes from a great family,"
Firrell said. "She’s had a great prep career and I know she has the potential to
just get better and better."
Bee throwers have made it to the NAIA National Championships
every year for the past 10 years, including Firrell earning the team’s highest
marks, 3rd in ‘02 and 1st in ‘03.
Streu plans on majoring in nursing, as a part of the track
team that has the second highest GPA in the NAIA at 3.56.
