Father McGivney Catholic Track Teams Launch Season With Record-Breaking Indoor Performances
MT. ZION — The Father McGivney Catholic boys and girls track and field teams opened their 2025 season on Saturday, March 1, 2025, with a strong showing at a competition in Mt. Zion, where they set six school records and achieved 40 personal bests.
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The Griffins' success was highlighted by standout performances from several athletes. Morgan Gestes set a new school record in the girls long jump with a distance of 5.30 meters (17 feet, 4.75 inches), while Lily Terrell recorded a school record in the girls triple jump at 8.63 meters (28 feet, 3.75 inches). Joey Seefeldt also set a record in the boys triple jump, reaching 10.97 meters (36 feet). Other notable records included Caleb Payne in the boys pole vault (2.11 meters, 6 feet, 11 inches) and both the boys 4 x 200-meter relay and 4 x 400-meter relay teams.
Meet champions included Lilly Gilbertson, who won the 400-meter event with a time of 59.52 seconds, and Gestes in the long jump. Gilbertson also finished as the runner-up in the 60-meter event with a time of 8.08 seconds. Both the girls and boys 4 x 800-meter relay teams took second place, featuring athletes such as Jane Cummins, McKenzie Jones, Miley Badgett, and Bella Redenius for the girls, and Levi Huber, Liam Boeving, Connor Schmidt, and Lyle Schmidt for the boys.
Cummins earned a bronze medal in the 800-meter event with a time of 2:29, and Owen Weissert took third in the 200-meter race with a time of 24.86 seconds. The girls 4 x 200-meter relay team, consisting of Gestes, Kelea Gaither, Terrell, and Mia Range, also secured a bronze medal.
Head coach Jim Helton noted the excitement of the day, and said: “It was great to see three activity buses transporting the team to Mt. Zion. Our numbers have increased as well as our level of performance. Having the track and field behind the school has been phenomenal. The 40 personal bests created a lot of smiles. This is just the beginning.”
The Griffins will next compete at the Eastern Illinois University indoor event on March 7, 2025, for girls and March 8, 2025, for boys. The coaching staff includes assistant coaches Brandon Ahring, Greg Weiss, and Andrew Payne.
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