Athletic Director Gary Goforth nominated Mackenzie Relihan and Brendan Carter to be recognized in the Senior Send-Off Show, presented by BMO Harris Bank.
Mackenzie Relihan
Benet Academy prides itself on producing athletes that succeed on the fiend and in the classroom and few senior athletes better exemplify that edict than Mackenzie Relihan from Benet softball. A four year varsity team member, Relihan was a standout in the Redwings offense, being named the Benet Offensive Player of the Year in 2018 and 2019. Hit. After hitting over .400 as a sophomore, her junior year earned even more accolades as Mackenzie hit .410 with 10 homers and 39 RBI and was named to the All-ESCC and All-Area teams.
She also happens to be a National Merit Semifinalist, a member of the National Honor Society, scored a perfect 36 on her ACT and she will play softball at MIT next season.
So it would be fair to say she found the right balance between academics and athletics. While the final season for Relihan and her senior teammates Mikayla Cassidy, Sam Gucwa, Bridget Linders and Megan Seranko never came to fruition, these Redwings know that they represented the Black and Red with pride on and off the diamond.
Brendan Carter
Benet Academy boys track and field has not had a plethora of athletes qualify for the state meet three consecutive seasons. One Redwing who will miss out on the chance to join that exclusive club is senior hurdler and sprinter Brendan Carter. Carter qualified for state in the 300 meter hurdles as a sophomore in 2018 and again in 2019 after winning the Downers Grove North sectional. His time of 39.74 is the 2nd best in Benet program history for the 300 hurdles. The senior also has the third best time in the 110 meter hurdles at 15.60 seconds and in the 200 meters at 22.83 seconds. Brendan Carter not only had a chance to make it to state three years in a row, he had the talent to qualify in three different events. Although Redwing track seniors like Carter, Peter Breen, Ben Grundman, Michael Moran, and Dom Adams did not get a chance to compete at the 2020 IHSA meet, they can take pride in leaving their mark in the Benet record books.
Check out other nominated athletes in our Athlete Profiles!
