While the 1994 Salem Wildcats cross country team had some returning members from the 1993 team that had finished 21st at the Class AA state meet, the 1994 squad used a rebuilt lineup to take the program to even higher levels never previously achieved by the program.

Salem had a dominant regular season as it won six invitational races. The Wildcats claimed the title at Murphysboro, Hannibal, Mo., Herrin, Mt. Vernon, Edwardsville and Springfield. They also successfully defended their North Egypt Conference championship.

The Wildcats postseason run began with their third straight regional championship. The following week Salem did something it had never accomplished before when it won the Decatur Sectional. Not only was that the first sectional title for the cross country program, but it was the first sectional title by a Salem boys team in any sport since the Wildcats basketball team turned the trick way back in 1943.

Salem closed out its season with a 20th place finish at the state meet, which at the time was its best in school history.

Ryan Boyles led the Wildcats at state with a 40th place finish followed by Chris Owen in 104th place. Brett Bundy was 133rd, Shaun Clark was 159th and Shawn Andrews was the fifth and final counter in 175th place. Other runners for the Wildcats at the state race were Rob Henson in 183rd place and Bob Sanchez was 198th. Boyles, Owen and Bundy had competed for Salem the previous season at state. Clark, Andrews, Henson and Sanchez were new to the lineup.

Perfection is something all teams strive for, but few achieve. The 1999 Salem Wildcats tennis team under the direction of Coach John Thomas is in that elite group.
The school record for wins in a season set by the 1998 team did not last long as many of the same faces established a new mark one year later with a perfect 31-0 record that included the program’s first-ever North Egypt Conference championship as well as a second straight sectional crown.

Eight of Salem’s regular season wins were matches where the Wildcats did not lose a game. They won five additional matches where they dropped just one game. Their closest margin of victory in any regular season match was 7-2 and that happened only three times. Along the way Salem won the Teutopolis Doubles Tournament and the Carmi Quad Doubles Tournament with a perfect 4-0 record.
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The 1998 season was a historic one in more ways than one for the Salem Wildcats tennis team and Coach John Thomas.

Salem established a new school record for wins in a season with a record of 27-4. Two of those losses came to Olney, which had an undefeated regular season. One of those setbacks to Olney came at the North Egypt Conference Tournament where the Wildcats finished second. Alex Bryant won the NEC singles championship at the No. 5 position, while Bryant and Justin Henke won the NEC Doubles title at No. 2. Salem’s other defeats came at the hands of Teutopolis and Charleston. During its regular season run the Wildcats posted a perfect 3-0 record as it won the Carmi Quad Doubles Tournament. The Wildcats did not lose a game in three of their wins and lost just once in four of their victories.
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Winners of six regular season invitationals to go along with North Egypt Conference and Class AA regional and sectional championships,the 1996 Salem Wildcats cross country team put together one of the best seasons in school history.

Led by individual championships by Chris Owen, Salem kicked off its season by winning the Murphysboro and Granite City Invitationals. The Wildcats displayed their team depth when they won the Herrin Invitational with their junior varsity squad led by a fourth place finish by Willie Shuler. The Wildcats won their fourth straight race to start the season when they claimed the title at the Mt. Vernon Invitational, as Salem had the first or second place finisher in five of the seven flighted races.

Salem suffered its first setback of the season when it finished second to Naperville North at the Downers Grove Invitational, but the Wildcats still had three of the top ten runners led by a third place finish by Chris Owen.
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Coming off one of the best seasons in school history, the 1998 Salem Lady Wildcats cross country team had high hopes despite losing 3 of it’s Top 5 runners as graduating Seniors and facing an increase in official course length from 2 miles to 2.5 miles. The team returned the top 2 runners in Junior Erin McMullen and Senior Trisha Hustedde and rounded out its experience with returning varsity runners in Junior Gena Terlizzi and Senior Audrey Hargis. Add several talented younger runners into the mix and the team had a promising season ahead.

The Lady Cats started the season with a victory scoring 35 points at the Murphysboro Invitation, finishing in front of rival school Mt. Vernon. McMullen lead the team with a 2^nd place finish, Hustedde right behind in 3^rd and Freshman Erica Jansen in 5^th. Next, the ladies won the Granite City Invitational with a team score of 65 points. The Mt. Vernon Invitation made it three in a row for the Lady Cats with a combined score of 10 points, winning 4 of the 7 filghted races. (more…)

The 1999 boys track team is the first track team to be inducted into the SCHS Hall of Fame. The accomplishments of this team, undoubtedly, make it one of the best teams in any sport at Salem Community High School.

Coached by Kirby Phillips and assisted by Orlando Ramos, their success began early in the season when they won the Sterling Indoor Meet, edging out Springfield Lanphier. Throughout their season, the team totally dominated all dual and triangular meets. In large, multiple team meets they were champions of the Paducah Tilghman Invitational, Wamac Invitational and Marion Relays, and finished an impressive second place at the Mineral Area Meet at Belleville West, Orphan Relays, Al Joyner Classic, and Mt. Vernon Relays. (more…)