MANCHESTER – Before Saturday, the Glastonbury girls cross country team had won 12 Class LL titles over the last two decades.
The Guardians didn’t have a great day last year at the class meet and finished second but won the State Open title. They did not win either the year before.
Brooke Strauss, one of the top runners in the state, graduated and is running at UConn. But Glastonbury has reloaded once again and boosted by sophomore Lauren Parrett’s first-place finish, the Guardians won their 13th Class LL state title Saturday morning at Wickham Park.
“We’re back,” Glastonbury girls coach Brian Collins said. “Today they had a great day. They earned it. We were just hoping to run well as a team.
“We try not to put the pressure on the kids; they put enough on themselves. They want to do well. I hate it when people say, ‘We expected this.’ We were hoping to get it. But a lot of times you have freshmen who are 13, 14 years old, that’s young. You don’t know what you’re going to get every week.”
Parrett held off Greenwich sophomore Sophie Passalacqua at the finish, going under 18 minutes for the first time at Wickham and winning in 17:58.77. Passalacqua was second in 17:59.73. Carolyn Kemp, another Glastonbury sophomore, finished fifth (19:27.49) and freshman Emily Benker was 11th (19:53.78).
Glastonbury’s Lauren Parrett holds off Greenwich’s Sophie Passalacqua for the Class LL title in cross country, winning in 17:58.77. Passalacqua was second in 17:59.73 at Wickham Park Saturday. (Lori Riley/Hartford Courant)
“It was tiring,” Parrett said. “I feel like I put all my effort into it.
“For some parts, we were super close together. She was right behind me or we were side by side. I tried my best at the finish. It definitely was hard pushing up the hill at the end; my legs were tired but I felt like I had enough to go through the finish line.”
Saturday’s Class LL race was likely a preview of the State Open girls race, which will take place Friday at Wickham Park, with the addition of Old Lyme senior Chase Gilbert, who won her fourth Class S title Saturday in 17:51.94, her personal best and the best girls time of the day.
Gilbert finished third at the State Open behind Strauss and Conard’s Liv Sherry last year.
“Super impressive by both of them,” Gilbert said of the Class LL race. “(The State Open is) going to be a heck of a time. I’m excited.”
Gilbert took the lead from the start and ran by herself the entire race.
Old Lyme senior Chase Gilbert won her fourth Class S cross country title in 17:51.94 over 5,000 meters at Wickham Park Saturday. (Lori Riley/Hartford Courant)
“That was a hard effort, I am not going to lie,” Gilbert said. “Today we wanted to get a really good feel for the course and you do that by running hard. We know six days isn’t a ton of time (to rest before the Open) but based on my training, I’ve been able to recover well after hard workouts.
“I’m very confident next week I’ll be able to do the same.”
Xavier wins a close one: Xavier coach Chris Stonier was in the woods, watching his boys team and watching his phone for updates when East Lyme coach Mike Flynn came by. East Lyme and Xavier, two of the top boys teams in the state, were locked in a fierce battle for the Class MM title.
“Mike looked at me and he said, ‘Put the phone away and enjoy the race,’” Stonier said.
So he did. And Xavier won by two points, 57-59.
“It lived up to the hype,” Stonier said.
Sam Leone of East Lyme won the race in 15:58.60. Xavier’s first runner, Holden Hines, was sixth (16:28.80). It was the first time he had finished as the top Xavier runner this season.
Stonier tried to gauge the outcome of the race before the meet but it was hard.
“I made a spreadsheet of five different scenarios,” he said. “And I think if you took the average of them it would probably be a tie.”
Mercy gets a three-peat: Mercy won its third straight state title in Class MM and senior Sarah Roberts captured her third straight state championship, winning in 18:47.14, with sophomore teammate Cora Wasiolek right behind her in second (19:15.46). Mercy won with 38 points and East Lyme was second (61).
“We were just trying to stick together and I felt really good at the top of the hill, so I said, ‘I think I’ll just try to go as fast as I can,’” said Roberts, who will run at Marist next year. “It’s really helpful to have a teammate there.”
Sophomore Ruby Kuselias, who played volleyball last year, finished seventh (20:23.09).
Last week, Wasiolek won the SCC championship and Roberts finished third.
“We just needed them to go 1-2, that’s a pretty big advantage,” Mercy coach Matt Conyers said. “(Roberts) was motivated. She likes Wickham a lot.”
Haddam-Killingworth sweeps Class SS: Haddam-Killingworth swept the Class SS boys and girls titles, with Charlotte Behnke becoming the first H-K girl to win an individual title in 19:39.22.
“We pointed that out during the week and said maybe today is the day,” H-K coach Matt Diglio said. “I was worried she maybe went out a little too hard but she didn’t and she kept pulling away. She ran a phenomenal time today.”
Charlotte Behnke of Haddam-Killingworth wins the Class SS cross country title in 19:39.22 over 5,000 meters at Wickham Park in Manchester Saturday. (Photo by Lori Riley)
Behnke, a junior, said her race went exactly as planned.
“That was a pretty big PR on a hard course,” she said.
Behnke finished second last year.
“I think experience has really helped me, knowing how to race,” she said. “And I think my fitness has improved.”
Bolton’s Lombardo wins title: Bolton’s Dominic Lombardo lost to Breckin and Hayden Burke of Portland at the Wickham Invitational a few weeks ago but he knew he would have a chance at redemption Saturday against the brothers in the Class S championship.
Lombardo made the most of it, winning the race in 16:32.50, with Breckin Burke finishing second and Hayden fourth.
“We’re close, we went to a camp this summer so I knew they wanted it as bad as me,” said Lombardo, the NCCC champion. “I knew I’m not winning this unless I give it all I had. At the NCCC, I kind of took it from the gun. I found that to work really well. I wanted to take the lead and control the race myself.”
Bolton finished second for the team title after winning last year.
Cross country state championships
Wickham Park, Manchester
Class LL
Boys, top five teams: 1. Greenwich, 32; 2. Staples, 83; 3. Southington, 123; 4. Glastonbury, 130; 5. Danbury, 135.
Top 10 individuals: 1. Oliver Samuel, Staples, 16:12.01; 2. Alexander Medina, Hamden, 16:29.76; 3. Ryan Newcomb, Greenwich, 16:30.56; 4. Michael Yardis, Greenwich, 16:34.95; 5. Alejandro Juro, Manchester, 16:35.28; 6. Aidan Nelson, Ridgefield, 16:36.09; 7. Quentin Koch, Greenwich, 16:36.75; 8. Benjamin Hayes, Greenwich, 16:38.02; 9. Harrison Sydor, Staples, 16:38.08; 10. Matteo Chiesara, Greenwich, 16:43.75.
Girls, top five teams: 1. Glastonbury, 44; 2. Greenwich, 62; 3. Ridgefield, 138; 4. Trumbull, 152; 5. Staples, 158; 6. Manchester, 200; 7. Southington, 218; 8. Darien, 230; 9. South Windsor, 260; 10. Danbury, 270.
Top 10 individuals: 1. Lauren Parrett, Glastonbury, 17:58.77; 2. Sophie Passalacqua, Greenwich, 17:59.73; 3. Sofia Holovatska, South Windsor, 18:38.01; 4. Sarah Bogdan, Staples, 19:03.27; 5. Carolyn Kamp, Glastonbury, 19:27.49; 6. Angelina Ruggieri, Ridgefield, 19:29.62; 7. Eliana Daplyn, Greenwich, 19:37.27; 8. Francesca Filotto, Conard, 19:40.96; 9. Adriana Bozza, Greenwich, 19:48.28; 10. Katherine Cavanaugh, Southington, 19:50.24.
Class L
Boys, top five teams: 1. Amity, 72; 2. Hall, 110; 3. New Canaan, 119; 4. Fairfield Warde, 131; 5. Newtown, 170.
Top 10 individuals: 1. Luke Cushing, Amity, 15:57.51; 2. Quinn Kilkenny, New Canaan, 16:17.57; 3. Jonah Schulman, Hall, 16:21.58; 4. Edward Kushel, Fairfield Warde, 16:22.45; 5. Maximillian Mocarski, Fairfield Warde, 16:24.87; 6. Zackery O’Toole, Stratford, 16:26.31.
Girls, top five teams: 1. New Canaan, 70; 2. Cheshire, 117; 3. Simsbury, 147; 4. Hall, 158; 5. Wilton, 170.
Top 10 individuals: 1. Sienna De Kanter, New Canaan, 19:15.40; 2. Alexandra Morgan, Fairfield Warde, 19:26.4; 3. Maya Donzella, Windsor, 19:45.0; 4. Jenna Mancuso, Wilton, 19:50.8; 5. Safaa Ahmad, Platt, 19:56.50; 6. Meghan Elterich, Fairfield Warde, 19:56.90; 7. Aleisa Smalls, New Milford, 20:00.60; 8. Alexa Nunez, Wethersfield, 20:09.70; 9. Lucille Vargas, Hall, 20:13.80; 10. Skyler Quigley, New Milford, 20:14.30.
Class MM
Boys, top five teams: 1. Xavier, 57; 2. East Lyme, 59; 3. E.O. Smith, 68; 4. Avon, 137; 5. Rockville, 193.
Top 10 individuals: 1. Sam Leone, East Lyme, 15:58.60; 2. Alex Cook, E.O. Smith, 16:14.00; 3. Landon Wall, Brookfield, 16:18.82; 4. Brahm Bulow, Avon, 16:24.12; 5. Jack Faitsch, East Lyme, 16:26.55; 6. Holden Hines, Xavier, 16:28.80; 7. Julien Silva, Fitch, 16:30.01; 8. Nolan O’Connor, Xavier, 16:31.07; 9. Daniel Reilly, Kaynor Tech, 16:32.98; 10. Peter Torello, Xavier, 16:39.52.
Girls, top five teams: 1. Mercy, 38; 2. East Lyme, 61; 3. Pomperaug, 107; 4. Woodstock Academy, 145; 5. Guilford, 152.
Top 10 individuals: 1. Sarah Roberts, Mercy, 18:47.14; 2. Cora Wasiolek, Mercy, 19:15.46; 3. Madelyn Mariani, Pomperaug, 19:52.67; 4. Anasofia Monteirio, St. Joseph, 20:08.95; 5. Maggie Littler, Ledyard, 20:18.15; 6. Kendall Montabana, North Haven, 20:22.16; 7. Ruby Kuselias, Mercy, 20:23.09; 8. Emelia Langevin, Woodstock Academy, 20:26.51; 9. Anna Konon, East Lyme, 20:33.79; 10. Olivia Ibrahim, East Lyme, 20:39.48.
Class M
Boys, top five teams: 1. Ledyard, 74; 2. Tolland, 77; 3. Ellington, 94; 4. Griswold, 127; 5. Rocky Hill, 151.
Top 10 individuals: 1. Tyson LeBelle, Griswold, 15:57.96; 2. Brian Smith, Rocky Hill, 16:40.52; 3. Jake Vegiard, Tolland, 16:51.07; 4. Nathan Peskin, Suffield, 16:58.70; 5. Anthony Murray, Bullard Havens, 16:58.72; 6. Alexander Bianchi, Ellington, 17:00.52
Girls, top five teams: 1. Hand, 78; 2. New Fairfield, 82; 3. Nonnewaug, 100; 4. RHAM, 122; 5. Plainville, 150; 6. Ellington, 171.
Top 10 individuals: 1. Annecy Vlieks, Hand, 18:40.49; 2. Katie McMorrow, New Fairfield, 19:24.72; 3. Rebecca Langlais, Tolland, 19:37.21; 4. Hannah Greco, New Fairfield, 19:51.71; 5. Ellie Ballard, RHAM, 20:10.82; 6. Abigail Winslow, Weston, 20:18.42; 7. Harper Vanacore, Sheehan, 20:21.72; 8. Madeline Garguilo, Nonnewaug, 20:24.34; 9. Leah Zainc, Woodland, 20:31.36; 10. Eleanor Chamberlain, Sheehan, 20:45.04.
Class S
Boys, top five teams: 1. Thomaston, 88; 2. Bolton, 93; 3. Immaculate, 97; 4. Stafford, 124; 5. Shepaug Valley, 139.
Top 10 individuals: 1. Dominic Lombardo, Bolton, 16:32.50; 2. Breckin Burke, Portland, 16:50.22; 3. Lorenzo Lopes, Immaculate, 16:51.71; 4. Hayden Burke, Portland, 16:54.11; 5. Gordon Martino, Old Saybrook, 16:58.44; 6. Beau Kociszewski, Thomaston, 17:05.38; 7. Braden Walker, Thomaston, 17:33.22; 8. Michael O’Hare, Immaculate, 17:42.09; 9. Liam Blodgett, Stafford, 17:43.17; 10. Jonathan Breton, Somers, 17:49.33.
Girls, top five teams: 1. Lyman Memorial, 47; 2. Shepaug Valley, 51; 3. Old Lyme, 83; 4. Wheeler, 99; 5. Stafford, 162.
Top 10 individuals: 1. Chase Gilbert, Old Lyme, 17:51.94; 2. Hazel DeLucia, Lyman Memorial, 19:00.78; 3. Sara Evans, Hale Ray, 19:58.40; 4. Dahlia Livingston, Bolton, 20:27.77; 5. Lillian Casini, Shepaug Valley, 20:39.61; 6. Briana Belanger, Thomaston, 20:48.13; 7. Maia Guisti, Old Lyme, 20:52.72; 8. Elyse Overmoyer, Wheeler, 21:04.04; 9. Adriana Rocco, Thomaston, 21:06.58; 10. Helena Coury, St. Bernard, 21:10.31.
Class SS
Boys, top five teams: 1. Haddam-Killingworth, 34; 2. East Hampton, 97; 3. Coventry, 127; 4. Lakeview, 134; 5. East Catholic, 193.
Top 10 individuals: 1. Joseph DeLuise, Oxford, 16:17.37; 2. Benjamin Schildgren, Lakeview, 16:33.21; 3. Evan Berardino, Haddam-Killingworth, 17:06.42; 4. Gavin Baron, Granby, 17:12.20; 5. Cash Smigel, Haddam-Killingworth, 17:13.06; 6. Anthony Frederickson, Haddam-Killingworth, 17:14.70.
Girls, top five teams: 1. Haddam-Killingworth, 25; 2. Cromwell, 54; 3. East Hampton, 102; 4. Bacon Academy, 104; 5. Lauralton Hall, 146.
Top 10 individuals: 1. Charlotte Behnke, Haddam-Killingworth, 19:39.22; 2. Julia Downing, Haddam-Killingworth, 19:59.40; 3. Grace Mitchell, Haddam-Killingworth, 20:08.40; 4. Callie DeLuise, Oxford, 20:15.73; 5. Ryley Hubert, Griswold, 20:25.66; 6. Molly Musselman, Stonington, 20:25.66; 7. Taylor Mooney, Cromwell, 20:43.23; 8. Lily Moir, Seymour, 20:47.31; 9. Sophia Rodriguez, Cromwell, 20:52.72; 10. Alexandra Kijonka, Lewis Mills, 20:57.62.
