2018 H.S. BOYS’ CROSS COUNTRY PREVIEW CAPSULES
ECC DIVISION I East Lyme Coach: Sam Harfenist (11th year) Key returnees: Sr. Sam Whittaker, Jr. Chris Abbey, So. Fisher Macklin, Sr. Noah Barnhart. Top newcomers: Outlook:
Sr. Luc Folz, So. Ben Rukundo, So. Magum Brandt.
The Vikings had a memorable 2017 season, winning the ECC championship meet and following that up by capturing the Class MM title, East Lyme’s first state championship since 1970. Harfenist must replace his No. 2 runner, Ryan McCauley, but returns Whittaker, the reigning ECC champion and The Day’s All-Area Athlete of the Year, All-Area pick Abbey and Macklin and Barnhart, who placed among the top five for the Vikings in the state meet. That kind of quality should make the Vikings a threat to repeat.
Fitch
Coach: Rich Kosta (7th year) Key returnees: Sr. Dan Gaiewski, Sr. Ian Poe, Sr. Ryan Poe, Jr. Cole Aristi, So. Simon Chidley.
Top newcomers: Sr. Aidan Sullivan, Fr. Carson Riley, Jr. A.J. Brown, Fr. Ben Chidley, Sr. Shea Kenney.
Outlook: Ian Poe, a member of The Day’s All-Area team last year, returns along with his twin brother Ryan and Gaiewski to give the Falcons a solid top three. Kosta said there is plenty of competition to see who cracks the varsity top seven and their development will determine whether or not they can challenge East Lyme in the ECC.
NFA
Coach: Chad Johnson (13th year)
Key returnees: Sr. Christian Dubreuil, Jr. Aidan Brown, Jr. Digby Ludlow.
Top newcomers: Jr. Dylan McGuire, Sr. Aidan Gallagher, Fr. Tyler Crabbe, Sr. Evan Carney, So. Peyton Ramsey.
Outlook: Johnson thinks the Wildcats may be a year away from challenging for a division title, but Dubreuil provides senior leadership and McGuire, Brown and Ludlowe have been impressive during the preseason. Johnson also expects Crabbe to be a factor at the varsity level as NFA tries to chase down East Lyme in Division I and be a factor in the Class LL meet. ECC DIVISION II Ledyard Coach: Tim Strong (1st year) Key returnees: Sr. Dominic Murray, Jr.
Jacob Roediger, So. Nicholas Smith, So. Christopher Evans, Sr. Jaden Palombo.
Top newcomers: Jr. Simon Reichert, Fr. Connor Doran, Fr. Albert Franck, Fr. Nick Johanson, Fr. Christopher Houdeshell.
Outlook: The Colonels graduated two of the ECC’s best runners in Zak King and Jacob Money, so Strong will feature a young team in his first season as Ledyard’s head coach. But Strong said there is plenty of talent, enough to allow the Colonels to compete for a Division II title. Strong said four of the top seven runners will be freshmen, with newcomers Reichert and Doran off to strong preseason starts and Murray and Roediger providing leadership for the younger runners. Stonington
Coach: Jenna Ross (10th year) Key returnees: Sr. Andrew Connelly, Sr.
Mark Costanzo, Sr. Kyle Remmert, Jr. Daniel Robinson, Sr. Keegan Reck, Jr. Filip Aubrecht, Sr. Christian Montalto.
Top newcomers: So. Nathan Gonzalez, So. Nikhil Desai.
Outlook: The Bears suffered through a couple of difficult seasons, but return virtually their entire team this fall and look to not only contend for the Division II title but be a factor at the state meet, too. Waterford
Coach: Chris Gamble (12th year) Key returnees: Sr. Sam Lenes, Sr. Eric Zane, Sr. Derrick Agsalud, So. Christian Montoya, So. Aidan Pepin, So. Caleb Zane, Sr. Ben Stilphen, Jr. Kris Dow. Top newcomer: Jr. Owen Seltzer. Outlook: The Lancers return six of their top seven runners from a year ago, including ECC all-stars Lenes and Eric Zane, which makes Waterford a threat to win Division II and perform well at the state level. Lenes, Zane and Agsalud will provide senior leadership for a strong sophomore class that gives the Lancers talent and depth.
ECC DIVISION III Montville Coach: Steven LaBranche (3rd year) Key returnees: Sr. Jayden Colon, Jr. Sean Ventresca, Jr. Chase Swinburn, So. Nathan Bedingfield, So. Jack Marquand, Sr. Ian Anderson.
Top newcomers: Sr. Rishi Iyer, Jr. Taevis Kolz, So. Jack Marquand, So. Alex Edwards, Fr. Ethan Thomas.
Outlook: Colon returns as the Indians’ top runner, but will have company in Iyer, coming off a solid track season in the 1,600. Ventresca, Anderson, Bedingfield and Kolz are closing the gap on the lead pack and LaBranche said Montville has the ability to challenge for a Division III title.
St. Bernard
Coach: Bill Schwarzenbach (3rd year)
Key returnees: Sr. Sam Davis, Sr. James Light, Jr. Sean Power, Jr. James Babinski, So. Jack Zachem.
Top newcomers: Jr. Toby Xu, Jr. Liam Power, Sr. Josh Terry, So. Brendan Hird, So. Andrew Grave, Fr. Jess Antupit.
Outlook: The Saints return five of their top six runners with Davis leading the pack. Newcomer Xu has also been a pleasant surprise and the depth should make St. Bernard a competitive team in Division III and also in the Class S state meet.
ECC DIVISION IV New London Coach: Bob Castronova Key returnees: Sr. Luke Waterman, Sr. John Mateo, Jr. Rashawn Wright, So. Bryson Doughty. Top newcomers: Sr. Lorenzo Blanco, So. Jared Houle.
Outlook: The Whalers return one of their most experienced teams. They have also moved to the ECC’s new Division IV with Plainfield, Putnam, Tourtellotte and Wheeler, which should allow them to enjoy a competitive season and possibly even challenge for a divisional title. Wheeler
Coach: Marc Tardiff (18th year)
Key returnees: Jr. Michael Carroll, Jr. Cameron Reyes.
Outlook: The Lions were hit hard by graduation, losing six runners, including All-Area pick Teddy Nosiku, so there will be opportunities for some of Wheeler’s younger runners. “We are focusing on speed and our endurance,” said Tardiff, “and look to finish high in the division.”
OTHERS Grasso Tech Coach: Matthew Zagura (6th year) Key returnees: Sr. James Burton, Jr. Houston McBride, Sr. Nathan Marceau, So. Ryan Nix.
Top newcomer: Alex Potochniak. Outlook: The Eagles went 2-6 last year in their first Connecticut Technical Conference season and, with the loss of only two seniors, Grasso Tech has the ability to bounce back with a winning season.