MANCHESTER – Some cross country runners from nearby towns certainly fared well at the 43rd Wickham Park XC Invitational on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.
Runners from Glastonbury, Tolland, Storrs and Avon picked up first-place trophies in terrific running conditions. There was also a winner from East Granby, and for the second straight year, a boy from Lexington, Mass., won the Boys Large Division race.
Here’s more on what happened Saturday:
Record-breaker
Glastonbury junior standout Lauren Parrett was the biggest winner on the day, taking the Girls Large Division race in a record time of 17:55.5. Her time broke the meet record of 18:04.80, which she set last year. Parrett overcame a great challenge from Manchester senior Harper Shirley to win. Shirley was second in 17:58.
“We were definitely really close together for most of the race,” Parrett said. “We started getting really close toward the end area, but then I really tried pushing up the hill because I wanted a strong finish.”
Parrett appreciated the competition from Shirley, who gave her an extra push.
“It helps going up the hills, because I think she helps push me,” Parrett said. “It’s definitely difficult to keep the pace up hills sometimes, but I think it works out pretty well.”
Two-time winner
Tolland senior Rebecca Langlais won at the Wickham invite for the second straight year, doing so a division down from last season. Langlais won the Girls Medium Division race in 19:28.17 last year, then took the top spot in the Girls Small Division on Saturday in 19:02.3.
“Last year in the (medium) race, because it was so close to conferences, there weren’t a lot of people in the race,” Langlais said. “This year, even being with the smaller schools, it was just so competitive, and it was so great to get to run with more people.”
Hale Ray freshman Ashley Brining was second in 19:15.4.
“She’s incredible. I can’t even imagine how amazing it must feel for her to be able to run so fast so early,” Langlais said about Brining.
Thomaston senior Briana Belanger was third in 19:22.4, and Oxford junior Callie DeLuise was fourth in 19:31.6.
White runs alone
E.O. Smith senior Gabriel White beat out his nearest competition by over 20 seconds to win the Boys Medium Division race in 16:10.2. Ellington junior Alexander Bianchi was second in 16:32.
“I think it went really good,” White said. “I took it by myself, a solo effort, so I’m just pleased with how far I was able to go, and I was able to keep it up mentally and just keep a consistent effort the entire race.”
White is ready for the postseason, which includes Central Connecticut Conference, Class MM and State Open races at Wickham.
“It feels great. I know the course, I love the course,” White said. “I was competing with some of the guys in my conference, and I’m just excited for what’s going to happen during the postseason.”
A freshman’s big win
Avon first-year runner Madison McGarry, who had run 3K races at Wickham while in middle school, quickly became acquainted with the high school’s 5K course.
McGarry had a great first run at Wickham, winning in 19:16.8.
“It definitely makes me feel good, and this was my first time trying the 5K at Wickham, so I feel like I know where I am now,” McGarry said.
Mercy junior Cora Wasiolek was second in 19:35.2.
Sophomore sensation
East Granby’s Rockwell Madden turned himself into a household name during the day’s first race, picking up the win in a personal-best time of 16:55.3.
With big names like Thomaston’s Braden Walker and Beau Kociszewski, Old Saybrook’s Gordon Martino, and Northwest Catholic’s Elias Boulay, Madden may have been overlooked. Then he went and ran a time below 17 minutes. Walker was second in 17:07.3, followed by Martino in third in 17:11.3 and Boulay in fourth in 17:12.5.
Kociszewski wound up eighth in 17:31.1, and he and Walker helped Thomaston claim the team championship.
43rd Wickham Park XC Invitational
(At Wickham Park, Manchester)
Boys Small Division
Top 5 teams: 1. Thomaston, 68; 2. East Hampton, 85; 3. Coventry, 174; 4. Lakeview, 188; 5. Cromwell, 193.
Top 10 individuals: 1. Rockwell Madden, East Granby, 16:55.3; 2. Braden Walker, Thomaston, 17:07.3; 3. Gordon Martino, Old Saybrook, 17:11.3; 4. Elias Boulay, Northwest Catholic, 17:12.5; 5. Brendan Kissane, East Hampton, 17:20.9; 6. Immanuel Kearney, Innovation, 17:26.7; 7. Robert DeCarlo, Coventry, 17:28.6; 8. Beau Kociszewski, Thomaston, 17:31.1; 9. Zachary Dunbar, Lakeview, 17:31.7; 10. Ethan Alfano, Coventry, 17:44.4.
Girls Small Division
Top 5 teams: 1. Lyme-Old Lyme, 69; 2. Cromwell, 70; 3. Tolland, 129; 4. Bacon Academy, 131; 5. Weston, 141.
Top 10 individuals: 1. Rebecca Langlais, Tolland, 19:02.3; 2. Ashley Brining, Hale Ray, 19:15.4; 3. Briana Belanger, Thomaston, 19:22.4; 4. Callie DeLuise, Oxford, 19:31.6; 5. Parker Fedorich, Lyme-Old Lyme, 20:20.6; 6. Sophia Rodriguez, Cromwell, 20:21.9; 7. Brooke Gardner, Lewis Mills, 20:28.8; 8. Maia Guisti, Lyme-Old Lyme, 20:31.8; 9. Brianna Jones, Cromwell, 20:32.2; 10. Kiersten Page, Bacon Academy, 20:45.5.
Boys Medium Division
Top 5 teams: 1. Xavier, 45; 2. East Greenwich (R.I.), 82; 3. Guilford, 145; 4. Avon, 168; 5. E.O. Smith, 186.
Top 10 individuals: 1. Gabriel White, E.O. Smith, 16:10.2; 2. Alexander Bianchi, Ellington, 16:32.0; 3. Andrew Parisi, East Greenwich (R.I.), 16:33.0; 4. Connor Dube, Fitch, 16:34.4; 5. Emmett Kristoff, Rockville, 16:48.7; 6. Quinn Connolly, East Greenwich (R.I.), 16:51.5; 7. Quentin Koch, Xavier, 16:57.1; 8. Holden Hines, Xavier, 16:57.1; 9. James Perrault, Xavier, 16:57.1; 10. Nolan O’Connor, Xavier, 16:57.2.
Girls Medium Division
Top 5 teams: 1. Mercy, 62; 2. Woodstock Academy, 135; 3. Daniel Hand, 140; 4. Avon, 147; 5. East Greenwich (R.I.), 149.
Top 10 individuals: 1. Madison McGarry, Avon, 19:16.8; 2. Cora Wasiolek, Mercy, 19:35.2; 3. Kayla Siedliski, East Greenwich (R.I.), 19:52.9; 4. Emelia Langevin, Woodstock, 20:01.4; 5. Reese Rimoczy, Woodstock, 20:01.8; 6. Edith (Edie) Ranta, RHAM, 20:02.2; 7. Maya Donzella, Windsor, 20:05.7; 8. Ava Hoxhallari, Watertown, 20:10.6; 9. Abigail Van Hoof, Avon, 20:14.3; 10. Lilyana Markavich, Lakeview, 20:27.1.
Boys Large Division
Top 5 teams: 1. Lexington, Mass., 52; 2. Southington, 76; 3. Hall, 112; 4. Newtown, 126; 5. North Kingstown, R.I., 190.
Top 10 individuals: 1. Patrick Noonan, Lexington, 15:50.3; 2. Trevor Stevens, Lexington, 15:57.3; 3. Zackary O’Toole, Stratford, 15:59.6; 4. Alex Martin-Casas, Hall, 16:18.8; 5. Henry Pugliese, Simsbury, 16:27; 6. Orion Lowery, Newtown, 16:27.3; 7. Jack Dempsey, NFA, 16:32.4; 8. Jack Mooney, Cheshire, 16:36.5; 9. Alden Hall, Lexington, 16:39.2; 10. Logan Perrella, Southington, 16:40.0.
Girls Large Division
Top 5 teams: 1. Glastonbury, 57; 2. North Kingstown, R.I., 104; 3. Hall, 173; 4. Simsbury, 200; 5. Staples, 205.
Top 10 individuals: 1. Lauren Parrett, Glastonbury, 17:55.5; 2. Harper Shirley, Manchester, 17:58; 3. Molly Chien, Hall, 19:02.2; 4. Lucy Stowe, North Kingstown, 19:05.9; 5. Maxine Rothman, Manchester, 19:12.9; 6. Abby Tighe, North Kingstown, 19:14.1; 7. N’dea Dalmiste, Stamford, 19:36.8; 8. Carolyn Kamp, Glastonbury, 19:49.2; 9. Madeline Lamb, Glastonbury, 19:50.1; 10. Lucille Vargas, Hall, 19:53.5.
This article originally published at Glastonbury’s Lauren Parrett breaks Girls Large Division record at Wickham Park XC Invitational.