By David Fierro
Last season, the Greenwich High School girls cross country team won the CIAC Class LL championship for the first time since 1982. This fall, the Cardinals earned a sweet repeat.
Though the roster has changed a bit from last season, Greenwich added more championships to its growing collection, impressively winning the team titles at the Class LL and FCIAC Championships.
Greenwich’s most recent victory came at the CIAC Class LL Championships at Wickham Park recently. Behind numerous standout performances, the Cardinals finished atop the standings in the 14-team meet, totaling a team score of 82 points. Glastonbury placed second in the team standings with 93 points, while Staples (107), Ridgefield (112) and Trumbull (122) finished third to fifth, respectively.
“The running conditions were in our favor, not too hot and although there was some wind, it went unnoticed during the race,” said Greenwich senior Ellie Englund, who along with seniors Averi Geary and Lindsay Schueler captains the Cardinals. “It was a close call with Glastonbury, but in the end, everyone worked hard and we came out with the win.”
At the competitive CIAC Class LL Championships, Greenwich was led by Sophia Passalacqua. A freshman, Passalacqua finished fifth in the state divisional race with a time of 19:03. Brooke Strauss, a Glastonbury senior, won the Class LL individual title, finishing first with a time of 18:13.
Senior Tess Sherry from Conard placed second in 18:35, while her sister Liv Sherry, also a senior was third (18:37). Lauren Parrett from Glastonbury placed fourth (18:59) and Passalacqua was fifth for the Cards.
Margaret McCooe had Greenwich’s next best finish after Passalacqua. A junior, McCooe crossed the finish line ninth in 19:48. In the 2023 Class LL Championships, the Cardinals were paced by champion Esme Daplyn, Kate Friedman, who placed sixth and Lauren Resnick, who finished ninth. The trio each graduated from last season’s championship squad, so this fall’s cross country athletes knew they had to rise to the occasion and be primed for the best the competition had to offer.
“Losing such incredible competitors to graduation was definitely nerve-wracking, especially coming off such a strong year,” Geary said. “We watched so many people step up to higher positions on the team to cover the spaces that were left empty.”
“Both new and returning members started the season strong at the Wilton Invitational and continued to get even better throughout the season, motivating one another to improve,” Geary continued.
Englund had a 17th-place finish in the Class LL race, posting a time of 20:51. Cardinals junior Ava Passamano was 26th in the race, which included 109 runners, clocking in at 21:23. Right behind her was GHS teammate Eleanor Kim, a sophomore (21:24).
Orla Muir, a Greenwich junior, finished 39th in 21:58.
“The entire team is working hard to make these wins happen,” Geary said. “Even the ones who aren’t explicitly in the top spots put in so much work and are readily able to step in when needed, displaying the vast array of talent that this team has.”
At the recent FCIAC Championships held at Waveny Park in New Canaan, Greenwich also repeated as the team champion. Passalacqua paced GHS with a strong second place finish with a time of 18:33. Sophia Spelman of Fairfield Warde won the championship, crossing the finish line first in 18:27. McCooe had a seventh-place showing for the Cards (19:06).
Gemma Hardwick, a junior, was 18th (19:59), Passamano placed 22nd (20:24), Englund finished 25th (20:29) and Muir (20:41) and Kim (21:01) were 31st and 36th, respectively for Greenwich.
“The FCIAC race was such a fulfilling moment to see the training pay off when the girls won the title,” Geary noted. “It really gave us motivation going into the Class LL race. The race was fast and we had really great results.”
