Ellington, Somers Scholastic Runners Turn In Strong Performances at Wickham Invitational

MANCHESTER, CT — They came by the thousands - in fact, 4,071 of them finished the course at one of the largest, most grueling and most prestigious cross country invitational meets in New England.

They came from four states to compete in 15 different races, ranging from middle school to varsity championship divisions, testing each athlete's endurance and stamina as they tackled the steep hill dubbed "The Green Monster."

For the 35th straight year, scholastic runners converged on Wickham Park Saturday for the annual Wickham Invitational, a great preview of the course that will again host the state class meets on Oct. 29, and the State Open on Nov. 4.

Ellington just missed out on a team title in the boys' seeded event, compiling 139 points to 127 for champion Pomperaug. David Clavet finished third in the field of 199 competitors, while Thomas Arbeiter was 11th, Jack Olender was 21st and Daniel Meaney finished 36th.

The Knights placed ninth in the girls' championship event, led by Lia Guerette (27th), Jenni Giacalone (33rd) and Kathryn Bonanno (35th).

A pair of top 10 placements led Somers to eighth place of 44 teams in the girls' unseeded division. Ava Roche was sixth, while Kylie Raymond took eighth.

For complete results of all 15 races, including varsity, JV, freshman and middle school, click here.

Photo credits: Tim Jensen