Middletown 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.

Middletown captured the boys' unseeded team title, compiling 123 points to 155 for runnerup Hamden. Jalen Coleman's 11th-place finish paced the Blue Dragons, while Stefano Mazzeo (15th), Ben Carlson (29th) and Matt Lecky (38th) also received individual medals.

Xavier of Middletown just missed out on a team victory, compiling 92 points to finish second to Hall's 89 in the boys' championship race. Top Falcons were Robbie Cozean (3rd), Owen Curran (7th), Dillon Selfors (23rd), Owen Lally (26th) and Tom Blanchard (33rd).

Bridgid Selfors of Mercy was seventh in the girls' championship race.

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

Photo credits: Tim Jensen