Abby Poplawski ‘23
EE Staff Writer
Ranked 7th in the state, the Girl’s Varsity cross country team prepares for the FCIAC Championships, held at Waveny Park in New Canaan, with just two regular-season meets left to run. Last year had been difficult for the team due to restricted dual meets, but this year the girls have been able to race in various quad meets as well as invitationals with schools throughout the state. They have had an amazing start to the season by placing 2nd in the Large School Division at the Wilton Invitational, taking 1st overall at the Camp Sloper Invitational, and having a 10-2 win-loss ratio at regular meets.
Despite losing several seniors from last year’s varsity team, sophomores Leela Kocinsky, Bridget Walsh, Isabel O’Brien, and junior Gabby Pavlov stepped up to join upperclassmen Kali Holden, Evelyn Marchand, and Abby Poplawski to form the varsity squad. Every practice, workout, and race all contribute to how well the girls will run at FCIACs.
With the guidance of Head Coach, James McCaffrey, the girls are working hard every day with a positive attitude, ready to take on Waveny Park. “Since the beginning of the season we have trained to be a top 2 team in the FCIAC”, said McCaffrey. “As we enter championship season, we have done the work to put ourselves in a position to achieve our goals. These girls are tough”.
As the team prepares for the championships, their goal is to run hard and place 1st overall, beating their main rivals Ridgefield and Greenwich. “I feel very confident in our team heading to FCIACS; I know we’ve worked hard all season and we are ready to show everyone who we are,” said Captain and top runner Kali Holden who encourages her team to work together and run confidently.
The new assistant coach, Jack Kelly, focuses on preparing the JV girls and freshmen for their races at the FCIAC Championships as well. “This has been a fun first year for me being the assistant cross-country coach at THS”, said Kelly. “The JV and Freshman teams have some people who have never been part of an organized running program before so it’s been exciting to see them learn and enjoy a new sport. The ladies have been improving each week and Coach McCaffery can’t wait to see how they do at the FCIACs in a few weeks”.
From building a strong base with a lot of mileage in the summer to working on hills, endurance, and speed at practice, the time the girls have spent training will reflect on how well the team runs on October 20th, at Waveny Park.