Abby Poplawski ‘23
EE Science/Technology Editor

Katie Marchand holds up the Connecticut State Flag after becoming the top CT finisher at the New England Championships.

Just joining the cross country team as a junior in high school this year, Katie Marchand has already left a mark in school history. After running a 10:36.64 3200-meter race in outdoor track, the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC), named her as one of the top athletes to keep an eye out for during the championship season for fall sports. 

After an individual second place finish at the FCIAC Championships in New Canaan, Katie and her coaches knew she had the ability to work harder and push for a first place finish in upcoming races. At the CIAC Division LL Girls Championship at Wickham Park, the Trumbull girls cross country team aimed to qualify for the CIAC State Open meet the following week.

Katie knew what her role in the race was, and she was determined to place in the top to help the team score the least points in order to advance to opens. With an outstanding twenty-five second lead, she became the Division LL State Champion, running 19:00 for a 5 kilometer race! The team placed third overall, claiming a spot to State Opens. Of all the Connecticut Divisional races that day, Katie ran the fastest female time.

With several workouts on the track dedicated to hitting specific race paces, the girls on the team were ready to race at State Opens, hoping to place in the top six teams to qualify for the  New England Interscholastic XC Championships in Rhode Island. Taking on Wickham Park again, the girls were hit with a very hot and sunny day, but that didn’t stop them from running hard.

Katie fought through the whole race, maintaining her position in front of the lead pack. She ended with a second place finish running 19:11 just six seconds behind the first-place runner from Glastonbury. Katie was able to lead the team to a fifth place finish, making Trumbull Girls Cross Country the top FCIAC team of the race and a New England’s Qualifier.

Katie Marchand becomes the CIAC Division LL State Champion, running the fastest female time of the day.

“Going into the race, I didn’t really have a goal except to run hard. I was mostly just happy to be there with the whole team,” said Marchand when asked about her performance at the New England Championships. She ran a new personal best of 18:47 with a fourth place finish, making it the highest finish ever of a Trumbull Girls Cross Country athlete. This finish helped lead the team to an eighth place finish, making them the eighth fastest team in New England!

Katie came into the season with no cross country experience at the high school level, when it was all said and done, she was the top ranked runner in the state of CT and the 4th ranked runner in New England.

“This doesn’t happen by accident,” said head coach of the Trumbull Girls’ Cross Country team James McCaffrey. “Katie is a real elite talent, yet her strength is her humble nature and her willingness to ask questions. She is determined, disciplined, and a great teammate. She celebrates her team’s success just as much as her own.”

Katie ends her season on a high note, becoming one of the top athletes in Connecticut and New England. Now she prepares for indoor track which starts in December where she hopes to train hard, have fun with her teammates, and acquire more state titles.