East Hartford — When Norwich Free Academy boys' cross country coach Jaclyn Sullivan left the Class LL championship meet last Saturday at Wickham Park, she was uncertain what this week was going to hold.

The top two teams from each of the six divisional races would advance to Friday's State Open back at Wickham. In addition, the next eight teams with the fastest cumulative times would qualify. NFA was 12th in Class LL with 301 points and 13th in the race based on a team time of 1 hour, 28 minutes, 10 seconds.

The eighth team to qualify, however, was Manchester (1:27:14). And because NFA beat Manchester's point total — 301-308 — NFA also qualified for the Open, which featured 24 teams instead of the usual 20 because of the unusual circumstance.

Sullivan waited until 8 p.m. Sunday before the State Open entry list was posted on line.

"It was very exciting," NFA junior Peyton Ramsey said of the opportunity to run at his first Open meet. "It was a time for redemption for me and everyone else. It was a chance for us to get better times and beat the people we want. It was a time for us to show what we're capable of."

"It's all mental preparation. The hay's already in the barn (as far as physical preparation)," Sullivan said. "I tried to prepare them for the fast start. They shouldn't be waiting for the whole field to settle like it usually does. It can be daunting. ... Last week there were some iffy things I saw. It was better today. I think it's important (going forward). Now they have a taste of it."

Ramsey was the top NFA finisher, 54th in 17:12, with the Wildcats finishing 18th overall with 394 points.

East Lyme, which last week won its third straight Class MM championship, was 11th in the Open with 303 points, led by sophomore Luke Anthony (38th in 16:58), senior Chris Abbey (58th, 17:18) and junior Fisher Macklin (59th, 17:19).

Conard's Gavin Sherry was the individual boys' champ in 15:38 and Tolland took the team title with 71.

In the girls' race, Hall defeated Simsbury for the title 110-136. Class MM runner-up East Lyme, the only local team to qualify, was 14th, led by junior Madison Sjostrom, 46th in 20:34.

It was day for the locals when the phrase "wait 'til next year" wasn't a lament but a sincere look to the future.

The East Lyme girls, for instance, lose only two seniors in co-captains Gilly Goodwin and Sam Lyster.

Goodwin and Lyster were freshmen when the Vikings won the 2016 ECC championship meet and shared the league's Large Division title with NFA. After losing a dual meet to NFA that season, the Vikings have not lost one since and have captured four straight ECC championship meets.

East Lyme went from six runners a year ago to adding 21 more for this season.

"I think they set the standard and expectations for everybody else," Flynn said of Goodwin and Lyster. "They made it fun and positive and at the same time they showed they're going to work really hard. They left the program in a much, much better place than when they got here."

Lyster was 95th in 21:28 and East Lyme freshman Kennedy Holsapple, part of the bright future of the program, was right behind her, 96th in 21:29. Lyster raced about the last mile of the race without her right shoe, which came off in the mud. It was also the shoe with the timing chip in it, initially leaving Lyster off the live results.

"I don't know how to think yet. It doesn't seem real," Lyster said of concluding her career.

East Lyme's boys' team meanwhile, loses Abbey, the 2018 ECC champion, to graduation.

East Lyme coach Sam Harfenist called Abbey "a vital link to everything."

Harfenist said it was difficult for the Vikings, with the focus on repeating their state championship last week, to race that hard two weeks in a row.

The top six teams and the top 25 individuals in each race qualified for next week's New England meet.

"They tried. We tried," Harfenist said. "Time-wise they ran just as well as they did last week, but this is a totally entirely different atmosphere."

v.fulkerson@theday.com

STATE OPEN CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS

At Wickham Park, Manchester (5k)

BOYS

Team results

1. Tolland, 71; 2. Conard, 87; 3. Ridgefield, 181; 4. Danbury, 206; 5. Staples, 209; 6. Xavier, 220. Local schools: 11. East Lyme, 303; 18. NFA, 394.

Individual Top 25

1. Gavin Sherry (Conard), 15:38; 2. Robbie Cozean (Xavier), 15;44; 3. Alec Sauter (Tolland), 16:11; 4. Nicholas Bendtsen (Wolcott), 16:14; 5. Morgan Fierro (Staples), 16:24; 6. Jacob Smith (Glastonbury), 16:26; 7. Jackson Cayward (Tolland), 16:28; 8. Jack Olender (Ellington), 16:30; 9. Callum Sherry (Conard), 16:33; 10. Owen Wollenberg (Simsbury); 11. Chris DeForest (Terryville), 16:34; 12. Charles Namiot (Ridgefield), 16:35; 13. Gregory Vogt (Fairfield Warde), 16:36; 14. Jack Watson (Danbury), 16:36; 15. Nate DeAngelo (Bristol Central), 16:36; 16. Jackson Grady (Hall), 16:36; 17. Brendan Mellitt (Cheshire), 16:36; 18. Patrick Gibbons (New Fairfield), 16:37; 19. Trey Generali (Pomperaug), 16:38; 20. Dan White (Enfield), 16:39; 21. Colin McLaughlin (Westhill), 16:40; 22. Matt Jennings (Haddam-Killingworth), 16:40; 23. Michael Bohlke (Newington), 16:41; 24. Alexander Bein (Greenwich), 16:41; 25. Mark Rodriguez (Cromwell), 16:44.

Local finishers

East Lyme: 38. Luke Anthony, 16:58; 58. Chris Abbey, 17:18; 59. Fisher Macklin, 17:19; 130. Fred Rukundo, 18:04; 149. Griffith Posgay, 18:24; 161. Brendan Fant, 18:36; 175. Noah Krishnaswami, 18:57.

NFA: 54. Peyton Ramsey, 17:12; 111. Tyler Crabb, 17:51; 112. Dylan McGuire, 17:51; 128. Aidan Croteau, 18:01; 156. Aidan Brown, 18:28; 163. Digby Ludlow, 18:40; 166. Timothy Jencks, 18:44.

Waterford: 43. Aidan Pepin, 17:04.

ECC finishers

42. Michael Strain (Griswold), 17:04; 46. Ethan Aspiras (Woodstock), 17:05; 53. Victor Cazabal (Windham), 17:10; 94. Lucas Strain (Griswold), 17:39; 119. Jacob Strain (Griswold), 17:55; 197. Jeffry Stober (Lyman Memorial), 19:52; 198. Shane Franson (Lyman Memorial), 19:54.

GIRLS

Team results

1. Hall, 110; 2. Simsbury, 136; 3. Trumbull, 155; 4. New Canaan, 173; 5. Danbury, 191; 6. Glastonbury, 193; Local school: 14. East Lyme, 335.

Individual Top 25

1. Mari Noble (Greenwich), 18:13; 2. Kate Wiser (Pomperaug), 18:23; 3. Kate Hedlund (Manchester), 18:48; 4. Ava Graham (Bethel), 18:54; 5. Daniella Grullon Pena (Danbury), 19:07; 6. Claire Daniels (New Milford), 19:07; 7. Kathryn Rodrigues (Wolcott), 19:11; 8. Amanda Derway (Simsbury), 19:18; 9. Alessandra Zaffina (Trumbull), 19:18; 10. Mairead Clas (Darien), 19:24; 11. Jenna Zydanowicz (Hall), 19:25; 12. Kylie Raymond (Somers), 19:29; 13. Nora Holmes (Hall), 19:25; 14. Tess Pisanelli (Ridgefield), 19:36; 15. Julia Caputo (Canton), 19:39; 16. Ailene Doherty (Immaculate), 19:42; 17. Molly Murphy (New Canaan), 19:42; 18. Katherine Sanderson (Hall), 19:42; 19. Emily Brydges (Suffield), 19:46; 20. Elizabeth Stockman (Rocky Hill), 19:48; 21. Dagny Edwards (Simsbury), 19:48; 22. Jacqueline Izzo (Southington), 19:49; 23. Rhiannon Richmond (Avon), 19:50; 24. Kayla Ondy (Immaculate), 19:52; 25. Grace Michaud (Southington), 19:59.

Local finishers

East Lyme: 46. Madison Sjostrom, 20:34; 95. Samantha Lyster, 21:28; 96. Kennedy Holsapple, 21:29; 119. Sydney Sager, 21:57; 125. Izzy Pazzaglia, 22:05; 135. Isabelle Johnson, 22:13.

ECC finishers

30. Jordan Malloy (Bacon Academy), 20:09; 33. Linsey Arends (Woodstock), 20:16; 85. Stella Dipippo (Woodstock), 21:18; 102. Jessica Casey (Lyman Memorial), 21:34.

Note: Top six teams and top 25 individuals qualify for the New England Championship on Saturday, Nov. 9, at Wickham Park.