ECC

Division I

East Lyme

Coach: Mike Flynn (9th season)

Key returnees: Sr. Maya D'Aquila, Sr. Emily Macklin, Sr. Lauren Fulcher, Jr. Rachel Quadrato, Jr. Cate Bustamante, Jr. Allison Caskey, Jr. Leah Bergeron, So. Rachel Bergeron, So. Brianna Unger.

Top newcomers: Katie Wren, Adalynn Witcraft, Alexa Rideout, Meera Rangwala, Angeleah Pamphle, Charlie Lammer, Natalie Anderson.

Outlook: East Lyme, the defending ECC Division I champion, returns five of its top seven runners, including D’Aquila, who was 14th in last year’s league championship meet. According to Flynn, the returnees put in a solid summer of training and the new additions have brought energy and positivity. Flynn said the Vikings “will look to continually train, learn and progress in performances and their enjoyment for the sport.” East Lyme will face a challenge as overall ECC champion Ledyard moves into the division.

Fitch

Coach: Becky Snelson (2nd season)

Key returnees: Sr. Alaina Campbell, Sr. Ava Kennedy, Sr. Hannah Thomas, So. Colbie Synhorst.

Top newcomers: Jr. Madeleine Level, So. Olivia Burleigh, Fr. Evie Hisey, Fr. Elisia Miller, Fr. Gabriella Morin, Fr. Adelyn Plyler, Fr. Layla Primm, Fr. Elizabeth Waggoner.

Outlook: Fitch returns the entire team which ran in last year’s ECC and Class MM state championships, giving the Falcons a strong foundation of veterans. The addition of a large number of freshmen gives Fitch better depth than it’s seen in several years. Said Snelson: “The team is young, excited and looking to improve on our previous seasons.”

Ledyard

Coach: Denise Descheneaux (8th season)

Key returnees: Sr. Kate Littler, Sr. Josie Withbroe, So. Kaitlyn Sweeney, So. Fionna Woody.

Top newcomers: Fr. Maggie Littler, Fr. Ella LaFontaine.

Outlook: Ledyard placed three runners in the top 10 last season to win the overall ECC title for the first time since 1989 and later placed third in Class M. The Colonels lost four of their top seven from that team, three to graduation and one to transfer, but return seniors Kate Littler — The Day’s All-Area Indoor Track Athlete of the Year — and Withbroe from among the frontrunners. The Colonels, who move into ECC Division I to challenge East Lyme, also add Littler’s younger sister, Maggie, who finished fifth at last year’s Connecticut Middle School championship meet. “The girls are working very hard this year,” Descheneaux said. “We’re looking to see what we’re able to do.”

NFA

Coach: Kara Kochanski (17th season)

Key returnees: Sr. Elya Anor, Sr. Meadow Brown, Sr. Karina Chan, Sr. Ava Hatch, Sr. Sharon Liu, Sr. Kaitlyn Titus, Jr. McKenzie Connell, So. Paige Brayman, So. Helen Muench, Jr. Keegan Levine, Jr. Alleigh Croteau, So. Alessandra DeBartolo.

Top newcomers: Riley Davis, Kyla Rivera, Areli Brown, Keyshalee Torres, Amelia Cook, Yunqi Chen, Deysu Perez-Garcia, Claudia Miner, Melina Ortiz, Giana Chang, Mckayla Saunders.

Outlook: NFA returns the entirety of its varsity lineup from last year, which was led by Chan, who finished eighth in the ECC with Muench (12th) and Brayman (15th) close behind for the fifth-place Wildcats. They also add a number of newcomers who were contributors to the team which won the ECC Division I track and field championship in the spring, including Davis, a 400-meter specialist. This gives Kochanski the goal of her team not only faring well at the ECC and Class LL state championship level but qualifying for the State Open. Chan was the ECC 3,200 champion in the spring and finished second in the 1,600.

(Woodstock Academy also competes in Division I.)

Division II

Bacon Academy

Coach: Jeffrey Brunoli (3rd season)

Key returnees: Sr. Avery Anderson, Sr. Emilee Pac, Sr. Zoe Carlson, Jr. Lorelei Romasanta, Jr. Taryn Gray, Jr. Emma Cote.

Top newcomers: Ashtyn King, Madison Levasseur, Lila Wilson, Kiersten Page, Ashley Cleary.

Outlook: The Bobcats return top runner Avery Anderson, with Anderson finishing 22nd at the ECC meet. Brunoli said the team “looks strong and ready for the new season.”

Griswold

Coach: Greg Schoen (9th season)

Key returnees: Sr. Amaya Smith, Sr. Ava Casey, Jr. Ryley Hubert, Jr. Zelie Dietz.

Top newcomers: Sr. Olivia Riley, Jr. Ella Cash, So. Madelyn Ryan, So. Aurianna Giwa, Fr. Felicitas Dietz.

Outlook: Hubert led the way last year, finishing 11th at the ECC championship to earn all-division honors, and serves as captain this year for the Wolverines. Schoen is encouraged by the numbers on the roster, with Griswold not fielding a large enough team to score at last year’s league meet. “Each girl has trained hard thus far and has set goals to beat their personal records and peak during the championship meets in October,” Schoen said.

Stonington

Coach: Megan Chapman (4th season)

Key returnees: Sr. Peyton Vandersteet, Sr. Madeline deLaura, Jr. Molly Musselman.

Outlook: According to Chapman, this is the season her seniors have been looking forward to. “They are all very excited to get their senior season started and hit all the goals they set for themselves way back when they were freshmen,” Chapman said. “We’re hoping for big things as a team this year and they are more than capable of reaching those goals.” Vanderstreet was third in the ECC last season and seventh in the Class SS state championship, while Musselman was 13th in the ECC and 30th in the state.

Waterford

Coach: Chris Gamble (18th season)

Key returnees: Sr. Adeline Steinhaus, Sr. Molly Bartlett, Sr. Avery Maiese, Jr. Chloe Butler, Jr. Elle DiBuono, Jr. Ava Lee, Jr. Leah Sanders.

Outlook: The Lancers finished the 2023 season with a strong performance at the ECC championships, with three runners finishing in the top 25 (Maiese, second; DiBuono fourth and Lee, 19th), placing them fourth overall. Returning the bulk of that roster and adding a handful of promising newcomers, Waterford looks to compete for the ECC Division II title. Maiese went on to finish third in the Class M championship and tied for the Class MM 1,600-meter title this spring in outdoor track.

(Griswold and Killingly also compete in Division II.)

Division III

Lyman Memorial

Coach: Chantal Fauteux-Fields (3rd season)

Key returnees: Sr. Kayla Osga, Sr. Addison Ziegler, Jr. Hazel DeLucia, Jr. Sylvie Hiltz, So. Luci Gardella.

Top newcomers: So. Hannah Bower, So. Skye Peck, Fr. Elisabeth Person, Fr. Nora Johnson.

Outlook: DeLucia won the ECC championship last year at Norwich Golf Course in 20:08, Hiltz was 17th in 22:42 and the Bulldogs finished undefeated to win the Division III title. The team later finished as the runner-up at the Class S state championship with 119 points, as DeLucia came across the finish line third. But while last year’s team had just five runners compete at the state meet at Wickham Park, this year’s roster features more depth, adding to Lyman’s competitive outlook.

Montville

Coach: Steve LaBranche (9th season)

Key returnees: Sr. Brenna LaBranche, Sr. Anna Beauchene, Jr. Melinda Siismets, Jr. Ashlynn Audoin, Jr. Sarah Kaplan.

Top newcomers: Jr. Evelyn Granskog, Fr. Reilly Stripling.

Outlook: Senior captains Brenna LaBranche, a pole vaulter, and tennis player Anna Beauchene lead the way for a team which coach Steve LaBranche calls “a melting pot of athletes from various sports backgrounds.” The Wolves have just seven runners, which makes it a challenge to balance training, injury avoidance and fun, the coach said. Said LaBranche: “Despite their different athletic interests, these girls have forged a strong bond, making practices both productive and enjoyable.”

New London

Coach: Jelani Lucas (2nd season)

Key returnees: Jr. Olivia Benjamin.

Top newcomers: So. Jaidelis Rivera.

Outlook: Crane-Benjamin was 26th at the ECC championship to earn All-Division IV honors and is joined this season by her basketball teammate in Rivera. “(Crane-Benjamin) will be running along with Jaidelis, so they’ll be pushing each other,” Lucas said. “Hopefully, by the time the season starts, enough athletes join so we can score in a meet for the first time in a few years.”

St. Bernard

Coach: Juliana Rosas (9th season)

Key returnees: Sr. Mia Klewin, Sr. Violet Kunka, Jr. Helena Coury, Jr. Martha Hammond.

Top newcomers: Fr. Fiona Addison, Fr. Genevieve Beauchene, Fr. Damiana Hunt, Fr. Stella Klewin.

Outlook: The Saints return four out of their top five runners, including Coury, who was seventh in the ECC and ninth in Class S, and have a strong group of freshmen. They look to claim the Division III title and improve upon last year's fifth-place finish at the Class S state meet.

Wheeler

Coach: Katie McGuire (2nd season)

Key returnees: Sr. Carissa Browne, Sr. Niamh Korten, Sr. Katheryn DelGrosso, Jr. Sophie Zichichi, Jr. Kylie Melia, Jr. Ava Vangieri.

Top newcomers: Sr. Sophia Gouveia, So. Ingrid Anderson, Fr. Lexie Rivet, Fr. Trinity Pagliuso.

Outlook: The ECC has combined Divisions III and IV, giving former Division IV champ Wheeler heightened competition. But McGuire couldn’t be more pleased with the Lions’ growth, with six returning runners who bring leadership and experience combined with the added energy of seven newcomers. Wheeler returns its top three runners in Zichichi (33rd at the ECC championship), Browne and Melia. Browne and Korten will serve as captains. Gouveia is new to cross country but was named the ECC Girls’ Lacrosse Player of the Year in the spring. “The girls are pushing themselves to work hard to meet that challenge,” McGuire said of the reconfigured ECC divisions. “I’m confident that their dedication will make for a great season.”

(Plainfield, Putnam, Tourtellotte and Windham also compete in Division III.)

Others

Norwich Tech

Coach: Catherine Sikorski (7th season)

Key returnees: So. Amelia Hawkins.

Top newcomers: So. Zoe Avery.

Outlook: The Warriors have a young team with just five runners, but have a “great attitude,” according to Sikorski and are anxious to start the season. Hawkins was sixth in the Connecticut Technical Conference championship last season as a freshman, earning all-league honors.

Old Lyme

Coach: Jan Merrill-Morin (1st season)

Key returnees: Jr. Chase Gilbert, Jr. Jayden Livesasy.

Top newcomers: Fr. Katie Ackerman, Fr. Maia Guisti, Fr. Fiona Judge, Fr. Ashynn Ward.

Outlook: Team-wise, this is a building year for the Wildcats, with four freshmen filling out the roster. Individually, Gilbert, The Day’s two-time All-Area Cross Country Runner of the Year, turned in the fastest 5K time in the state last year in 17:06.5, winning her second straight Shoreline Conference and second consecutive Class S state championship before suffering an injury in the week preceding the State Open. Gilbert had a healthy spring, though, leading Old Lyme to the Class S track & field title, and will be among the state’s finest again this fall. Merrill-Morin, in her 36th season coaching cross country, is in her first season leading the sport at Old Lyme.

Williams

Coach: Sarah Jennings (2nd season)

Outlook: The Blues graduated four members of last year’s team, including No. 1 runner Helen Godshall and return a small team with just five competitors. Said Jennings: “We will need everyone committed and healthy to score at each of our meets.”