CHS Girls CC Vars. Teams Wins 3rd Place At 10-28-23 Manchester Meet.

CHS GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY VARSITY TEAM WINS 3RD PLACE AT CIAC CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP ON OCTOBER 28, 2023 AT MANCHESTER’S WICKHAM PARK.
ARTICLE & PHOTOS BY FRANK LOGIUDICE

What a difference one year makes at the CIAC Cross Country Championships at Manchester's Wickham Park on Saturday, October 28, 2023. One year ago, it was a cold fall day. After the race a couple of Cheshire Student-Athletes on the girls’' team wore sweatshirts to warm up. This year it was a sunny hot day with temperatures in the 80's causing the CIAC to cancel the Class LL boys & girls race due to the extreme heat which resulted in runners collapsing and being transported to the hospital for dehydration during the Class L race. The CIAC has rescheduled the Class LL girls & boys race to October 31st, Tuesday afternoon in Manchester.

At the end of the Class L Boys & Girls Race many student-athletes needed to lay down once they crossed the finish line.

Tri-Captain & Senior Alexa Ciccone started the race but was unable to finish because according to her Head Coach Rob Schaefer “she collapsed” during the race but is now doing fine stated Schaefer. He also stated about the outcome of the race, “We do not know who qualified because the meet was not completed. It is to be determined today as to what to do by the CIAC cross country committee.”

Turning to the Cheshire High School Girls Varsity Cross Country Teams they won 3rd Place at Saturday's meet with a score of 135. Tri-Captain & Senior Mia Vientos finished #13 with a time of 20:59. Next up was Emily D’Souza #16 21:14, #23 Eva Curran 21:51, #41 Sage Falcon 22:39, #42 Ava Ciccone 22:39, and #50 Sarah Curran 23:03.

Prior to Saturday’s extremely hot race Head Coach Rob Schaefer commented about his team. “We hope to do better this year. We are going to do our best to overcome New Canaan, but they are a great team. We do hope to qualify for the State Open.” His comments were right on the money again for the second consecutive year. His team last year won 4th Place at this meet last year they did better and won 3rd Place. They did not beat New Canaan as he predicted but they finished ahead of 5th Place E.O. Smith. Last year they finished ahead of Cheshire coming in at 3rd Place. Schaefer definitely knows his team and cross country.

At the conclusion of the Class LL races on Tuesday the decisions will be made to see if any more teams qualify for the state open meet on Monday, November 6, 2023. There are still reasons to be optimistic & hopeful. Head CHS Boys Cross Country Coach Pam Gunneson commented, ¨When those two races have been completed we will find out if anyone else will be going to the Open besides Daniel D'Souza. The girls and the boys have a good shot to go!¨

The next event may be the CIAC State Open Cross Country Championships on Monday, November 6, 2023 also at Manchester’s Wickham Park. Race Time For Girls: 2 p.m. For Boys: 2:45 p.m.

Just by looking at the expressions on each of the student-athletes' faces during the race as they were coming in at the finish line you could tell it was an extremely hot day. And it was.