Patch Preview: Brandy, Cedar Battle For Bragging Rights

Even though Norwich Free Academy features good coaching, a great history and three times as many athletes as most area teams, surprisingly the Wildcats are not a lock to win the Eastern Connecticut Conference girls' cross country championship every year.

Saint Bernard edged Fitch in 2004. Lyman Memorial made a victorious ECC debut in 2005. Griswold trimmed Fitch and NFA last year.

NFA returns four of its top five from the 2010 ECC championship and figures to be in the mix for fifth ECC crown in six years. But Fitch brings four of its top five back and could be the latest David to slay NFA's Goliath. This could be the Falcons' best team since former coach Shawn Towne's dynasty years in the late '90s.

There is also plenty of drama surrounding who emerges as the No. 1 girls' individual. Two runners, instantly indentifiable in the ECC sports world by their first names, will contest for local bragging rightss

Fitch senior Brandy LeClair won the ECC Championship, captured a state indoor track title in the Class L 3,200 meter run and won the ECC outdoor 3,200 meter run last year as a junior. LeClair was very active in road racing this summer, looking to be in very strong shape for her senior year.

So where's the drama? Shouldn't Brandy remain sweet?

Well, Ledyard senior Cedar Nelson may have something to say about LeClair's senior coronation.

Nelson was the only local to upend LeClair in any race last year, finishing 14th in the State Open cross country championships, six spots ahead of LeClair. She also finished ahead of her in the New Englands, 51st to 54th.

"She got the best of me in every race until the State Open," Nelson said. "I think we push each other and bring out the best in our ability."

LeClair agrees.

"The competition is good for both of us," she said.

Needless to say, the LeClair-Nelson matchup highlights Southeastern Connecticut Patch cross country in 2011. Fitch and Ledyard should also provide plenty of fireworks, battling each other and taking a run at NFA. Here is a preview for each Patch-area team.

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY

Fitch

The Falcons lost just one key runner, Samantha Kiely, from the ECC Championship runner-up, ECC Large co-champ (13-1 record) and 11th place team in the State Open.

Behind LeClair, who was third in the Class L meet, Sarah Dinovelli returns after finishing third in the ECCs and 35th in the Open, the state's third best freshman last year. Sophomore Daria McKenna, senior Fiona O'Donnell,Julia McKenna and Danielle Chirillo round out the top five. Freshmen Morgan Tess and Alana Olendorf can perhaps crack the top five.

Coach Rich Kosta hopes the freshmen push the returning supporting cast, because that creates more competition and ultimately lowers times closer to LeClair's and Dinovelli's range.

"The keys to our success will be the development of the rest of the team behind Brandy and Sarah," Kosta said.

Ledyard

Bruce Douglass enters his 39th year as LHS coach, which is a notable story in itself. He believes he potentially has one of his better squads in years, which is a bigger story because it's supposed to be about the athletes.

Douglass hopes the pack tightens behind Nelson, Ledyard's course record holder who was 5th in the Class M states, and senior Lindsey Ackley, 11th in Class M despite battling shin splints all season. They also finished 2nd and 7th, respectively in the ECCs, but in a sport where the top five places are scored, Ledyard's third through fifth runners so far back, the Colonels finished 8th as a team.

"Our basic goal is to improve," Douglass said. "If each individual improves significantly the team performance will also. Cedar wants to improve her times. Lindsey survived a tough year for her. From last year's somewhat dismal 4-9 team record we have a lot of work to do."

Douglass expects Plainfield and Stonington to contend in the ECC Medium, where Ledyard will compete this year. If the Colonel pack can finish the 2.4 mile races before Nelson and Ackley have caught their breath, then maybe Ledyard can make the divisional title race interesting.

Minnie Zhang, Justine Wheeler, Kelsey Nixon, Sydney Davies and newcomers Jordan Houdeshell, Emme Cronin and Leslie Rowland hope to close the gap behind the top two.

Waterford

Junior Sara-Caitrin Mandelburg placed 18th at last year's ECC championships and 39th at the Class MM Championships. She paces a rebuilding Lancer squad under coach Chris Gamble, who is known for winning state titles in wrestling at WHS.

Gina Mello, Lilly Lenes, Lauren Lamothe and Amelia Paul will vie for the top five scoring spots.
"The team has a great deal of potential," Gamble said. "The goal will be to improve each week and to be competitive at the conference and divisional championships." 

The rest:

Behind Fitch and Ledyard, area girls' cross country stands in rebuilding mode. Stonington graduated top runner Liz Hutchins, 11th in the ECC, from a squad that was 11th in the ECC and 14th in Class SS. Theresa Reynolds, Joani Moody, Katie Brandon and Haley Thompson project as Bear leaders.

Montville was once the home office for area cross country with St. Bernard and Montville winning numerous state titles in the late '70s and early '80s. Times have changed.

The Saints finished 12th in the ECC last year and was 7-6 overall. Kyra Coughlin, 20th in the Class SS meet, heads a pack of seniors, including Allison Londregan, Mary Sebensky, Rebecca Baldasty and Nora Sternlof. Freshman McKenzie Coughlin could emerge as a top five scorer.

Montville is even in tougher shape, number-wise, failing to field a full team in 2010. Shatajah Wattely, the ECC's top sprinter in track, ran as a single-person team to simply stay in shape for her specialty, placing 39th in the ECC meet.

BOYS CROSS COUNTRY

The power of ECC boys' cross country lies in areas outside of Southeastern Connecticut Patch territory: NFA and Griswold in particular. But a number of returnees from Fitch, Ledyard and Saint Bernard hope to change the state of ECC fall outdoor running.

Ledyard

The Colonels could emerge as the ECC's sleeper team this fall after finishing 5th in the ECC Meet and 6th in Class M states.

Corey Coates heads the list of returnees after placing 18th in the ECCs and making Class M All-State. Mike Delia, Tyler Dunkle, Tyler Torelli and Max Armstrong also look to crack the top five.

The Colonels move down from the Large to ECC Medium where they can contend for a divisional title.

"We should be competitive in the ECC Medium division," coach Pete Hunt said. "Five of the boys went to running camp this year and are excited to get the season started. There are still holes that need to be filled and big question marks on who is going to fill them."

Fitch

The 2008 ECC champs, Fitch looks to field another quality unit if not a championship team. Certainly, coach Pete Crump's squad looks to improve upon their 7th place finish in last year's ECC Meet.

Alex Olendorf returns after finishing 11th in the ECC, which was the top finish of any underclassman. Erik Brown, Charles Young and Ryan Finton complete the senior-laden Falcons. Sophomores Mark Dunning and Jesse Moroyoqui could also crack the top five.

"This is a strong unit with a lot of potential," Crump said. "Alex had a great summer of training in Vermont. He's healthy, fit and could contend for the ECC individual title in October. Erik was injured last year, so he's not on the radar now. But he trained with Alex and is healthy."

Fitch looks to contend in the ECC Large with Woodstock, NFA and East Lyme.

"It's a strong division," Crump said. "Just because we trained well in summer, you can't control what the competition did training-wise. We'll wait and see."

Waterford

Chris Gamble attracts a number of wrestlers that he coaches to run cross country to get in shape. Those athletes, who challenge for state titles in wrestling, may not be elite cross country athletes, but they represent the fall harrier population well here.

Senior Colin O'Brien, a 125-pound state wrestling contender, returns as one of the top WHS runners. Sam Urban, Justin Lindblom, Matt Labrecque and Jake Keating will also compete for the top five.

The rest

Saint Bernard finished 9th in the ECC Meet last year and return a solid group of underclassmen, including sophomore Pat Halloran, 39th in the ECC last year, third fastest freshman, junior Alex Davis and sophomore Charlie Rose.

Stonington, 11th in the ECC, lost top runner Ryan Lee to soccer. Junior Ted Peglow is the top returnee.

Montville, 12th in the ECC, may be ready to make a move with a nucleus of young talent. Dan Linkinhoker was 48th in the ECC as a freshman last year. Juniors Joe Rainville and Jesse Joseph and sophomore Kevin Fitzgerald are also back.