Seven GHS girls cross-country runners finished the 2023 season by competing in Maine earlier this month. From left: Maya Drelichowski, Ava Gattinella, Lila Garbett, Brooke Strauss, Olivia McKay, Jackie Dudus, and Abby Mathew represented the Guardians at the New England Championship in Belfast, ME. Assistant coach Brian Gaudreau is pictured with the runners.
After four illustrious years on the local trails, seniors Jackie Dudus and Ava Gattinella wrapped up their cross-country careers at Glastonbury High School by helping the Guardians to a fourth-place finish at the New England Championship in Maine on Nov. 11. The team’s finish was the highest of any Connecticut team at the six-state event, which also featured high school teams from Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Junior Brooke Strauss was the first runner from Connecticut to cross the finish line, placing third with a time of 17:49.72, earning her All-New England honors. For Dudus and Gattinella, who also run together during indoor and outdoor track seasons, it was their last chance to help a Guardians cross-country program that has been a consistent force since their arrivals. “I’m honored, it’s been so great to be part of such a good team,” said Dudus. “There is a lot of competition between ourselves and each one of us pushes each other to do better. I don’t think a lot of people get that chance to be with such a competitive team, so I am grateful to be part of it.” Gattinella added, “Running three seasons in a row makes us a lot closer [and] we’ve all become super close.” The current group of seniors entered the high school when the Covid-19 pandemic was still limiting competition. As freshmen in 2020, they now-senior runners experienced a restricted fall season with only a few regular season meets and no postseason races in the state. But over the past three years, the team has made up for the lost time by winning a pair of Class LL titles (2021 and 2022), along with bringing home the State Open title last fall – the program’s first since 2017. In the State Open victory a year ago, Strauss won the event overall, while Dudus (16th) and Gattinella (21st) rounded out the returning Guardians runners that scored at the meet. Head coach Brian Collins commended Dudus and Gattinella for continuing to compete this season despite injury and illness setbacks. “They both put a lot of time and effort into it,” added Collins, “Every single sport, every single team goes through sickness and injuries and you hope and pray that it’s not at the wrong time and it was our turn. It’s part of it and you have to live with it.” Despite the obstacles this season, the team still finished as the runner-up at the Class LL meets and third overall at the State Open. Prior to the trip to Maine, Gattinella said the team was going to make the most of their final road trip, while Dudus reflected on the last four years, referring to the team a “second family.” “We’ve been lucky to have this experience.” Dudus added. “It’s really hard to see a future without the team, but eventually it has to end.” The team made the most of their time in Maine as the Guardians got revenge on the two teams that edged them at states, besting both Greenwich and Cheshire, who finished one and two in the State Open. GHS runners scoring behind Strauss were junior Lila Garbett (58th / 19:17.23), sophomore Abby Mathew (97th / 19:59), Dudus (107th / 20:06), and Gattinella (116th / 20:11). Olivia McKay (20:52) and Maya Drelichowski (22:02) also competed in the event in Belfast, ME. Drelichowski, a senior who ran cross-country for the first time this fall, said she has enjoyed her experience during her first season on the trails. “It’s been a lot of fun and you get to push yourself and see how far you can get,” she added. “Everyone is so nice and we all support each other and work off each other to get better,” she added. Following the class meet, Strauss credited the seniors for having a big influence on her, adding, “I will miss them a lot. They were a year older than me when I came in, but some of them were kind of the reason I joined cross-country.” “It’s really awesome how friendly everyone is,” added Strauss. “We practice six days a week for two hours, so we spend a lot of time with each other and have gotten super close” With Strauss again leading the pack next fall, the team will again be in position to compete against the best teams in the state and regionally. Collins said that losing three seniors in his top seven runners this year will be hard to replace, but added that the departing seniors are leaving after having set a positive example. “We appreciate what each of these girls have done and the effort they put in,” added Collins. “To see them keep improving from one season to the next has been special.”
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AuthorSports Editor for the Rare Reminder, Glastonbury Citizen, and Rivereast News Bulletin Archives
April 2024
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