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09/16/2018 12:00 AMThe Guilford boys’ cross country squad enters 2018 with a lineup that features some experienced runners who are looking to lead to the Indians to another division title and a top spot at the Class MM State Championship. Head Coach Jon Rivera is also focused on helping some of his other athletes progress, so the Indians can field a complete pack of well-rounded runners this fall.
Last season, Guilford defeated Hand and Foran in a tri-meet to win its third straight SCC Hammonasset Division championship, which marked the team’s ninth division title since 2008. The Indians finished 8-1 overall on the dual-meet season and were 4-0 in the division. Coach Rivera’s team went on to finish in seventh place at the SCC Championship and then took third place in the Class MM State Championship.
Rivera said that he feels “cautiously optimistic” as the new season gets underway. Even though a few quality athletes have graduated from his team, Rivera is happy that the Indians are bringing back some key people who can help Guilford’s varsity newcomers find their footing.
“We have a hard-working group here. We lost some experience, but we have a good collection of guys,” said Rivera. “We have to also keep everyone healthy. If we pack well, then we can surprise some teams this year. This team has a lot of potential.”
Senior Will Dinauer returns to the Indians as a co-captain in his second year as a member of the varsity squad, while Ben Crair has risen to the rank of captain for his junior season. Coach Rivera said that Dinauer and Crair lead the team through their unparalleled work ethics.
“Will has been a hard worker since day one. He has good leadership skills and is reliable. He’s a guy who works through adversity,” Rivera said. “Ben is a natural-born leader and is mature beyond his years. He’s a team-first guy.”
Another veteran in Guilford’s lineup is senior Elijah Dillon, who was the team’s top runner last season. The Indians also have a few contenders who are looking to fill out the rest of their varsity pack. Juniors Jacob Shiffrin, Ethan Shaw, and McKendry Eschinger are in the mix, while sophomore Reese Puchalski returns following a resounding rookie year.
“Elijah has been our top runner the last few seasons and does a lot of training on his own. He’s a hard worker and will be our No. 1 runner again,” Rivera said. “Those juniors have a good shot to contribute, and McKendry is new to cross country, but he did do track previously. Reese had a solid freshman year, and we look to see a sophomore jump. Our numbers are up with 27 guys in the program, so we have open competition for those three spots.”
The Indians started their campaign with a meet against Foran, East Haven, and Cross at Eisenhower Park in Milford on Sept. 12. Guilford defeated both Foran and East Haven by 15-50 finals, while taking a 23-34 defeat against Cross. The Indians are 2-1 overall and 1-0 in their division.
Guilford is competing at a few major invitational meets to prepare for the postseason this year, in addition to taking on some top-notch SCC adversaries during its dual-meet schedule.
“The Wilton Invitational is a good starting point for us to gauge where we are. The Wickham Park Invitational in October will be a tune-up before the SCC and state meets,” said Rivera. “We will face Xavier and Amity, which are two strong teams.”
Last season, the Indians came up just one spot shy of qualifying for the State Open Championship with their third-place performance in the Class MM meet. Guilford has its sights set on making the Open as a team this year, in addition to maintaining its foothold on the throne in the SCC Hammonasset Division.
“Individually, we did OK at states last year, but we would like to send more people to the State Open this year,” Coach Rivera said. “As a team, we compete in a tough SCC. Xavier is one of the best teams in the state, and Amity is a powerhouse. In the states meet, we would like to win or be a runner-up. We want to be consistent in our dual meets, and we want to win the division again. We’ve done that a lot for a while and want to keep that tradition going.”
• This is Jon Rivera’s fourth season as head coach of the Guilford boys’ cross country team. He also serves as head coach for the Indians’ girls’ outdoor track squad during the spring.
• Stephanie Phillips is Guilford’s assistant coach for the 2018 season.
• Guilford competes in the SCC Hammonasset Division with Hand, Law, Foran, and Hillhouse.