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10/20/2018 12:00 AMThe Guilford girls’ cross country squad showed why it’s the premier program in the Southern Connecticut Conference when the Indians raced their way to another league championship last week. Guilford, which captured the conference crown last season, defended its title by turning in an excellent team performance to finish in first place at the 2018 SCC Championship meet.
Head Coach Jim Ford’s team put together a record of 10-0 during a regular season that saw Guilford win its 12th SCC Hammonasset Division title since 2004 this fall. Following their perfect dual-meet season, the Indians came into the day as the reigning champions when the SCC Championship took place at East Shore Park in New Haven on Oct. 19. Guilford was true to the task of defending its throne as the Indians took first place as a squad to claim their second consecutive SCC title and their 15th in team history.
Highlighted by three runners placing in the top eight, Guilford recorded a total 62 points to finish ahead of runner-up Amity, which posted a score of 88 points. Senior co-captain Meredith Bloss won the race by clocking in with a time of 19 minutes and 19 seconds for the Indians.
“It was excellent to see the team’s work manifest in a tangible way, and we were proud to receive our 15th SCC title,” said Bloss. “Going in there every day, putting in our best effort, that means a lot. This title felt like a validation of that.”
Bloss’s time of 19:19 earned her first place in the race ahead of second-place Ella Bradford from Hamden, who finished with a mark of 20 minutes and 20 seconds. Junior co-captain Clara Wiesler took third place for Guilford by finishing just one second behind Bradford at 20:21. Sophomore Gianna Siciliano came in eighth place for the Indians by posting a time of 20:40.
“I am beyond proud of everyone who raced,” said Wiesler. “It’s been so inspiring watching Meredith improve over the years. I am happy about my strong kick at the end that allowed me to place third. I give credit to my training partner, Gianna Siciliano, and [Coach Ford], who pushed me to work on short bursts of speed at the end of hard workouts to improve my kick.”
The Indians saw two other runners score points for the team in the SCC Championship. Junior Emma Bonz finished in 23rd place with a time of 21:26, while freshman Olivia Skapczynaski ran a time of 21:49 to take 27th place. Also competing for Guilford at SCCs were senior Alyssa Lent, who raced to a 30th-place showing with a time of 21:59; and freshman Julia Antony, who finished in 35th place behind a time of 22:09. Every runner who finished in the top 10 earned All-SCC First Team recognition. Runners who came in 13th through 24th garnered All-SCC Second Team honors.
In reflecting upon Guilford’s second straight conference championship, senior captain Bloss complimented the efforts of everyone who competes for the Indians, from the members of the senior class through the team’s underclass athletes.
“We gained a decent amount of freshmen this year who really stepped up when they were needed,” Bloss said. “Olivia Skapczynski and Julia Antony held down the fort for varsity, while [freshmen] Paige Crowley, Yanli Muhs, and Eliza McCoole ran as a strong pack and finished 2-3-4 in the [SCC freshman race]. As a small team, a lot of runners have stepped up in the regular season. Tessa Fridell and Sadie Davidson had good performances. Gianna Siciliano stepped forward with her finish today. The small size of the team holds a huge spirit.”
Fridell finished first in the SCC JV race with a time of 22:54, while Davidson came in third place by running a time of 23:27 for the Indians.
Following Guilford and Amity in the team standings for the varsity race were Cheshire (3rd, 102 points), Hand (4th, 140), Hamden (5th, 144), Cross (6th, 215), Shelton (7th, 216), Mercy (8th, 231), Law (9th, 247), Sheehan (10th, 258), Foran (11th, 264), Lauralton Hall (12th, 296), Lyman Hall (13th, 329), Branford (14th, 334), Sacred Heart Academy (15th, 338), North Haven (16th, 439), West Haven (17th, 530), and East Haven (18th, 539).
Guilford now turns its attention to the Class L State Championship, an event at which Indians finished in second place at last fall. The 2018 Class L State Championship will take place at Wickham Park in Manchester on Saturday, Oct. 27 with a 9:45 a.m. start time.