Boys Cross Country Team

The 2011 Darien High School (DHS) Boys Cross Country Team completed its historic season by earning a spot on the list of New England’s Top 10 high school boys cross country squads. In a season of historicachievements, the Blue Wave added this latest ‘first’ to the DHS history books at the 77th New England Association High School Cross Country Championship meet, held on November 11 at Ponagansett High School in North Scituate, RI.

The BlueWave out ran 21 of 30 of the region’s most elite high school cross country teams from Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. The team had already made DHS history by even qualifying for the meet, so its top 10 finish was an unanticipated final flourish to its incredible season. Each of the 30 teams competing at the meet represented the ‘best of the best’ of New England’s boys high school cross country programs: all were state champions or runners up in their respective divisions. So this field of 30 was pared down from the approximately 500+ total teams across the five New England states that participated in their state championship races.

Running under perfect early fall conditions with bluebird skies and a brisk wind, the Darien harriers scored 319 points, earning them a 9th place finish overall, and fourth of the Connecticut teams in the meet. In a field of 275 runners, the Blue Wave put two of its runners in the top 100 and four in the top 150.

Finishing first for Darien and 40th overall was co-captain Michael Johnston, who posted a time of 16:40 for the 5K race. Second for Darien and 100th overall was co-captain Charlie Baird, who crossed the finish in 17:09. Co-captain Michael Coe finished in 17:19, third for the Blue Wave and 124thoverall. Sophomore Marshall Huffman finished behind Coe in fourth for Darien and 135th overall, coming across the finish line in 17:23. Freshman Alex Ostberg was the Blue Wave’s fifth finisher in the race, and 154th overall, with a time of 17:30; co-captain Eli Converse came in at 17:53, for 203rd place; and sophomore Peter Kreuch finished in 18:41, in the 254th spot.

According to DHS Boys Cross Country Head Coach Tyson Kaczmarek, the Blue Wave’s strong showing at the New England meet was a fitting end-of-season statement, not just about his runners’ talent, but their dedication. “They deserved to be here. They earned this. It was awesome. The whole experience was great. This group of boys worked so hard this year. I’m so proud of them. We earned our place in this meet,” Kaczmarek observed.

"The meet was a lot of fun. It was a fitting end to one of the best seasons this team has ever had,” noted co-captain Eli Converse. “Everyone had been working hard since the very beginning. This was the reward for our effort."

“We started off this season telling people ‘we mean business,’ and we proved it,” said co-captain Charlie Baird. “We beat Danbury. We won Wickham. We went undefeated, won the Class L State Title, and did so well at the State Open that we qualified for New Englands. So making the Top 10 teams in New England is just the icing on the cake for just us. What an awesome season.”