Only two Upper Valley cross country coaches have been at their posts for more than a decade, and both work at Thetford Academy. Joe Deffner and Emily Silver will guide the Panthers for their 17th consecutive season this fall. The boys return as VPA Division III state champions, and the girls will look to crack the podium after claiming fifth-place honors.
Rivendell, Sharon and White River Valley have joined the Southern Vermont League, which replaced the Marble Valley League. WRV, however, will not field a cross country team this season because of low numbers. Two top-10 finishers at last year’s Vermont state meet will be prowling the local trails this fall: Woodstock’s Riley Shepherd (fifth in the D-II boys race) and Sharon Academy’s Laila Reimanis (seventh among D-III girls).
Across the river, Hanover’s program remains strong following third- and fifth-place finishes by the Marauder boys and girls, respectively, at the NHIAA D-II state meet. Lebanon’s girls were fourth and its boys claimed seventh at the D-III championships, but the Raiders have since returned to Division II.
Three Upper Valley programs have new head coaches: Newport (Emma Wilson); Oxbow (Cassie Saikin) and Woodstock (Martha Perkins and Kate Kardashian).
Co-coaches: Eric Picconi (7) and Dorcas DenHartog (2).
Last Year: Boys placed third at states, 10th at Meet of Champions. Girls placed fifth at states, 10th at MOC.
Leagues: NHIAA Division II, Connecticut Valley Conference.
Returnees: Seniors — Daniel Bandler, Ian Nolon, Trevor Siegel, Eric Goodney, Matt Bonner, Joe Brennan, Chrissy Aman, Peiper Thomas (abroad in 2018), Diego Aspinwall (abroad in 2018). Juniors — Daniel Frost, Catherine Bregou, Caroline Loescher, Bridget Meehan, Riley Roach. Sophomores — Spencer May, Luke Holmes, Charlotte Tagupa, Miriam Herron.
Newcomers: “It’s hard to say who will be racing varsity at this point,” co-coach Picconi said. “But a few have shown they have done the summer training and will certainly surprise other teams when they have the chance.” Picconi cited freshmen Meg Frost, Mack Levy and Adam Gilbert-Diamond as examples.
Analysis: “We are fortunate to begin with a crew that took the summer training seriously, and our fitness is great,” Picconi said. “Now we get to train together and push one another. The boys are enthusiastic for this fall and want to face off against the other Division II powerhouses. They would be happy to unseat either Coe-Brown or Oyster River at states and be in a good position to qualify for races beyond that. A core of upperclassmen like Matt Bonner, Daniel Bandler, Eric Goodney, Ian Nolon, Trevor Siegel and Daniel Frost will take the reins and lead a big crop of promising new runners, so we have the depth when it’s needed most.
“Many of the girls are running with confidence and the readiness of veterans,” Picconi added. “Chrissy Aman, Charlotte Tagupa, Caroline Loescher and Catherine (Bregou) will shape this team and teach them about running smart and turning on the competitive gear at the right time. They will also look to jump a few teams as we reach the last weeks of October.”
Coach: Michael Finley (2).
Last Year: Girls placed ninth at state meet, boys were MVL-B champions and 15th at states. Aaron Mitchell, John Kasten and Katie Trombley were all-league.
Leagues: VPA Division II, Southern Vermont League.
Returnees: Seniors — A.J. DeFelice, Aaron Mitchell, Jessica Patterson, Cecelia Spaulding. Juniors — Alex Marshall, Clementine Philip, Zachary Schneider, Katie Trombley, Bea Wendling. Sophomores — Drew Boyce, Kayla Burnham, Bethany Davis, John Kasten.
Newcomers: Juniors — Pau Adroher, Jalen Labonte, Benjamin Rushton, Finnian Sunde. Freshmen — Laura Belmont, Rylee Burnham, Sophia Ofstad, Anthem Philip, Finn Walther, Cecilia Wendling.
Analysis: The Hurricanes will enjoy the comforts of a home course for the second consecutive year. Finley is back as the sole head coach after sharing the duties last season. “We have a great team this year with a lot of returning veterans and a promising group of incoming first-year students,” he said. “Both our boys team and our girls team stand a strong chance of competing at the top of our division.”
Coach: Kevin Lozeau (6).
Last Year: Girls were fourth at D-III meet, boys seventh.
Leagues: NHIAA Division II, Connecticut Valley Conference.
Returnees: Seniors — Roneet Arora, Nate Brown, Cody Davis, Brendan Freeman, Eric Gessner, Keenan Leuthauser, Celia Barnett, Quinn Beek, Maria Goodwin, Emma Herndon, Abigail Snow, Irina Stan, Maddie Wolfe. Juniors — Aiden Brandt, Chenji Yuan, Ana Goodwin, Avery Kantor. Sophomores — Micah Achmoody, Dylan Budner, Ethan Eshbaugh, Sam Shipman, Sophia Amaro, Maya Barnett, Zoe Chinn, Brianna DeBanico.
Newcomers: Seniors — Audrey Perotti, Anna Bieszczad. Juniors — Jacob Smith, Sanjana Koli, Elena Izquierdo Sacristan. Sophomores — Yanhong Liu, Andrei Tietjen, Simón Amaro. Freshmen — Cooper Anderson, Diego Luis Dela Cruz, Carlos Kennelly, Samual Nichols, Griffin Urnezis, Saywer Weale, Vickie Ni, Morgan Kantor, Isabella Hastings, Ella Gessner.
Analysis: “The boys return to Division II after getting hit hard by graduation,” Lozeau said. “Senior captain Cody Davis is looking to contend with the top runners in the state, and he will be joined by a large group of younger returners and new runners with plenty of unproven potential. The girls are coming off of their best-ever season, where they finished fourth in Division III to qualify for their first Meet of Champions in school history. This year, they return to Division II having graduated none of their top seven runners. Senior captains Emma Herndon and Abigail Snow are joined by a trio of sophomores in Brianna DeBanico, Sophia Amaro and Zoe Chinn, who look to contend with the top of the division.”
Coach: Tom Warner (6).
Last Year: Too few runners for team scores at state meet. Zoe Stanford finished 106th in the girls race. Gabe Rock was 111th in the boys race.
League: NHIAA Division III.
Returnees: Seniors — Theresa Curtis, Zoe Stanford. Juniors — Gabe Rock, Gaige Hollis. Sophomores — Meghan Clough, Peyton Morley.
Newcomers: Juniors — Alayna Miller, Dirk Andrew, Dylan Emerson. Sophomore — Ella Barrat. Freshmen — Elena Trempe, Jack Buffington, Larkin Jukosky.
Analysis: “For the first time in several years, we will have enough runners on both squads to score at meets,” Warner said. “We have both newcomers and returnees who look to make a solid impact in the scoring. (It) should be a good season.”
Coach: Emma Nelson (1).
Last Year: Too few runners for team scores at state meet. Katrina Pickering placed 73rd.
League: NHIAA Division III.
Returnees: Katrina Pickering, Quin Johnson, Allison Howald.
Newcomers: None as of press time.
Analysis: The Tigers are too few in numbers to compete as a team, but individual runners will be ready to go. Nelson was a Tigers track and field assistant in the spring. “Our main goals this season are to recruit and try to improve personal goals every week,” she said, “Whether it’s a PR or getting through an entire race.”
Coach: Cassie Saikin (1).
Last Year: Boys took eighth at states; girls finished 12th.
League: VPA Division III.
Returnees: Sophomores — Samuel Corti, Nora Fahey, Mackenzie Ball, Helina Torres-Dindo.
Newcomers: Freshmen — Isabelle Chen, Soraya Moreno, Aiden Morse, Hayden Palmer.
Analysis: “We have a lot of returning runners with a variety of experience and endurance,” Cassie Saikin said. “Everyone is working hard, pushing themselves and having fun to build a strong running base. As the season goes on, we will continue to build in more speed and resistance training, which I think will really take our runners to the next level. I am excited to see how all of our runners progress, improve and grow throughout this season.”
Coach: Eric Reichert (5).
Last Year: Too few runners for team scores at state meet.
Leagues: VPA Division III, Southern Vermont League.
Returnee: Junior — Sierra Flagg.
Newcomers: Natalie Martin, Merle Russell.
Analysis: Rivendell’s small program is hoping to grow its numbers early in the season, said Reichert, who expressed appreciation for those he has. “Cross country runners show all the traits of great athletes,” he said. “They must be determined, motivated and focused on personal improvement. I admire these runners because they are committing to the arduous task of running 3.1 miles (or more) on hills while always seeking athletic improvement. I look forward to coaching this group and any other runners who are interested in trekking through the woods.”
Coach: Kevin Gish (9).
Last Year: Laila Reimanis finished seventh at state meet; Phoenix girls took eighth. Too few runners for boys team score; Desmond Piccicuto was 22nd.
Leagues: VPA Division III, Southern Vermont League, Connecticut Valley Conference.
Returnees: Seniors — Sophie Chesnut, Laila Reimanis. Junior — Desmond Piccicuto. Sophomore — Caitlyn Ryan.
Newcomers: Juniors — Emme Jenisch, Xia Gillespie, Ewan McCrae. Sophomore — Eve Huntington. Freshmen — Charlotte Reimanis, Avery Swett.
Analysis: “With our largest team ever, the girls are excited and looking to be truly competitive as a team this year,” Gish said. “The team is led by senior captains Laila Reimanis and Sophie Chesnut, with solid running experience and summer training. On the boys side, Des Piccicuto is aiming to improve individually and has been working hard to make that happen. Our newcomers are providing excitement and seem genuinely interested in putting in the work at every practice.”
Co-coaches: Joe Deffner and Emily Silver (17).
Leagues: VPA Division III, Southern Vermont League.
Last Year: Boys were MVL and state champions. Girls took fifth at states.
Returnees: Seniors — Elle Dixon, Emily Trage, Eamon Deffner, Jason Wolstenholme. Sophomore — Layla Hanissian.
Newcomers: Seniors — Morgan Gaffney, Tad Darrah, Tyler Wojcik. Junior — Lizzy Fisher. Sophomores — Olivia Sayers, Tobin Durham, Dan Wolstenholme. Freshmen — Madelyn Durkee, Abigail Egner, Jada Rich, Ariana Cooney, Alena Demidova, Harley Ransom.
Analysis: Thetford, annual host of the Vermont state championship meet, has a strong nucleus of runners. Joe Deffner, who has shared head coaching duties with Emily Silver for the better part of two decades, likes what he sees. “On the boys side, even though we only have two returning letterwinners, we picked up a number of strong runners with running experience in track and field, and we expect to be competitive in October,” he said.
“On the girls side, we’ve lost one to graduation, and Eloise Silver-Van Meter will be at the Mountain School this semester. But we have a talented new group with lots of freshmen, a sophomore and a junior. They’re very coachable and seem motivated to push themselves and each other.”
Coach: Kabray Rockwood (4).
Leagues: VPA Division III, Southern Vermont League.
Last Year: Girls were MVL-B champions, finished ninth at state meet. Boys had too few runners at states for team score; Ethan Lawyer finished 63rd.
Returnees: Seniors — Olivia Rockwood, Angelina Bigwood. Juniors — Trace Petermann, Ethan Lawyer.
Newcomers: Junior — Owen Abrahamson. Freshmen — Liam Attwood, Evan Burke, Skylar Thibodeau, Oli Holden.
Analysis: “Our boys team is a mixture of youth and experience,” Kabray Rockwood said. “We hope to get big contributions from freshman Liam Attwood and track standout Owen Abrahamson. We also hope that Trace Petermann, Ethan Lawyer and Evan Burke can take the necessary steps forward to make us a competitive team. Our girls team’s success will depend heavily on the schedule. We hope to be able to borrow a few more girls from the soccer and field hockey teams in order to score at the meets.”
Co-coaches: Kate Kardashian and Martha Perkins (1).
Leagues: VPA Division II, Southern Valley League.
Last Year: The girls team placed fourth at the state meet, led by Molly Shearer in 22nd place. The boys placed sixth, paced by Riley Shepherd in fifth.
Returnees: Seniors — Erica Kurash, Owen Coates. Juniors — Riley Shepherd, Molly Shearer, Wilbur Adams, Alex Inglis, Calef Hepler. Sophomores — Morgan Myers, Quinn Giordano.
Newcomers: Seniors — Allison Leibly, Abby Duane, Kit Oney. Freshmen — Mateo Bango, Harrison McCrae, Zed McNaughton.
Analysis: “This is a building year for the girls team,” Perkins said. “We have a goal of increasing our numbers and interest in running cross country. The girls team is currently small, but dynamic, energetic and enthusiastic. … They’ve responded well to early-season workouts, and they are on the outlook for recruits. We have a strong group of boys who have already packed well in our early-season workouts.
“Riley Shepherd, our No. 1 runner, comes into this season with his strongest preseason base yet. His preparedness is inspirational to this team. Collectively, the boys team is running tight and setting high goals.”