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Battle
Senior Joel Koleszar (front) and classmate Charlie Caggiano battle Fitch and Windham and each other in the Senior Day race for the Centaurs. Photo by Marc Allard.
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Far left: Senior Julia Coyle reaches for the first-place card. Junior Christian Menounos kicks to the finish line as he placed first overall in 16 minutes, 41 seconds against Fitch and Windham. Photos by Marc Allard.
There was a moment when Woodstock Academy boys’ cross-country coach Josh Welch thought his hopes for a win over Fitch were going to be dashed.
The Centaurs’ fifth runner, Sam Greene, fell ill and had to drop from the race Tuesday.
“I didn’t anticipate winning without him so it’s solid that we did. I’m happy to see it,” Welch said after his Centaurs overcame that adversity and downed both Fitch, 26-30, and Windham 16-43.
It was special for the team because it came in its only home meet of the season and, for that reason, it was also Senior Day for the Centaurs.
“The team did great and it was the last time the seniors will be running here. They had a great race and it’s a nice tradition where we’re doing senior posters. It’s an exciting day here for our only home meet,” said junior Christian Menounos.
Menounos finished first in 16 minutes, 41 seconds but he also accomplished another task.
“I wanted to pace Colton (Sallum) for two miles at his pace and in the last mile, separate myself a little bit and go for the win. It was more of a workout day for us,” the junior said.
Sallum didn’t fall too far off the pace as he finished second in 17:27.
The Falcons (4-3, 0-2 ECC Div. I) did sneak a pair of runners, Ryan Denning and Julien Silva, in at third and fourth overall before Woodstock senior Joel Koleszar came home in fifth.
“This was a pretty good race for me. I just wanted to go out there and beat my teammate, Charlie Caggiano, and I pulled it out but it was a close, fun race,” Koleszar said. “This is a trickier course than normal but I was happy that the girls ran first and the sun went down so we got to run in the shade.”
The temperature was a balmy 78 degrees at the start of the girls’ race and may have cooled a bit by the time the boys got on the course.
Caggiano was right behind Koleszar, finishing just 21 seconds off his teammate’s pace, to place seventh overall.
“They’re both great kids,” Welch said of Koleszar and Caggiano. “Charlie has turned into a solid leader. Having worked with him for a couple of years, it wasn’t immediately obvious that he had leadership potential but he has found a great voice and Joel as well. He’s not so much a vocal leader but more of a by example guy.”
It’s something that Koleszar is going to miss.
“I love the team and the sport,” the senior said. “Even though I’m not the fastest, the two juniors are faster, I like the community and going out there and giving it my best.”
The key to the race turned out to be freshman Bronson Eddy who stepped up to finish 12th overall and helped the Centaurs (5-1, 1-1) clinch the two victories.
“It was a little warm, not ideal conditions, but it was nice for a Tuesday dual meet. I like the course, it’s challenging, there is a lot of tall grass and your feet sink making it tough to run in. There is a decent amount of hills. It’s not true cross-country like trail-wise but it’s a good course for our area,” Menounos said.
It just takes a little time to set up.
Since it was the only race of the season at Pomfret, Welch was out on Sunday for about five hours setting things up. He went back out on Monday morning to shore up any loose ends.
“It’s a solid course with a variety of terrain. I miss some of the hills of being at the (Woodstock) Fairgrounds but this is a good spot and it came together pretty well,” Welch said.
Menounos Finishes 2nd
The boys’ cross-country team was supposed to compete in the Wickham Park Invitational in Manchester Saturday but it was cancelled for rain predictions. So coach Josh Welch encouraged junior Christian Menounos to travel to Devens, Mass. to compete in the Bay State Invitational.
Menounos was happy he did as he finished second in the Varsity A race.
Menounos crossed the line in 15 minutes, 58 seconds, second to Devin Moreau of Greater Lowell Tech who finished in 15:32.
Menounos’ time, however, was the fifth fastest time recorded in the three races which totaled some 350 runners.
Girls’ Cross-country
Cross-country runner Julia Coyle finally got to run on the Centaurs’ home course at the Pomfret Recreation Complex.
It was the first and only home meet of the season, making it the final home meet in the career of the senior.
Which made a first-place finish for Coyle all the more important.
“This meet was a tough one but it was definitely rewarding. We did a great job. I’m so proud of our team. It was awesome,” Coyle said.
The Centaurs easily held off Fitch, 20-37, and Windham, 15-50.
In fact, there was little to count at the finish line as Coyle placed first in 23 minutes, 26 seconds.
She was followed across the line by sophomore Olivia Tracy (24:46) and junior Kira Greene (25:18).
The 1-2-3 finish is an automatic win in cross-country.
“That (a win) is definitely the priority and we got it right away,” Coyle said with a smile.
She wasn’t the only one smiling.
“I’m so happy for Julia to come with a ‘W’ on Senior Day. She took it from the very beginning and never looked back. She had a mission to win and she accomplished it. It’s something she can look back on and say, ‘I won my Senior Day race’” said coach Joe Banas.
The top three runners for Woodstock stayed together for a bit but Coyle separated herself about halfway through the race.
“In every race, we start off in a pack and it’s good to get that energy out there and find your place in the race. Once you get about a mile and a half in, you find your pace and place and know what you’re headed for,” Coyle said.
The senior battled through what was a warm day for October.
“It’s a little warm, a little more humid than what we have raced in recently. That was a change and everybody is definitely feeling it but we still did great,” Coyle said.
Both Tracy and Greene made it across the finish line but both were clearly affected by the conditions.
“They might have been better off if they had not gone out with (Coyle) in the early stages and then having Avery (Schaefer) coming in was great too because she is the future,” Banas said.
Schaefer, only a freshman, finished fourth overall, Julia Tellier was ninth for the Centaurs who improved to 4-2 overall and 1-1 in Division I of the Eastern Connecticut Conference.
The Centaurs were supposed to run in the Wickham Park Invitational Saturday but that meet was cancelled due to rain.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
.