Harwood Girls XC finishes 5th in New England

Waterbury’s Ava Thurston captures 3rd in individual race

Nov. 20, 2021  |  By Waterbury Roundabout

From a meet earlier this season, Harwood Girls XC team members (left to right): Caelyn McDonough, Britta Zetterstrom, Elisa Clerici, Charlie Flint, Celia Wing, Julia Thurston, Ava Thurston. Photo courtesy Harwood XC

Harwood Girls XC wrapped up the 2021 fall season with an impressive performance at the elite New England XC Championships held on the muddy 5K trails at Thetford Academy last weekend. 

Waterbury’s Ava Thurston captured third place in the  individual race and buoyed the team fifth-place finish overall. 

The meet capped off a busy few weeks for the team that won the Vermont Division II championships and the Vermont Meet of Champions.

“Our fifth-place finish was not only the best by any Harwood team, but also the best finish by any girls Division 2 team at the New England’s,” said a proud Head Coach John Kerrigan. “We were the smallest school from the smallest state. I told the girls it was going to be like David vs. Goliath.” 

Kerrigan approached the New England competition knowing the best runners in the region would be on the course. 

“We had beaten the Rhode Island State Champions (North Kingston) and the New Hampshire State Champions (Dover) earlier in the season. We also suffered a one-point loss to the Maine State Champions (Bonny Eagle) at the Maine Festival of Champions,” Kerrigan said. “I knew going in that we had a good chance for a top-10 finish.”

Kerrigan said the team stayed focused past winning the state title. “We did not let up in our training after the state meet. Our goal was to tie or surpass the best finish by a Harwood team at the New England’s,” he said, noting that Harwood Boys XC finished seventh in 1999 and 2000. “For the first time all season, our top five girls were healthy. Several had battled back from illness and injuries.”

The atmosphere at the meet was particularly supportive of the Highlander runners given that Harwood Athletic Director Chris Langevin arranged for a fan bus to transport 50 student spectators to Thetford. “Our girls told me they felt like they were running at Harwood,” Kerrigan said of the crowd.

When the dust settled, Ava Thurston had finished third overall, but first in the team score; Harwood girls also had beaten all of the teams from Rhode Island and New Hampshire. 

“Our girls beat teams from schools with two or three times the enrollment at Harwood. We could call ourselves New England small school champions,” Kerrigan said, who competed well on the larger stage.

Top-place finishers hailed from New Milford, Connecticut, a school with 1,600 students, Kerrigan pointed out. Second place Bonny Eagle, was from one of the largest high schools in Maine with 1,100 students. Third-place finisher, Glastonbury, Connecticut, has over 2,000 students. Harwood has fewer than 500 students. “I would say that David stood strong and held his ground versus Goliath,” Kerrigan said. 

Kerrigan said he believed the Harwood team’s performance raised the bar for Division II. He said the coaches particularly wanted to recognize and thank the seniors and co-captains on the team: Ava Thurston, Britta Zetterstrom and Caelyn McDonough, who accumulated three state championships in the past four years. “Their leadership and caring for all of their teammates are the reasons why we have such a great team,” Kerrigan said on behalf of the coaching staff. “Their example has made this a very special season. One that we will never forget.” 

Kerrigan also recognized team parents, especially those of the seniors who have supported the team for the past four years.  “Thank you for your attention to the details:  concessions, transportation - especially during the covid epidemic. You allowed us coaches to just coach.” 

Kerrigan also offered his thanks to team assistant coaches Tom Cahalan, Andrew Reid, Jacob Pitman and Ryan Kerrigan. 

And finally, the veteran coach is always looking ahead. “The future looks bright as well for the Harwood Girls XC team” he said. “They will return eight of their top 12 runners for the 2022 season.”