By Christopher DeMuth
The 35th Annual Wilton Cross Country Invitational held at Allen’s Meadow on September 14th brought together high school cross country teams from across Connecticut and neighboring states for a competitive meet on a sunny, cool Saturday.
Among the standout teams was New Canaan, finishing 3rd overall in a field of over 20 schools. The Rams displayed their depth and determination throughout the grueling 5,000-meter course, edging out teams like Southington and Glastonbury with a final score of 100 points, just one point shy of Staples (99) and trailing only E.O. Smith (45), who took the top spot.
Leading the charge for New Canaan was senior Ryan Boulanger, who crossed the finish line in 16:39.06, earning him 11th place overall in a talented field of nearly 200 runners. Boulanger was followed closely by teammates Spencer Paine (17:07.57) and John Disturco (17:08.56), both seniors who finished in the top 25, showcasing the strength of New Canaan’s upperclassmen. Sophomore Charles Cavanagh (17:30.26) and freshman Faizal Zakir Hussain (17:44.38) rounded out the scoring pack, highlighting the team’s promising underclassmen.
Despite narrowly missing 2nd place, New Canaan’s performance proved their competitiveness heading into the heart of the cross country season. Head Coach Bill Martin praised the boys’ effort, stating, “It was a great team performance today. Every runner pushed hard, and we’re excited to build on this as the season progresses.”
The event, known for its challenging terrain and deep competition, also saw impressive individual performances from across the region. Newtown’s Soheib Dissa captured 1st place with a blazing time of 15:26.29, setting the tone for the fast-paced race. Loomis Chaffee’s Alex Fisher (15:36.62) and John Jay’s Andy Condon (15:49.32) followed to round out the top three.
For New Canaan, this strong finish will provide motivation as they prepare for upcoming meets, with their eyes set on continued improvement and a competitive showing at states. After the event, junior runner Ryan Monohan commented, “New Canaan overall did really good, the top 7 was really strong that meet and we ended up winning the large school division which is great. Each of the members of the team regardless of the race they competed in showed up, and gave it their all regardless of the hot weather. Performing this well at a meet of such caliber shows nothing but great promise for the future of the team and I’m honestly really excited to see what we can accomplish in the post season.”
The Rams’ next challenge will come in the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference (FCIAC) championships, where they hope to carry this momentum forward.
