By Michael Letendre

MANCHESTER – Both the Bristol Central and Bristol Eastern girls cross country teams made good showings at the Central Connecticut Conference championships on Tuesday afternoon from Wickham Park in Manchester.

In terms of the CCC South race, Berlin’s Natalia Kmita won the division’s championship with a time of 20:40.5.  

And Middletown’s Elsie Kennedy was the runner-up in 21:10.9.

On a local front, Eastern’s Fiona Gallagher wasn’t far off the mark, cashing in with a time of 22:27.6 while Central’s Maura Waters was also tremendous, nabbing a 17th place finish in 23:56.

Another half-dozen athletes from Bristol also made impressive showings up and down the race.

Katie Tran (Central, 28th, 25:07.3), Lauren Ayotte (Eastern, 33rd, 25;40.9), Sophia Stark (Central, 35th, 26:28.5), Johannie Juarez (Central, 36th, 26:46.1), Shillelagh Gallagher (Eastern, 37th, 27:07.7), and Gianna Leone (Central, 42nd, 31:13.6) were some of the standouts from the Mum City.

The CCC South team championship went to Berlin this year behind a 33-point effort.

Runner-up Middletown added up 62 points, Plainville took third (75), Maloney earned fourth (91), Lewis Mills chimed in with a fifth place showing (106) while Bristol Central followed right behind (144).

The Eastern girls did not score as a team.

Overall, Central finished in 23rd place overall with 631 points and was sixth in the CCC South (144).

Glastonbury won the CCC Title over a 41 point performance while Hall of West Hartford was the runner-up (69 points).

Edwin O. Smith took third place (99 points), Simsbury was a distant fourth (201), while Tolland drew fifth (220) to round out the top five.

JV Race

In the JV showdown, Eastern’s Ryan Braccia finished the race in 26:23.3  for 60th place while teammate Rita Gao (27:07) placed 71st overall.

Other top finishers included Eastern’s Jocelyn Agostino (118th, 29:13.8),  and Central’s Rachel Griffin (170th, 33:10.6) and Janelle Brand (174th, 34:44.2). 

CCC South Girls Cross Country Championships – October 19

from Wickham Park, Manchester

Team Results: Berlin (Champion, 33 points), Middletown (Runner-up, 62); 3. Plainville (75), 4. Maloney (91), 5. Lewis Mills (106), 6. Bristol Central (144).

Individual Results

CCC South Champion – Natalia Kmita (Berlin), 20:40.5  

Runner-up – Elsie Kennedy (Middletown), 21:10.9

Notables from Bristol Central and Bristol Eastern

5. Fiona Gallagher (Bristol Eastern), 22:27.6

17. Maura Waters (Bristol Central), 23:56

28. Katie Tran (Bristol Central), 25:07.3

33. Lauren Ayotte (Bristol Eastern), 25;40.9

35. Sophia Stark (Bristol Central), 26:28.5

36. Johannie Juarez (Bristol Central), 26:46.1

37. Shillelagh Gallagher (Bristol Eastern), 27:07.7

42. Gianna Leone (Bristol Central), 31:13.6