Friday, September 13 marked the 12th year of the Harry Geraghty Invitational Meet, hosted in Nevers Park by South Windsor High School Cross Country.
The meet is in memory of Coach Harry Geraghty, a beloved track and cross country coach who mentored Rockville, South Windsor and Wethersfield High School runners. He passed away in 2011 and the meet has been held in his honor since 2012.
Colorful flags lining Nevers Park were visible from the road last Thursday. The park was transformed for the Friday afternoon event with rows and rows of course markers strung across soccer fields to clearly separate the runners route from spectator zones.
A combination of cross country runners and Interact club members helped set up the meet and enjoyed pizza Thursday evening.
On Friday afternoon, 17 teams from across Connecticut gathered in Nevers Park to run the South Windsor 5k route in unseasonal heat. Four separate races were run starting with Boys JV, followed by Boys Varsity, Girls Varsity and Girls JV.
Teams spent the time before and after races cheering on racers and getting into the spirit of the meet. Snacks, T-shirts and bracelets were all sold to support the South Windsor cross country teams. Money raised from the bracelets goes directly towards the girls team, while the rest of the items sold raise money for the Harry Geraghty scholarship, awarded to one senior girl and boy at the end of the season.
It was a tough day for running, but South Windsor showed up with 18 runners across 4 races earning a medal for placing in the top 25. Boys and Girls Varsity teams placed 4th and 3rd overall, respectively, and Boys and Girls JV placed 2nd and 1st overall.
Many runners earned a personal record and ran their fastest time of the season so far. Home field advantage certainly helped South Windsor, and running Nevers Park’s trails everyday paid off.
Cross country has a short break from races this week, but are ready to get back at it next Tuesday, September 24 against E.O. Smith and East Hartford.
The full list of South Windsor medalists in the Harry Geraghty Invitational are listed below
Boys JV
- Graeme Taylor
- Akilan Anand
- Derek Bifolck
- Luca Corticelli
- Nolan Hathorn
- Andrew Drenga
Boys Varsity
- Aarish Kodnaney
- Gavin Lippi
Girls Varsity
- Sofia Holovastava
- Rachel Matyschsyk
- Erin Fang
- Jillian Yelle
Girls JV
- Alanna Larmand
- Sophia Gordon
- Meghan Foster
- Jane Carty
- Keerthana Toram
- Chiamaka Chidiadi
