Madison McGarry didn’t just win the 43rd Wickham Park XC Invitational on October 10. She straight up dominated the Medium Division race, leaving seasoned junior Mercy standout Cora Wasiolek in her dust. This freshman came out swinging and showed everyone in Connecticut cross country that she’s not here to mess around.
McGarry’s Confidence Is Unstoppable
McGarry wasn’t just fast, she was smart. She moved into the lead *before* the notorious ‘Green Monster’ part of the course. Talk about guts! After her victory, she said, “I feel like I train very hard and that training gives me the confidence to know that I could win this.” That’s the mindset of a champion right there, plain and simple. She knew she could do it, kept herself in it, and trusted she’d catch up on the flat parts. And she did. Her 18:15.1 time in a September 15 home meet against Farmington and Northwest Catholic still stands as the fifth-fastest in the entire state, according to Athletic.net. Think about that: a freshman, already top five in Connecticut. In the Central Connecticut Conference (CCC), her time is only behind two seniors, Lauren Parrett of Glastonbury and Harper Shirley of Manchester. McGarry sets high goals, so don’t be surprised when she delivers quality runs at the CCC meet on Tuesday and the Class MM championship on October 31 at Wickham Park. She’s coming for it all.
Brining Leaves Her Mark, Too
Over in the Small Division race at the Wickham invite, Ashley Brining from Hale Ray didn’t grab first place, but she sure left an impression. Tolland senior Rebecca Langlais, who actually won the race, couldn’t stop raving about Brining, calling her “incredible.” Langlais, who won the Medium Division the year before, was totally blown away, saying she couldn’t “even imagine how amazing it must feel for her to be able to run so fast so early.” Brining’s fastest time this season hit 18:41.6 at the 14th Connecticut River Valley Invitational on September 19, making it the state’s eighth-fastest. Among Shoreline Conference runners, only senior Charlotte Behnke of Haddam-Killingworth has a faster time. Brining is gearing up for the Shoreline championship meet this Thursday at Hammonasset Beach State Park and then the Class S state championship on October 31 at Wickham Park. Keep an eye on her, because like McGarry, she’s just getting started.
These freshmen are straight up changing the game. We’ve also got Madeline Lamb from Glastonbury, who ran 19:19.1 at the Maine XC Festival of Champions, putting her at 26th in the state, and Lacey D’Amato from Ledyard, with a 19:36 time ranked 38th. With the postseason meets on the horizon, Madison McGarry and Ashley Brining are poised to make some serious noise. The CCC girls’ race kicks off at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, and the Shoreline championship girls’ race starts at 2 p.m. on Thursday. Get ready, because these young runners are about to show Connecticut what the future looks like.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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