By Senior Correspondent Marty Ogden, Editing and Graphics by Ron Knapp
In honor of MySportsResults 25 years of covering Connecticut high school track & field and cross country, we continue our look back at 25 of the best male athletes over the past quarter of a century for the cross country season. If you think we are missing some of your favorite athletes then welcome to our dilemma since trying to put 25 athletes from the last 25 years was nearly an unbelievable task.
We hope you enjoy the next part of our overdue series as we continue with the males who made an impact on our sport since the fall of 2000. Additional segments will feature the remaining group of female athletes who have influenced the state’s cross country scene since 2000.
Austin Gilbert, Ridgefield, Class of 2015
Gilbert kept getting better as the season went along his senior year. He was 2nd in Class LL, 5th in Open and 3rd at New England behind Ostberg and Klau. At the Open he ran 15:46 which is still tied for the 25th fastest individual on the course. He was the surprise winner at the Nike Northeast Regional meet and finished 34th at NXN. The Tiger was 7th at the Open his junior year and grabbed the last medal at New Englands to play 25th.
Alex Ostberg, Darien, Class of 2015
No one has ever had a better season than Alex Ostberg did in the fall of 2014. He was Class L champion as a junior, 3rd at the Open and 2nd at New Englands, but he reached an entire other level as a senior. He won the Manhattan Invitational in 11:57.2 which was the 2nd fastest time on the historic course that has remained the same for nearly a century. He went on to win the Class L title again and won the State Open in 14:58, becoming the only boy to ever break 15 minutes on Wickham’s 5k course. He continued his season winning New Englands and the Foot Locker Northeast Regional championship in 2014. At Nationals he earned All American by finishing in 9th place. He was named the 2013 and 2014 Gatorade Athlete of the Year.
Ari Klau, William Hall, Class of 2015
Some years are deeper than others. Klau finished 2nd at the Open his senior year behind Alex Ostberg’s course record run. His time of 15:34 is the 13th fastest individual on the course and he would have won a championship 12 of the 17 years since the course was reconfigured in 2006. He was Class LL Champion, 2nd at New Englands, 3rd at Foot Locker NE Regional and 22nd at Foot Locker Nationals. His junior year he was Class L runner-up and 10th…
CLICK HERE to Read the Full Original Article at RunnerSpace News…