By Senior Correspondent Marty Ogden, Editing and Graphics by Ron Knapp
The 2024 cross country season has started and MySportsResults presents a preview of our selection of several individuals who we think will contend for a top 10 finish at the Open championship on Thursday, October 31st. We will also list some of the top returners who might place in the top 25 places at the Open to earn a place on the start line for the New England Championship on Saturday, November 9th at Wickham Park in Manchester. Enjoy our selection of some of the top individual boys who should be in the lead packs this fall.
A little more than half the boys were seniors that finished in the top 25 at the Open which means a dozen of them have returned. Connecticut has a rich history of distance running and new talent is bound to emerge especially from the underclassmen. MySportsResults will be here the entire season to follow these athletes progress and look for the rising stars that are sure to emerge in the next few months.
Soheib Dissa, 12th grade, Newtown
The Newtown senior is the top returner from last year’s State Open and challenged last year’s champion Steven Hergenrother until the older runner overcame Dissa over the final few hundred meters of the race. He had a slightly off race at New Englands where he was 8th place, but was still the top CT returner. During indoor track Dissa broke 4:13 for the mile while placing 13th at New Balance Nationals Indoor but during outdoor track he reached another level winning the 1600m Open title, CIAC 3k race and took 2nd at NBNO in the 2k steeple, becoming the first CT boy under 5:50 in the event.
Luke Cushing, 11th grade, Amity
It certainly is fun watching talent emerge from winning freshman races, to earning All State and eventually contending for individual championships. Cushing won the freshman race at the Wilton Invitational two years ago and made himself a runner to watch and lived up to his potential last year as a sophomore when he placed 7th at the State Open. Seven must be his lucky number because he helped his team to a 7th place finish at the Open and New Englands in the 4x800m and he finished in the same place in both meets in the 3200m. Only three returners are in front of him in those races so hopefully, Cushing, now a year older, will join the winner’s circle in some major races.
Magnus Manley, 12th grade, Ridgefield
Steven Hergenrother received most of the recognition last year as the Tigers won…
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