Ahmad leads Staples to second straight state crown

By Mary Albl for DyeStat

MANCHESTER, Conn. – Staples High's Zak Ahmad knew there was a good chance Friday's State Open could be a repeat of the Class LL divisional race a week ago. The senior was right in his thinking. Like last Saturday, Friday's 5,000 meter race at Wickham Park came down to Ahmad and Drew Thompson of Fairfield Prep and the matter of a second and a strong final push.

“We went out pretty normally like we did last week and we slowly started to break off, then we were alone with about 1,000 left,” Ahmad said. “And he (Thompson) took it, and then it was just between us at the end.”

Utilizing his kick, Ahmad was able to separate himself and cross the line in 15 minutes, 46 seconds to win his first Open crown. Thompson was right behind in 15:47.

“Today I kind of knew it would come down to the end, and I think I showed that I have good one mile speed today,” Ahmad said.

Ahmad is the first male runner from Staples to win the Open title since Henry Wynne (now at UVA) did in 2012.

Along with the individual title, Ahmad led the Wreckers to a second straight Open team title with an impressive 61 points. Staples had all five of its runners place in the top 25 for the team battle. Danbury was second (77) and Xavier was third (165).

This is the first time since 1987 Staples won both the team and individual Open title.

“I's really cool,” Ahmad said. “We've had a history of like really successful runners … it's cool to be here this year, as a team to be a part of that tradition.”

Staples will look to carry that tradition to the New England Championships next Saturday in Ponaganset, Rhode Island.

“(There are) some really strong runners,” Ahmad said. “So I'm kind of hoping to be up there with them and see what I can do. And as a team ... we're one of the strongest teams in Northeast, we're hoping we can win New Englands too.”

On the girls' side, it was the first time since 2013 a runner not named Hannah DeBalsi won. In a tight battle between Tolland seniors Hayley Collins and Kat DeLoreto,  it was Wilton's Morgan McCormick, the Class L winner, that came away with the victory.

The standout junior crossed the finish line in first place in 18:43 to win her first ever Open title. Collins was second in 18:45 and DeLoreto was third (18:56).

“When we got to the bottom of the hill, it was like one-on-one, (McCormick and Collins) and we were just running next to each other and I was like, 'I want this so badly,'” McCormick said. “So I just gave it my all.”

With DeBalsi, who is now a true freshman at Stanford, it was a much more competitive environment. Last year DeBalsi won the Open title by 53 seconds.

“There was no established winner,” McCormick said. “I guess it's kind of more exciting.”

In the team battle, Ridgefield stopped Tolland's bid for a four-peat, scoring 122 points and claiming its first Open team crown since 2012. The Tigers were led by Tess Pisanelli's top 20 finish. Tolland was runner-up with 130 points, while Glastonbury was third (130).

McCormick will now look to see what she can accomplish at New Englands. But the junior knows nothing is guaranteed.

“You can't slack off after one race,” she explained. “You still have to give it your all. People aren't going to back just because they know you've done something. I guess that's what makes cross country so special, because you can never back off.”