Led by Kate Friedman, Esme Daplyn, Greenwich High girls cross country team captures FCIAC championship

By David Fierro on October 21, 2023 • ( Leave a comment )

Contributed photo: Some members of the Greenwich High School girls cross country team gather with head coach Evan Dubin after the Cardinals won the team title at the 2023 FCIAC Championships at Waveny Park in New Canaan. Kate Friedman, second from right, was the race’s overall winner. Esme Daplyn, center, came in second place. Eliana Daplyn is second to left and Kate Resnick is to the far right.

With Kate Friedman and Esme Daplyn running away from the competition, the FCIAC Girls Cross Country Championships on Wednesday at Waveny Park was certainly a meet to remember for Greenwich High School.

Behind a first-place finish from Friedman and a second-place showing from Daplyn, the Cardinals captured the team title at the 14-team FCIAC Championships. Greenwich finished with a team score of 49 points, while runner-up New Canaan totaled 79 points. Wilton was third (97), followed by Staples (136) and Ridgefield (140).

The meet marked Greenwich’s first FCIAC team title since 2017 and fifth overall. Friedman, a senior captain, who is in her second season on the varsity team, won Wednesday’s FCIAC championship race with a time of 18:49 over the 5-K course.

Contributed photo: Kate Friedman, left and Esme Daplyn ran to a 1-2 finish at the 2023 FCIAC Championships at Waveny Park in New Canan this week. The Cardinals also claimed the team championship.

“Getting the win was super exciting,” Friedman said. “I definitely didn’t expect it at all, but when Esme and I pulled away on the final hill, I realized that I could actually get the title.”

Daplyn, also a senior captain, finished second for the Cardinals, registering a time of 18:51. New Canaan senior Charlotte Moore placed third in 18:59, followed by junior Mya Savino of Wilton (fourth place, 19:06) and senior Cam Meyer from Darien (fifth place, 19:17).

Senior captain Lauren Resnick finished ninth at the FCIAC Championships for Greenwich, crossing the finish line in 19:35. Sophomore Eliana Daplyn, Esme’s sister, was 13th with a time of 19:56.

Contributed photo: Members of the Greenwich High School girls cross country team huddle up prior to competing in the FCIAC Championships at Waveny Park in New Canaan. With them is head coach Evan Dubin.

Friedman reflected on each point of the race.

“I was smiling for the last 400m, because I knew that we were going the first two spots, regardless of who won,” she said. “The race went out pretty fast, which I expected, so I spent the first 3-K chilling in the back of the lead pack. When we entered the woods, Esme and I took the lead and the pack strung out a lot.”

Orla Muir, a sophomore, was 24th for GHS, clocking in at 20:43. The FCIAC Championships featured 118 finishers. Belle Nichols, a sophomore, posted a time of 21:56, while teammates Sydney Friedman, a sophomore and Averi Geary, a junior, finished the race in 22:52 and 22:59, respectively for the Cards.

Greenwich won the team title at the 2023 FCIAC Championships at Waveny Park in New Canaan.

“My mindset going into the race was very good,” Kate Friedman noted. “I actually felt excited, so I think that really helped. The team did incredibly well. Going 1-2 was absolutely awesome and everyone seemed to have a great time. I think this was the best case scenario for us and it really justifies our conservative regular season.

The next challenge for the Cardinals is the CIAC Class LL Championships, which is scheduled to be held Oct. 28 at Wickham Park. The State Open Championships will take place on Nov. 3, also at Wickham Park.

Contributed photo: It was a great day for the Greenwich girls cross country team at the FCIAC meet.

“This is such a special group of girls, it has been such a pleasure training with them and I am so happy that we can share this moment,” Kate Friedman said. “But we still have a few more important meets ahead of us, so we need to stay hungry and use this day as momentum for the Class LL meet.”