By Gemma Hardwick, Greenwich High School Class of 2026
The Greenwich Girls Track team recently ran incredibly well at the 2024 Class LL Championship at the Floyd Little Athletic Center at Hillhouse High School in New Haven, CT.
Photo: Gemma Hardwick
Although team members were feeling very run-down and the team had been battling illnesses and injuries, the girls were still able to successfully qualify for the State Open in 4 different events! They were also able to score 8th overall out of 23rd teams, despite not being at their full strength and a few of their valuable runners not being able to attend.
The meet started off with the 4x800m all-sophomore team of Ellie Daplyn, Orla Muir, Ava Passamano and Gemma Hardwick. These Greenwich girls came in 5th overall with a time which would currently be CT #13, and qualified for the CIAC State Open Championship!
The best performance of the meet was senior captain Esme Daplyn’s 600m race. She won the event overall with an amazing time of 1:34.42, which is currently U.S. #13, qualifying her for State Opens this Saturday.
Following the 600 was the 1600m Sprint Medley Relay (SMR), where Greenwich girls Maggie McCooe, Gemma Hardwick, Ellie Daplyn and Esme Daplyn placed 3rd overall.
The final race of the Class LL Championship was the 4x400m relay, in which the same SMR team of Gemma Hardwick, Maggie McCooe, Ellie Daplyn and Esme Daplyn placed 3rd with a time that is now CT #7.
Both the SMR and 4×400 relay qualified for State Opens!
The Greenwich Girls Track team has killed it so far this season and pushed through despite any setbacks. The girls have worked so hard, trained many hours, and have been coached extremely well for this very well-deserved success.