“It’s been the same playlist since we were freshmen, so it gets a little nostalgic,” said senior captain Tim Connolly.
The other senior captains, Owen Sinclair and Cam Gigler, attest to music being an important factor of team camaraderie. In between high notes, however, they’re locked in to workouts and training.
“Our coach has a saying, ‘do the little things right,’ ” said Sinclair. “So when it comes to the stretching routine that we have before practice, doing strides after every easy run. . . . Making sure we’re doing these things to the best of our ability each day is what the older captains have really instilled into us.”
Connelly (’99) returned to his alma mater in 2004 with a vision for competitive boys’ and girls’ cross-country programs.
“My biggest thing was to just have a nice, strong, competitive team with a good team culture that has a consistent level of success, meaning that we’re just a competitive team in the league and then eventually, hopefully, at the state level,” Connelly said.
In 2007, Reading qualified for All-States for the first time. Last year, the Rockets won a division title (Division 1C) for the first time in 40 years, and are determined to improve upon their sixth-place All-States finish.
“Everybody on varsity is super locked in and looking forward to having a great year because we know that it’s definitely up there as one of the best teams Reading has ever had,” said Gigler.
As the expectations continue to rise, so does the maturity. Sinclair and Connolly remember looking up to the senior captains when they were freshmen, and hope to instill the same motivation into the current underclassmen.
“It’s kind of a cycle that just keeps us all running well and fast because we just know what the best things to do are from the older kids,” Sinclair said.
Gigler joined the team last year, and he instantly felt the impact of the older runners.
“Almost as soon as I joined the team, it became very apparent that everybody is super passionate,” he said. “In cross-country, and the distance teams in general, we’re just really close with each other.”
Every coach hopes their runners are perseverant, passionate, and curious about the sport, but creating a positive culture starts with the connections.
“I think that trust kind of has to be there for things to go well and for your team to reach their potential,” said Connelly. “So I have a lot of faith in them, I give them a lot of autonomy as a coach. . . . When I do have an opportunity to kind of run workouts with them, they’re on it.”
The captains say Connelly is very approachable, and when the harmonies of sneakers on dirt and southern melodies die down from a long day of training or competition, runners and coaches are friends.
“He treats us like people, not [just] athletes,” said Connolly.
▪ The consensus top three girls’ teams in Division 1 squared off Saturday in the Ocean State Invitational’s championship race, and Lexington (63 points) emerged victorious, with Westford (76 points) and Billerica (86 points) placing second and third, respectively.
Despite the third-place finish, Billerica left Rhode Island with plenty to be encouraged about.
Star junior Gianna McGowan, who finished second in Division 1 last season, has yet to race this fall due to shin discomfort. Billerica coach Cullen Hagan said the team is “hopeful” to get McGowan back by the postseason.
The Indians were led Saturday by top-20 finishes from junior Hartlie Siegal (19.02.7), and sophomore twins Caitlyn Donahue (19:25.2) and Kylie Donahue (19:25.6).
Adding an extra boost is eighth-grade standout Maya Niles, who won the Frank Kelley Invitational freshman race two weeks ago and placed 39th at Ocean State (20:21.9) as the race’s youngest entrant.
The addition of Niles — along with the possibility of McGowan’s return — gives Billerica plenty of firepower to contend with Lexington and Westford atop the state.
“I think the further we get into the season, I think the closer [Niles] will get to the top three of [Siegal] and the Donahues,” Hagan said. “There is definitely a lot to improve on. Still, it was good to see where we were at Ocean State, and I think that we can close up a lot more at the top.”
▪ Central Catholic star sophomore Kyla Breslin competed in the ‘Varsity 1’ race at the Ocean State Invitational, and turned heads with a dominant 17-second victory (19:15.50) — a time which would have placed her inside the top 20 of the championship race.
It’s been an impressive start for Breslin, who won the Frank Kelley Invitational girls’ sophomore race by 10 seconds, and has won each of the two dual meets she entered by an average margin of 28 seconds.
Matty Wasserman contributed to this story.