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NEW CANAAN, Conn. New Canaans girls' cross country team has grown to nearly 50 runners this year. In the Rams first race Tuesday, those strong numbers helped them run to a sweep in a five-team race.
Paced by senior Olivia Hompe, the Rams defeated Westhill, Danbury, Fairfield Ludlowe and Brien McMahon in a race at Waveny Park. The narrowest margin came against Danbury, where the Rams earned a 24-31 win. The race also was tight against Westhill, with the Rams winning 25-34. New Canaan beat McMahon, 20-43, and Ludlowe, 17-44.
Hompe, a senior, looked terrific in her first race for the Rams. She cruised through the 4,000-meter course in 16:10, a pace of 6:31 per mile. She finished fifth overall. The Rams ran with an impressive tight pack, as freshman Sarah Endres (sixth, 16:10), senior Lana Delvecchio (seventh, 16:22) and junior Elizabeth Perry (eighth, 16:31) followed Hompe. Junior Isabel Hetherington (15th, 17:25) rounded out New Canaans scoring.
Freshman Jane Reed (17th, 17:34) and junior Jenna Scachs (18th, 17:36) also finished in the top 20. All seven New Canaan girls finished with a better time on the same course than the Rams top finisher in their first meet at Waveny in 2011.
New Canaan will get a better indication of how it compares against the elite from the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference and other teams from around the state in Saturdays Wilton Invitational. New Canaan also races Tuesday at Waveny against Wilton, Fairfield Warde and Norwalk.
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