By Senior Correspondent Marty Ogden, Editing, Photos and Graphics by Ron Knapp

In honor of MySportsResults 25 years of covering Connecticut high school track & field and cross country, we continue our look back at 25 of the best female athletes over the past quarter of a century for the cross country season. If you think we are missing some of your favorite athletes then welcome to our dilemma since trying to select 25 athletes from the last 25 years was nearly an unbelievable task.

We hope you enjoy the second part of our overdue series as we continue with the females who made an impact on our sport since the fall of 2000. Additional segments will feature the remaining group of male athletes as well as the second list of the females who influenced the state’s cross country scene since 2000.

Lisa Stubic, Crosby, Class of 2002 

Initially not interested in running, Lisa arrived for cross country and won her first race by over two minutes. Her talent became apparent as she qualified for New Englands all four years in high school. She was Class MM champion in 1999 and was State Open runner-up sophomore and junior years and placed 4th as a senior. At New Englands she was 3rd in 1999, 2nd in 2000 and 4th in 2001. After she graduated from Columbia, she moved to Croatia, her father's homeland, and established herself as a leading long-distance athlete in the country, having set the Croatian records in 3000m steeplechase, 5000m, half marathon, and marathon. She is the first Croatian marathon runner ever to qualify for the Olympic Games and finished 52nd in the marathon at the 2012 Olympics.

Meghan Owen, Killingly, Class of 2003

Owen broke a nine year gap of CT athletes in  qualifying for Foot Locker Cross country Nationals and set the tone for the new century. At Nationals she was 30th as a sophomore and 8th as a senior to earn All American honors. She simply dominated her era in CT, winning three Class MM and State Open titles from 2000-2002 after finishing 3rd as a freshman. Even at the New Englands championships she was 2nd in 1999 and 2002 and won twice in 2000 and 2001.

Amie Schumacher, Holy Cross, Class of 2006 

As a young girl in pigtails, Schumacher wanted to follow in the footsteps of her big brother Jeremy and took to running. She dominated the road race circuit and the USATF Junior Olympic meets. She continued her winning ways winning three straight Class titles and three New Englands titles from 2003-2005. At the Open she won her sophomore and junior years but was off her senior year, taking 9th, but battled back to win the regional meet the next week. 

Kelly Sorrell, Lyman Memorial, Class of 2007

More of an even paced runner, Sorrell was rarely in the front at the beginning of her races but steadily moved up through the pack. She was a three time Class SS champion and won the 2005 State Open championship after finishing 4th in 2004 and 9th in 2003. At the New England Championships she was 4th as a junior and 2nd in 2005 behind three-time champion Amie Schumacher. 

Jamie Olson, Glastonbury, Class of 2007 

The fall of 2006 was Olson’s year. She won Class LL and State Open championships and was  third at New England championships and 17th at the Foot Locker Northeast Regionals at Van Cortlandt Park in New York, where she earned third team All-Northeast Regional honors. As a junior she was 7th at the Open and earned All New Englands with a 24th place finish. 

Heather Stevens, Ridgefield, Class of 2008

Over a four year period, Stevens was a factor in every big race she took part in and got better each season. She showed potential as a freshman taking 17th at the Open and earned All New England for the first of four times. By her sophomore year she made steady improvement and moved up to 14th at the Open and 8th at New Englands. Her junior year she took the silver medals in the Class LL, Open and New England and by final year she finally earned the spotlight by winning the Class LL and Open titles with a 5th place finish at New Englands. For all of these accomplishments she became CT’s first Gatorade Athlete of the Year for Cross Country. 

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Moira Kenny, Immaculate, Class of 2009 

Going right to the front and building up big leads seemed to have worked for the Immaculate Mustang. Her senior year is when CT girls switched from 4000m to 5000m and she more than had the strength to go the extra distance. She was 2nd in Class S as a sophomore but then won the next two Class championships. At the Open she improved from 10th place to 4th and was Immaculate’s first State Open champion in 2008. She even showed consistent success at New Englands finishing 6th as a sophomore and junior and moving up two places to 4th for her senior campaign. Her best time on the Wickham course of 18:44.0 was the Class Class S record for 13 years.She was named Gatorade Athlete of the Year in 2008. 

Lauren Sara, Bunnell, Class of 2010 

Laura Sara was Class L champion, 4th at the State Open her junior and senior years and was the top CT finisher at New Englands (3rd), Foot Locker Northeast Regional Cross Country Championship (6th) and Foot Locker Nationals (33rd) her senior year. For her academic qualifications and late season performances she was the Gatorade Athlete of the Year in 2009. Sara was also Class L runner-up her junior year and earned All New England honors. Her best Wickham time of 18:29 is still the 16th fastest individual on the course.

Meg Ryan, Fairfield Warde, Class of 2010

Meg Ryan didn’t become a full time runner until her junior year but once she made the transition, honors came her way. Her first season of cross country, she was 3rd in Class L, 9th in the Open and finished top 20 in the New Englands. But after a year of consistent training she was 2nd at the Class meet and State Open and finished 8th at New Englands her senior year. At Foot Locker Northeast Regional Championships, Ryan grabbed the last qualifying spot for Nationals where she finished 36th. 

Jackie Nicholas, Nonnewaug, Class of 2011

Tough is a word that comes to mind when thinking about Nicholas’ athletic career. Her effort was evident on her face as when her head would tilt to the side as she just simply wore her competition down. At the Class M level she was a three time champion and was 2nd her freshman year and at the State Open she won both her junior and senior years while taking 3rd as a sophomore and 14th as a freshman. She earned All New England three times with a best of 3rd as a senior and finished 35th at Foot Locker Nationals as a senior. She held the Wickham 5000m record for three years and her best of 18:12 is still the 7th best performer on the course. 

Lindsay Crevoiserat, Glastonbury, Class of 2011 

To win a championship, timing is everything. Crevoiserat still holds the 9th fastest time at Wickham Park’s 5000m course but fell short of winning the State Open title when Nicholas finished six seconds in front of her their senior year. That’s not to say she didn’t have her fair share of wins. She was a two time Class LL champion in 2010 and 2009 and she bounced back after that 2nd place finish to win New Englands her senior year. At Nike Cross Northeast Regions she finished 2nd as an individual to qualify for NXN where she finished 40th. She wasn’t just a one hit wonder either. She finished 6th at the Open both her sophomore and junior years and was 12th as a freshman. Crevoiserat has remained active in the sport and is now the University of Wisconsin's women’s distance and middle-distance runners after assistant coaching UConn’s women’s cross country team. 

Reid Watson, Glastonbury, Class of 2012

For three years Watson and Lindsay Crevoiserat were a formidable duo for Glastonbury. The pair helped their team win two State Open titles and Watson made a name for herself even running with elder Crevoiserat one of the brightest stars of her era. She was All State and All New England her freshman year to help her team repeat as State Open champions. As a sophomore she improved to 2nd in Class LL, 3rd at the Open and 6th at New Englands. Her time of 18:28 from the Open is still the 15th fastest girl on the course. But then she had probably the best race of her life and won the Nike Cross Northeast Regional championships.and took 50th at Nike Cross Nationals in Oregon. She was slightly off her junior year but still took 4th at the Class meet and 21st at the Open. After such a storied career she finally reached the winner’s circle at the Class LL championship and State Open.

Brianna Lenehan, Norwich Free Academy, Class of 2013

In the 1990s and early 2000s, girls from the ECC dominated the State Open winning 13 titles in 14 years. The crowns went to athletes from other areas of the state after the graduation of Meghan Owens in 2003. But Lehehan brought back the honors to her team and region for the first time in a decade. She was the Class LL and State Open champion in 2012 and finished 9th in New Englands. Lenehan moved up from 2nd at Class LL and 7th at the Open as a junior. As a senior she was honored as the Gatorade Athlete of the Year.

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