GCDS Boys Track & Field Team Wins First FAA Championship

Greenwich Country Day School’s Boys Track & Field team won their first Fairchester Athletic Association (FAA) championship on Saturday, May 11, prevailing over Brunswick School at their home track by a score of 147-144. The Girls Team took home an impressive fourth place, their highest ranking to date. 

“In the span of four years, our Seniors have set a brilliant example of the joy of training to become excellent in this sport,” said Peter Heinz, Head Coach of the Track & Field Team. “Now, the results of their efforts speak for themselves. These athletes, without a track or a dedicated place to practice, have built a team culture that prizes its members and celebrates everyone's progress. No surprise, the team has grown and grown.” 

Over the course of the meet, there were 11 school records, 6 wins, and 14 All-FAA performances. The Boys Team scoring was led by GCDS’s fearsome sprint squad–Steve Paul ’24, “the fastest kid in the FAA,” and the indefatigable Liam Kennon ’26, combined to score 28 points in the 100- and 200-meter dashes. Liam, Eli Rosen ’25, and Nicholas Triplett ’27 combined for 20 more in the 400-meter dash. The sprinters punctuated their efforts over a long day by winning the 4x400 meter relay with an impressive 3:28.98. 

The field events were key to the win. Hurdler Chase Richards ’24 led the way for a young crew of hurdlers, who combined to score 9 points in the 110 hurdles and 14 in the 300 hurdles. Elijah Canty ’27, a freshman, made a feast of the jumps, and was the joint-top scorer of the meet. Elijah scored 26 points in 30 minutes. In the middle of his high jump progression, he took a break to lead off the second place 4x1, walked back over to the high jump where he secured the win, and then promptly jogged over to the long jump area in time to jump into the finals, where he ultimately placed 2nd. Elijah capped his FAA season with a monster 43-00.5 triple jump to secure his second win of the day. Cooper Edwards 24 and Seneca Greenwood ’26, also rookies, made crucial contributions in the throws, capping off a true team effort.

The Girls Team scoring was led by the distance squad–Gisele Putka ’28 and Kendall Collier ’24, who hammered away on behalf of their team. Gisele scored 22 points, winning the 800 meters, and Kendall pushed the pace on the way to 12 points in the 3000 meters and the 1500 meters. Freshmen and sophomore runners chipped in points in the field events and relays, setting three impressive school records in the process: Katie Culvahouse ’27 equalled her school record high jump of 4-06, and the Girls 4x1 and 4x4 of Mia Secko-Thompson ’26, Celine Silvera ’24, Lila Malone ’26, and Katie Culvahouse ’27 also finished in school records. 

“There is nothing more powerful in sports than watching athletes set goals, work towards them, and achieve those goals surrounded by the cheers and excitement of teammates,” said Tim Helstein, Director of Athletics. “[Saturday] was that day and another historic moment in GCDS Athletics history."

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