Graduates of West Hartford’s Conard and Hall high schools, who now run for their college cross country teams, qualified for and ran in the NCAA Cross Country Championships at the Division I and Division III level.

By Howie Lam

The weekend before Thanksgiving, multiple standout athletes who graduated from Hall and Conard and are now competing at the collegiate level in the NCAA finished strong to end their remarkable cross-country seasons at the NCAA Cross Country Championships.

Chloe Scrimgeour, a 2021 graduate of Conard High School, now a senior at Georgetown University, finished her fourth cross country season with a 23rd-place finish at the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships in Madison, Wisconsin. Over the 6-kilometer race, Scrimgeour ran a time of 19:53, an average of roughly 5:20/mile. She led the first kilometer in a blazing 3:03, however, the depth of the competition and the conditions of the cloudy and chilly day proved difficult for many athletes alike.

Scrimgeour, signed as an NIL athlete with Brooks, began her season at the Princeton Fall Classic, placing second behind Providence’s Kimberly May, the runner-up in the 2023 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships over the mile distance. She continued her season with a third-place finish in the Big East Cross Country Championships and a second-place finish at the NCAA DI Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships.

The Georgetown senior serves as a major threat to the top of the NCAA, as she finished fifth overall at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the 10-kilometer race with many All-American honors titles to her name.

Jenna Zydanowicz, a graduate of Hall High School (Class of 2020) and the University of Connecticut ‘24, returned to Storrs for a fifth year of competition in addition to pursuing her graduate degree in Public Health. Zydanowicz, who still holds the records at Hall High School for the 1600 (4:57), mile (4:58), and 2 miles (10:53), placed 102nd overall at the NCAA DI Cross Country Championships in a time of 20:32.6.

Starting off her season at the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational, Zydanowicz finished fourth overall, in a time of 20:19. Continuing her studded season, she placed fifth overall at the Paul Short invite in 20:07, followed by a consistent performance at their first nationally-competitive meet at Pre-Nationals, with a 34th place finish in 20:05. Marked by a ninth at the Big East Cross Country Championships and sixth at the NCAA DI Northeast Regional race, Jenna was one of two qualifiers from the University of Connecticut to compete at the championships, alongside her teammate and Ontario native Chloe Thomas, who is the reigning Big East Cross Country Champion and who placed ninth overall in Madison.

Moving on from Madison, West Hartford saw two other striking athletes compete at the NCAA DIII Cross Country Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana. MIT ultimately prevailed as the women’s DIII Cross Country Champions, followed by the University of Chicago as runner-up. The battle between the two colleges throughout the race was incredibly narrow, and the final standing separated them by only 10 points. 

Kate Sanderson, a Hall High School ‘22 graduate, placed 16th overall over the 6-kilometer race in an impressive time of 21:26.2 (about 5:45 per mile), playing a crucial role in helping lead MIT to the team victory over the University of Chicago, which now serves as a personal best over the racing distance as well.

The Engineer went out in a blazing 3:09 for the first kilometer that set her up in good position as the race continued. By the 3-kilometer mark, Sanderson fell back 12 places, but was able to make up six of those spots by the finish line with a 3:40 final kilometer. Sanderson’s breakout season has been followed with a second place finish at the Maribel Sanchez Souther Invite, a third place finish at the D3 Pre-Nats, and a first place finish at the 2024 NEWMAC Cross Country Championships. The junior and 2023 All-American still holds the 3200m (10:47) and 5000m records (17:49) in her hometown at Hall. 

Nora Holmes, also a Hall High School ‘22 graduate who trained alongside Sanderson, placed 76th overall for a fifth place scorer on the team in 22:11. The third-year runner for Chicago ran a personal best of 21:47 over 6K, which was also highlighted alongside a 40th place finish at D3 Pre-Nats, a 12th place finish at the 2024 UAA XC Championships, and a seventh place finish at the DIII Midwest Region Cross Country Championships.

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