(October 29, 2024) — On October 26, 2024, both the Haddam-Killingworth High School Boys and Girls teams won the Class SS State Championship race at Wickham Park in Manchester. HKHS was the only school in the entire state of Connecticut to win both the Boys and Girls team titles. HK also had the most combined Boys and Girls All State runners of any program in the state.
The Girls team won its sixth state championship in the past nine years, dating back to 2015; it was the seventh state championship in the program’s history. The Girls scored 34 points as a team to easily outdistance runner- up East Hampton with 102 points. They were led by Sophomore Charlotte Behnke, who placed second in the race with a time of 20:31 over the hilly 3.1 mile course. Junior Grace Mitchell placed third just behind her in a time of 20:41 and was followed by Senior co-captain Keira Sehl-Albert 8th (21:33), Junior Amelia Riggs 10th (21:47) and Junior Delaney Aronson 11th (21:49). By virtue of finishing in the top twelve, all five girls earned All State accolades; for Keira Sehl-Albert, it was her third consecutive year earning All-State. They were followed by Sophomore Emi Schweitzer 16th (22:20) and Senior co-captain Margaret Robinson 61st (25:23), both of whom contributed to the team victory.
The Boys Varsity team also won the Class SS State title by scoring 44 points to easily defeat runner-up Griswold with 76 points. This was the Cougars first state championship since 2021 and the twelfth state title in the program’s history. As they have the entire season, the Boys team was once again led by Senior co-captain Jack Cozean, who placed fourth in the race with a time of 16:47 for the challenging 5,000 meter course. Following him was Junior Dan McCourt 5th (16:51), Junior Cash Smigel 9th (17:34) and Junior Alex Fredericksen 12th (17:42). All four of those runners earned All State honors; for Jack Cozean, it was his third consecutive All State accolade. They were followed by Junior Anthony Fredericksen 14th (17:48), Sophomore Evan Berardino 16th (17:56) and Senior co-captain Matt Lara 25th (18:24).
