Last year, the Oxford High School girls cross country team won the Class S state title despite the fact that they didn’t have their own cross-country course.
But that has changed thanks to the efforts of the Oxford Youth Conservation Corps, cross country members and many community volunteers.
The Wolverines have their first home meet, ever, Wednesday afternoon at Oxford High School. The team will compete against Joel Barlow, Kolbe Cathedral and New Milford at 4 p.m. The course is on a large swath of town-owned open space that borders school property.
“I’m really excited,” said junior cross-country runner Brianna Hoffner. “It’s nice to finally have a home meet."
Runners say the hills on the course are difficult, and coach Ed Lucas quipped that there “isn’t a level spot on the whole thing.” Still, the team is excited, as is Lucas, who has spent many hours weed-whacking on the course and getting it primed for competition.
Lucas said many cross-country runners contributed to creating the course. Senior runner Richard Katrenya said he spent hours painting the course and cutting brush.
“There are a few places that use the state forest as their home course,” he said. “But we built our own, so it’s a part of us.”
