Derby Running Club

Derby High School’s Girls’ and Boys’ Cross Country teams will begin summer training on Monday (June 29) from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the track/fieldhouse.

All participants must bring a permission slip (attached) signed by themselves and a parent.

For the first time, girls attending Emmett O’Brien Tech will be eligible to compete on the team with Derby as a joint Derby-Emmett squad has been formed through the CIAC's cooperative (co-op) team program. Meanwhile, the boys’ team will remain as a Derby-only team.

A co-op team enables athletes from two or more schools to be part of the same team in an effort to boost numbers and increase participation.

The DHS Girls’ Cross Country Team has been highly successful with five consecutive winning seasons and 12 winning seasons in the last 13 years, but numbers are challenging in a small school such as Derby.

The Derby boys' team has put together three consecutive winning seasons for the first time since the 1970s/80s.

Summer practices and conditioning days are voluntary, but are strongly encouraged to get in shape before the start of the season.

Anyone interesting in joining either team can sign up on Final Forms. https://derby-ct.finalforms.com

Those with questions may contact Coach Joe “Muz” Musante at [email protected].

(This is Muz.) Congratulations to two of my Cross Country runners -- Sofia Rudus and Jayson Drayton – on their graduation last week from Derby High School. Both left an indelible mark on our program in different ways.

Jayson joined the DHS Cross Country Team for the first time last summer and fall after running track as a sprinter during his junior year. He decided to run cross country, in large part, to improve himself in track.

While many sprinters are unnecessarily apprehensive about running cross country because of the longer distances involved, Jayson demonstrated the benefits that usually follow a season of running cross country for a 400-meter runner. I hope more kids follow his example in the future.

As a junior in track, he generally ran in the 56- to 57.5-second range in the 400, and did not attempt running the 800 meters, let alone anything longer.

But this year in track was a different story. At the end of cross country season in late October, he ran a 2:18 time trial workout in the 800-meter run. He brought that time down to 2:13.63 at the NVL Indoor Track Championship in the 4 x 800 meter relay, and then cut that down further -- to about a 2:07 – during outdoor track.

As a result, Jayson, who earned All-Naugatuck Valley League 2nd Team honors in cross country, would gain All-NVL 1st Team recognition during outdoor track on the basis of being the lead-off runner for our league champion boys’ 4 x 800 relay team.

Throughout his senior year, I can’t recall a single instance where he complained about a workout. In fact, he often went above and beyond the norm with an admirable work ethic.

*****

Sofia paved a more traditional path in her running career, but one that was equally successful.

In her freshman season for DHS Cross Country, she earned All-Copper Division honors in the NVL Championship Meet. It marked the first of four consecutive years in which Sofia would earn a medal at the NVL meet, which is no easy feat. She was All-Copper as a sophomore, and then after the NVL replaced the all-division individual awards with an all-league 2nd team opportunity, Sofia raced to All-NVL 2nd Team laurels as a junior and senior.

As a junior, Sofia was part of a 4 x 800 meter relay team during indoor track that captured the league title. As a result, Sof and her teammates were recognized as All-NVL 1st Team honorees.

As a senior, she was part of the 4 x 800 relay team during outdoor season that captured the NVL crown. (Incidentally, it was the first time that the girls’ 4 x 800 team and the boys’ 4 x 800 team both won the outdoor league title in that event since 2015.) As a result, Sof was again named to the All-NVL 1st Team.

Throughout her career, Sof brought her happy-go-lucky personality to the program. She had a way of making her teammates smile and laugh, even during stressful situations. And for distance runners, who often have a Type A personality, keeping the stress level under wraps is quite valuable.

*****

Graduation is always both a happy and sad time. It’s sad because you know you are losing team members who have become like family over time. It’s happy because you know they are moving onto bigger and better things with their lives.

Sofia will attend Bentley University in Waltham, Mass., while Jayson will head to the Waterbury branch of the University of Connecticut.

Good luck Jayson and Sofia, and keep up the great work! Your contributions to DHS Cross Country and Track will not be forgotten.

(This is Muz.) Derby High School earned medals Monday in seven events – including four relays -- at the CIAC Class S State Outdoor Track & Field Championship.

The boys’ team was led by the 4 x 400 meter relay team, which placed 3rd, as well as Joel Capelle’s 5th place finish in the 1,600 meters and a 6th place finish from the 4 x 800 meter relay team.

The boys’ finished 18th in the team standings with 13 points. Perennial powerhouse Bloomfield captured the team title with 159 points.

The girls’ team was paced by the 4 x 400 meter relay team, which placed 3rd; a 5th place finish by freshman Sasha Capelle in the 800-meter run; a 5th place finish by the 4 x 800 meter relay, and a 6th place from Melanie Fearon in the javelin. The girls registered an 18th place team finish with 17 points. Coventry won the team title with 61 points.

All four relay teams that scored for the Red Raiders proved themselves to be among the best in school history.

*The girls’ 4 x 800 team of Kezia Amartey, Sofia Rudus, Makaila Briscoe and Sasha Capelle covered the distance in 10:11.34 – the fastest time ever recorded by Derby in that event at the Class S Championship Meet and the 2nd fastest time on record for the Raiders. Only the 2015 Derby “dream team” of Gabby Prizio, Kiley Rodriguez, Nicole Rizzo and Rachel Fleischer has ever run faster with a time of 10:08.67 in the 2015 State Open. Those four girls, along with Sara Gerckens, formed the nucleus for outstanding cross country teams for the Raiders in that era.

*The boys’ 4 x 800 relay team of Jayson Drayton, Shane McAdams, Jayden McNeill and Joel Capelle, which placed 6th, crossed the line in 8:31.57. It was the best place and fastest time posted by Derby’s boys in that event since 2017, when the Big Red took home the gold medal behind Evan Sharpe, Tracey Gallishaw, Steven Stanley and Kenny Little.

*The girls’ 4 x 400 meter relay team of Makaila Briscoe, Ariana Davis, Alison Echeverria-Soto and Sasha Capelle finished in a time of 4:18.16. The quartet now ranks as the 2nd best all-time for Derby in that event.

*The boys’ 4 x 400 meter relay team of Shane McAdams, Jarell Williams, Jayson Williams and Quincy Carter registered a time of 3:28.65, which moves the group to No. 2 on the all-time list for Derby, according to records on the website athletic.net. The No. 1 ranked team was from 2018 with Ja’Kwan Hale, Kenny Little, Bevon McLean and Steven Stanley blazing a 3:23.46 in the 2018 State Open.

Individually, the brother-sister combo of Joel and Sasha Capelle both had outstanding performances. In addition to their success in anchoring their respective relay teams, both placed 5th in their individual events.

*Sasha ran the 800 in 2:22.81, which is the 3rd fastest time posted this season by a freshman in Connecticut (within the CIAC). She is ranked No.4 on the all-time Derby list of 800-meter runners, behind only Gabby Prizio, Cassie Silkoff and Kiley Rodriguez.

*Joel recorded a 1,600-meter time of 4:35.04. Later in the day, he set a personal record of 9:58.02 in the 3,200 meters.

*Melanie Fearon garnered a 6th place finish in the javelin with a throw of 87-feet, 10 inches. Melanie was seeded 17th out of 17 in that event with a previous best throw of 80 feet. But with a clutch performance, she bested that 80 feet mark in five of her six throws Monday to stun many of her opponents and take home a medal (awarded to the top 6 in each event).

Jose Rodriguez of Ansonia High School had an excellent day of his own, finishing 2nd in the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.77 seconds for the Chargers. He also placed 5th in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.12 seconds in the finals.

Jose, Sasha, the Derby girls’ 4 x 400 and 4 x 800 relay teams, as well as the Derby boys’ 4 x 400 relay team, will compete Saturday at the State Open at Willowbrook Park in New Britain. The meet is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.

Congrats to our final winner of the May Madness Calendar fundraiser, Anna Signore!

Thank you all for your support!

The May Madness winner for Thursday, May 28th, 2026 is Stephen Wojtowicz!

Congrats Wojo!

The May Madness winner for Wednesday, May 27th, 2026 is Erin Gregorie!

Congrats Nurse Erin!

The May Madness winner for Tuesday, May 26th 2026 is Jennylee Hoffman!

Congrats!!

(This is Muz.) Freshman Sasha Capelle earned three gold medals to lead the Derby High School Girls’ Track & Field Team Saturday at the Naugatuck Valley League Championship.

Sasha started the day by anchoring the 4 x 800 meter relay team to victory. The quartet of Kezia Amartey, Sofia Rudus, Makaila Briscoe and Sasha sped to a time of 10:16.67 to gain a 16-second win over runner-up Seymour, while Watertown placed 3rd. Kezia and Makaila recorded personal 800-meter bests en route with times of 2:31.78 and 2:36.08, respectively.

Later, Sasha won the 800-meter run in 2:28.21, and then anchored the 4 x 400 meter relay squad to a win with a team time of 4:19.12. Makaila, Alison Echeverria-Soto and Ariana Davis joined Sasha in that victory.

Overall, the Derby girls placed 6th in the team scoring with 58 points. Naugatuck captured the title with 198 points, followed by Watertown with 85.

Meanwhile, Sasha’s brother, Joel Capelle, took home three medals of his own in helping lead the Derby boys’ team.

Joel, a junior, anchored the boys’ 4 x 800 meter relay team in a dramatic down-to-the-wire victory. The combine of Jayson Drayton, Shane McAdams, Jayden McNeill and Joel turned in a season best time of 8:29.51, edging past a tough Naugatuck team by less than a half second. For the first time in his career, Joel broke the 2:00 barrier in his 800-meter split (1:59.46) to catch Naugy's Keniel Scale, one of the top 800-meter runners in the league. Shane (2:12.48) and Jayden (2:08.44) posted all-time personal bests for their 800-meter legs of the relay.

It marked the first time since 2015 that both the boys’ and girls’ 4 x 800 relay teams took home gold from the NVL Championship Meet.

Later, Joel placed 3rd in the 1,600 meters with a time of 4:33.31 and 2nd in the 3,200 meters with a personal best time of 10:06.45.

In the team competition, the boys placed 9th with 45 points. Seymour captured the team title with 117 points. Kudos to Seymour head coach Dan Dunaj, a DHS alumnus, for his team's excellent performance. The Greyhounds placed 2nd with 87.5 points.

For the Derby boys, Cesar Rueda notched a silver medal in the shot put with a throw of 40-feet, 3 inches.

Other medalists for the boys’ team included:

*4 x 100 meter relay team of Jarell Williams, Jayson Williams, Isaiah Pierce and Terrence Howell, 4th place, 44.65 seconds.
*Jarell Williams, 5th place, 400-meter dash, 52.0 seconds.
*4 x 400 meter relay team of Jarell Williams, Jayson Williams, Isaiah Pierce and Quincy Carter, 5th place, 3:45.4.

Other medalists for the girls’ team included:

*4 x 100 meter relay team of Ariana Davis, Sophia Chajchic, Korey Lambert and Alison Echeverria-Soto, 2nd place, 52.66 seconds.

*Kezia Amartey, 4th place, 800 meters, 2:36.17 seconds.
*Lazarae Delvalle, 5th place, pole vault, 7 feet, 6 inches.
*Melanie Fearon, 5th place, javelin, 80 feet.
*Sara Poric, 6th place, discus, 74 feet, 9 inches.
*Mia Burke, 7th place, shot put, 25 feet, 8 inches.
*Sofia Rudus, 7th place, 800 meters, 2:38.98.

Ansonia High School, which trains with Derby, but scores for Ansonia, also assembled several outstanding performances.

Jose Rodriguez won both the 100-meter dash (11.02 seconds) and the 200-meter dash (22.31 seconds). He also was selected by the NVL track coaches as the boys’ Most Outstanding Sprinter for the season, as well as sharing the boys’ Overall Performance award for the meet itself.

Teammate George Marini placed 3rd in the 200 with a time of 22.74 seconds.

For the Ansonia girls, Adriana Cotto placed 6th in the 100 in 13.1 seconds and 7th in the 200 in 28.15 seconds. Mikayla Jean tied for 6th in the high jump with a jump of 4-feet, 6 inches, and placed 8th in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles in 52.96 seconds. Naomi Bestman placed 8th in the 200 in 28.31 seconds.

The May Madness winner for Friday,5/22/26, is Michelle Heide.

Congrats!