Katherine Wrinkle Ciparelli

Katie was one of Suffolk County’s and New York State’s most accomplished cross-country and long-distance runners during her Patchogue-Medford years. She began running as an eighth grader at Saxton Middle School and qualified for the State cross-country meet. It was the first of her five trips to that championship meet, where she placed tenth as a PMHS freshman and seventh as senior. Katie also won many individual titles at meets around the region. An extremely motivated and hardworking cross-country runner, Katie had plenty of natural talent, but took nothing for granted. She loved working the hills to wear down her opponents, especially the notorious “Cardiac Hill” in Sunken Meadow State Park because, as everyone knew, the first runner to the top of “Cardiac” almost always won the race. Katie was also an outstanding track athlete, excelling in the 1500- and 3000-meters, finishing sixth in that race in the 1997 State championships to make the All-State team. She was also a member of the Patchogue-Medford National Honor Society and played in the school orchestra.

As a collegian, Katie was the first Sacred Heart University Athlete to win a conference championship in cross country, and the first to make All-New England and All-East—each of which she made four years in a row. She was also the first Sacred Heart track athlete to be chosen for Division I All-East, All-American and Academic Al-American honors, and the first to participate in a NCAA championship meet. In championships and invitationals, Katie won five individual titles in cross-country, 12 in indoor track and 14 in outdoor track. She broke school records five times in cross-country, 15 times in indoor track and 23 times in outdoor track. At the time of her graduation she held 17 Sacred Heart records. Her spectacular consistency in cross-country is demonstrated by the fact that in her four NEC cross-country championship meets, she finished fourth, third, second, and finally, first.

Katie and her husband Chris currently live in New Milford, Connecticut, where they started Oliver’s Team to help defray medical costs and finance research for her son, Oliver, who as a
two-year-old in 2012 was diagnosed with metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD). After Oliver’s passing in 2014 they redirected fundraising efforts in Oliver’s name to fight and find a cure for
MLD. One of the premier events that raises money for Oliver’s Team is an annual track and field meet.