Erik Dunn
Class of 1989
Erik Dunn, Class of 1989, was a mercurial talent whose penchant for front-running victories earned him stature amongst the best distance runners in Green Wave history.
His cross country and track & field resume featured numerous state and Western Connecticut Conference individual titles, evidence enough that Erik truly earned induction into the New Milford High School Athletic Hall of Fame.
Erik first raised eyebrows when, as a precocious freshman, he romped to victory in the 5,000 meters during the 1986 WCC championship track & field meet. Three years later, he’d cruise to victory in the WCC meet’s 3,200 and 5,000 to help the Green Wave to a team title. In between, Erik again and again left runners in his wake on the track and on area and state cross country courses.
His auspicious Green Wave harrier career kicked off as a sophomore with a seventh-place performance at the WCC meet, helping coach Russell Devin’s pack to third place. He followed that by earning a Top 25 at the state ‘L’ race as the Green Wave rose to the occasion to claim fourth place.His late-season efforts earned Erik the first of his three straight team MVPs.
The following autumn, Erik showed promise with a 12th place in the highly competitive Wickham Invitational in Manchester. That race proved just a fair portend of Erik’s oncoming rise amongst the state’s best runners.
Weeks later, Erik took it to favored Joe Smith of Newtown and Lou Bregou of Brookfield to break a course record and win the WCC championship race by more than 100 meters. Days later, Erik cruised the rolling Wickham Park course to lead his team to a second-place finish and claim the state ‘L’ individual title by 19 seconds.
The ensuing state open was most notable for closing the book on coach Russell Devin’s legendary career. Still, Erik had earned all-state recognition and again was honored as the Green Wave’s MVP.
Working with first-year coach Michael Abram in the fall of 1988, Erik was at the top of his game from the opening race. He won every regular-season race except runnerup finishes in the Bethel and Wickham invitationals. Erik rode that momentum right through his final WCC championship race, winning his second straight individual title by a remarkable 46 seconds as the Green Wave placed third as a team.
Returning to Wickham Park the following week to defend his state ‘L’ title, Erik offered perhaps his finest high school race. The Green Wave senior quickly grabbed the lead and widened it throughout the 5,000 meters, ultimately winning another state title by 51 seconds.
Erik then posted a fourth-place finish in the state open, bettering his state ‘L’ time by 24 seconds, and completed his bravura harrier career with a solid seventh place in the New England championship race in Vermont. Once again, Erik was accorded all-state laurels and was his team’s MVP for the third straight season.
Erik’s Green Wave track & field career was one of dominance in the WCC. Following that eye-opening 5,000 meters success as a freshman, Erik consistently won at distances from 800 to 5,000 meters, as well as the anchor man for the Green Wave’s 4 x 400-meter relay,
His efforts sparked the Green Wave to WCC championships during his sophomore and senior seasons, and third place in his junior year.
Among his victories at the WCC championship meets were in the 3,200 as a sophomore and in both the 3,200 and 5,000 as a senior. For his contributions to the ’89 WCC championship, Erik was chosen as his team’s MVP, the fourth such honor he received during his high school career.
Erik also enjoyed his successes at state meets, registering multiple Top Ten finishes. By the time Erik had hung up his spikes, he had contributed to Green Wave cross country and track & field teams’ overall 52-8 record while carving an indelible mark for individual excellence.
