Girls’ Indoor Track

Sophomore Liante Claude finished in 10th place in the 400 with a school record time of 59.88 seconds for the Branford girls’ indoor track team at last week’s Yale Track Classic. Claude’s mark broke the previous record of 61.43 seconds that was set by Hunter Carden at Yale.

Bridget Wirtz had the top finish for the Hornets by placing third in the pole vault behind a height of 10 feet-6 inches at the meet. Courtney Cosgrove ran the 3,000 in 11:45.96, while Leah Pendl-Robinson posted a mark of 10.54 in the 55-meter hurdles for Head Coach Kevin Connell’s squad.

“We got an extraordinary effort from Liante Claude in the 400. She has been getting in some great workouts lately and it is paying off,” Coach Connell said. “The Yale Classic is always something the girls look forward to. Great competition from the East Coast and a fast track makes for some great performances. As we head into the championship part of our season, it’s great to see some of our top athletes getting sharper. For Bridget to place third in such a prestigious meet was special.”

Earlier in the week, Branford competed at the SCC Novice Meet at Floyd Little Athletic Center on Jan. 17. Freshman Kayla Pollard finished third in the 300 (48.20), plus fellow freshman Molly Zaffino was third in the pole vault at 6-6 for Branford.

Boys’ Indoor Track

Aidan Kropiwnicki claimed first place in one event and took second in another for the Hornets’ boys’ indoor track squad at the SCC Novice Meet, which took place at Floyd Little Athletic Center on Jan. 17.

Kropiwnicki, a sophomore, ran a time of 1:31.72 to take first in the 600, and he was also second in the pole vault by clearing 10 feet, qualifying for states in both events. Teammate Justin Dombrowski finished third in the pole vault with a height of 9 feet. Matt Alexander placed third in the long jump (18 feet-2.75 inches) for Branford, while Glen Iacovetti was fourth in the 1,000 (2:58.49), and Carlos McCaay took sixth place in the 55-meter dash at 7.29 seconds. Also, the Hornets’ 4x800 relay of Ryan McCarthy, Ed Pascale, Matt Daley, and Harrison Troidle finished fourth at 9:32.84.

“Overall, the athletes performed very well tonight. The team is comprised of mostly sophomores and freshmen and many athletes experienced personal bests,” Head Coach Rich Biondi said. “Aidan Kropiwnicki was simply awesome. He qualified for the states in two events. In the 600 meters, he demonstrated physical strength and metal toughness that few athletes have. Aidan has all the tools to become a great track athlete. Justin Dombrowski had the best meet of his young career, as did Matt Daley. I am really excited to see these youngsters finish the season and compete in the spring.”

Boys’ Ice Hockey

Branford hosted SCC/SWC Division II foe New Milford at Northford Ice Pavilion on Jan. 21 and skated to a 7-0 victory. With the win, the Hornets leveled their record at 4-4 for the season.

Girls’ Basketball

The Hornets lost a pair of Hammonasset Division matchups last week to drop to 3-8 on the season.

On Jan. 17, Branford took a 47-22 home loss to Amity. Emma Pierson scored 10 points to lead the Hornets.

Three nights later, the Hornets hosted Sacred Heart Academy and came up on the short end of a 63-55 decision. With the game tied at 13 after one, Sacred Heart Academy won the second quarter 18-12 to take a 31-25 lead into halftime. The Hornets cut it to 45-41 through three, but were outscored 18-14 in the final frame, and took the eight-point defeat. Adrienne DiGioia scored 17 points, while Pierson had a nice night with 16 points for Branford. Karly King added six points in the loss.

Boys’ Swimming and Diving

Branford-Guilford had a home meet against Shelton on Jan. 17 and lost a 91-69 decision to the Gaels at Walsh Intermediate School.

Alek Karosas captured first place in the 50 freestyle (24.11) and the 100 backstroke (1:00.47) for Branford-Guilford. Corey Gambardella took first in the 100 butterfly (52.77) and the 100 breaststroke (1:04.38). Kyle Boucher won the 500 freestyle at 5:51.03, while Paul Rosenberg prevailed in the diving with 155.85 points. Also for Branford-Guilford (1-5), the 400 freestyle relay of Aleandro Hanaj, Abdalla Syed, Boucher, and Karosas finished first with a time of 4:05.24.

Wrestling

Branford competed in a quad-meet at Ellis Tech on Jan. 14 and came away with a victory against Waterford. The Hornets defeated Waterford by a 47-31 final, while also losing to Foran (58-21) and Ellis Tech (50-24). Branford moved to 6-9 overall and dropped to 2-2 in SCC action with the loss to Foran.