This spring, the Branford girls’ outdoor track team not only held its own during a very competitive dual-meet campaign, but it also showed that it is on the right path towards demonstrating it will be a force to be reckoned with in terms of SCC and state title contention.

With Head Coach Kevin Connell, the Hornets finished the dual-meet section of their season above the .500 mark with a 5-4 record. In the postseason, at the SCC West Sectional Championship on May 16, Branford placed seventh with 68 points. Moving to the SCC Championship a week later, Branford came in 13th with 27 team tallies. Then, at the Class MM State Championship on June 1 at Willow Brook Park in New Britain, the Hornets ascended to eighth with 34 points.

Connell noted that as Branford additionally aimed to boost its numbers and interest in the program, the Hornets also hit on several of its preseason targets with respect to the regular season and conference championship level meets.

“The first goal was to get more girls interested in participating in track and field. In competition, we wanted to have a winning season during the dual-meet season, and have more qualifiers for the SCC Championship and Class MM [State Championship] meets,” said Connell. “I think we fared well during the regular season at 5-4 against some tough competition such as Cheshire, Shelton, Hand, and Mercy. Our numbers were up, across the board our performances improved significantly, and we did get more qualifiers for the SCC meet in 16 of 18 events. I think the various event groups created a camaraderie on a daily basis at practice, and we count on them to produce and score points for any team success.”

Senior captains Sarah Nwagboli, Gianna Piscitelli, Sam Stroka and Hannah Jackson helped lead the charge for the Hornets this spring. They stood at the top of a senior class that proved it would not be deterred by the after-effects of the pandemic and helped strengthen the squad by informing their cohorts about the enjoyable experience that is high school track and field.

“This was a class that was impacted by the COVID years,” said Connell. “It took a while to get the numbers back to where they were, [and] I credit the seniors on recruiting friends and classmates into giving track a shot. We have benefited from their dedication and positive influence of the captains on the underclassmen. Captains Sarah Nwagboli, Gianna Piscitelli, Sam Stroka and Hannah Jackson did a great job; they will be missed next year.”

Furthermore, the Hornets showed how deep their roster went in terms of talent simply from the successes of their various relay foursomes. Yet beyond the relay races and running lanes, Branford boasted plenty of sensational solo performances in the field.

“Throughout the year, two of our relays [4x100 and 4x400] were at or near the top in Class MM. I think the relays reflect the depth of a team and the quality of the athletes we have,” said Connell. “Individually, we had some extraordinary performances from junior Lucy Moran in the 400 [best time of 58.80], 800 [2:13], 1600 [4:56.92], and anchoring the 4x400 [4:08.87]. She has meant a lot to the success we have had as a team. It’s inspirational to everyone else. Paired with other quality athletes in Nwagboli, sophomore Glorianna Buckley and junior Joelle Budz, they have become a formidable quartet in the 4x400. Sophomore Ella Stone has become an excellent multi-event athlete, qualifying for states in the high jump, long jump, and triple jump. She has become the second-best long jumper in school history (17-2.5). She has taken up the pole vault at the end of the season. Budz continued her excellent work in the sprints and added the 300 hurdles [47.82].”

Moran was named to the All-SCC Team in the 800, while she also made the All-State Team roster in both that event and the 1600. Team award honorees included Moran as Team MVP for the track with Stone being her counterpart for that accolade in the field. Buckley was named Most Improved Athlete, sophomore Cheyenne Wilson took home the Desire and Dedication award, and junior Avery Clouse was Rookie of the Year.

The progress of the underclassmen core will look to serve Branford strongly in the years ahead, as they have gained the wherewithal of what it takes to perform and succeed on a big postseason stage. Connell explained that progress has certainly been struck on both ends of the sport, and they will look to continue the momentum while adding additional pieces.

“We have a strong group of underclassmen returning next year, and they got a taste of success individually and as a team,” said Connell. “The younger athletes learned quite a bit this season, and they’ve learned from each other and the work required for further success in the future. I think we were competitive on the track and getting much better in the field events. We need more depth to have success as we reach the championship season. I think the athletes are there, and we’ll see them blossom next year.”

The 2023 Branford girls’ outdoor track squad roster is comprised of seniors Emma Allen, Jackson, Nwagboli, Lily Penner, Piscitelli, Marina Smiarowski, Stroka, Taylor Tracy, Lila Wasiolek; juniors of Budz, Kimberly Caracondo, Clouse, Chayse Gueco, Cecile Hazen, Gianna Jara, Anika Jayanetti, Kendall Leonard, Michelle Lin, Violet Marrandino, Moran, Aamarrah Streater, Sadie Zalewski; sophomores in Ava Allen, Buckley, Jasmine Ha, Nneoma Obi, Zu Zu Pont Strong, Stone, Djamilla Toukour, Mialyn Viera, Wilson; and freshmen with Stacia Comen, Kiara Guevara-Cragwell, Sarah Kwadade, Emerson Manchanda, Favour Nwagboli, Bidhee Thapa, Shriya Thapa, and Samantha Trudeau.