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11/11/2024 01:50 AMThe Branford boys’ and girls’ cross country teams may have carried a lighter load than in years’ past in terms of the number of names on their roster. Still, it did not deter them from competing hard throughout the dual-meet season before capping off a campaign of great individual strides in the postseason.
The Hornets housed a smaller club roster throughout the program this fall, but what they lacked in numbers, they made up for in courage, heart, and hustle. Longtime Head Coach Kevin Connell explained that it was a collection of athletes he truly felt honored to guide while seeing them enlighten and uplift each other.
“We were a small team; the smallest team I've had during my tenure as coach at BHS. I would not trade this group for anyone,” said Connell. “They were close and exhibited great camaraderie throughout. They welcomed newcomers and encouraged each other through each workout and training session. There was constant reinforcement to move forward and keep improving. They truly worked together as one. They were a pleasure to coach.”
The boys’ squad finished in third place for the SCC Oronoque Division, and then in the postseason, they were 13th at the SCC Championships and 17th in states.
“For the boys, they were a much more competitive team than last year,” said Connell. “[Senior captain] David Regan really established himself as one of the upper echelon runners in the conference.”
At the Class MM State Championships at Wickham Park on Oct. 26, the boys’ squad placed 17th overall with 469 points. Regan led the pack by coming in 28th in 17 minutes and 52 seconds. Freshman Sawyer Gaudreau was then 87th in 19:35, and then back-to-back finishes came from senior Paul Lesyk (11th, 20:39) and sophomore Cormac Fichtenholtz (112th, 20:49). Sophomore Cooper Ranton finished 139th at 22:21, and then in 142nd place was senior captain Supremee Shrestha (22:25).
“David ended the season with another superb effort,” said Connell. “He has been consistent throughout the year. Sawyer continued to improve with a solid run. David had an outstanding season, improving by close to two minutes over last year and missed the All-SCC Team by only one placement.”
The girls’ squad did not place as a team on that same day, yet it was represented solidly by its lone two 2024 members. Freshman Charlotte Kenney cracked the top 10 at ninth place in a mark of 20 minutes and 33 seconds to also earn All-State, while junior Caitlyn Lentner placed 30th in 21:58. Kenney later placed 61st at the State Open Championship on the same course on Oct. 31 by clocking in at 21:01.
“Charlotte really came through with an All-State performance.” said Connell. “I was very proud of her determination and competitiveness. Caitlyn had a terrific finish to get in the top 30.”
While the girls’ squad was a total tandem act, Connell was very proud of the contributions of each athlete, as he marveled at the resounding rookie year by Kenney. As a whole for both groups, he was boastful about how they all saw personal progress in dropping minutes and seconds and embracing the grind.
“The guiding light throughout the season was Charlotte, who earned All-SCC First Team and All-State honors,” said Connell. “She put together some memorable races and has a bright future ahead of her. We did not have enough runners to score as a team this season for the girls. Our two girls were terrific from day one. They brought a positive attitude and competitive fire to excel. Our first goal as a team was to improve upon last year's performances, and they did that by large margins. They did not shy away from any of the hard training necessary.”
The seniors and captains in the program were integral in helping to recruit and keep new members to the Hornets’ hive. They embodied the true culture of the club and gave the underclassmen the temple to follow suit towards pushing to success.
“David Regan and Supremee Shrestha were exemplary in bringing the younger athletes along and leading by example,” said Connell. “Paul Lesyk was the hardest working runner out there day after day, and Nolan Weted helped provide depth to a young group.”
Branford will have to reload the deck a little bit for the 2025 campaign by sending off a sensational senior set of athletes on the boys’ side of things. For the girls, Connell knows how deep the talent pool in the conference is, so he knows the main objective in the interim time is to find runners ready to commit to the course.
“We lose half of our boys’ team to graduation, but the young men that return show a great deal of resolve to work hard in the offseason. They got a taste of what's required, and it should motivate them to perform better. Many were new to high school cross country, so I see a big upside to this group. Gaudreau really showed us some grit at the end of the season. Fichtenholtz, Ranton, and [freshman] Vincent Gustavson should be valuable assets to the team next season,” said Connell. “The girls return two excellent runners, but we need more to be competitive in the tough SCC. Cross country requires a big individual commitment, and if we can find a handful of girls to make that commitment, we should be competitive.”
The 2024 Branford boys’ cross country team roster was comprised of seniors Lesyk, Regan, Shrestha, Gavin Smiarowski, Nolan Weted; sophomores Fichtenholz, Ranton; plus freshmen Gaudreau, and Gustavson.