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12/03/2016 11:00 PMNorth Branford’s boys’ and girls’ cross country squads both worked hard throughout the fall season in an effort to give back to the community at their recent team banquet. At the banquet, a variety of non-perishable food items amounting to about 200 pounds were collected by Head Coach Floyd Parness’s teams and then donated to the North Branford food kitchen.
For its season, North Branford was led by captains Winnie Chan, Parker Nadeau, and Austin Gibilisco, who were also the three recipients of the North Branford Cross Country Four-Year Award. The highlight for both teams came at the Shoreline Championship on Oct. 20 as the T-Birds hosted the event at Totoket Park and put a pair of runners on its North Branford 5K Cross Country Course Top-Seven record plaque. The plaque was established seven years ago and updated this year as Michael Madoule claimed third place for the boys with a time of 18:20.4, while Mackenzie Glenn took the fourth spot for the girls at 23:30.9. The T-Birds’ boys’ team finished in ninth place and the girls came in 10th at the Shoreline Conference Championship. Then the Class SS State Championship, the boys placed 18th.
Additionally at the postseason banquet, Coach Parness handed out some team awards as Madoule and Glenn each received Most Valuable Player honors, Nadeau and Jillian Damini earned the Desire and Dedication Award, while Jared Jamieson and Julia Cassista took Rookie of the Year honors. Varsity letters on the girls’ side were awarded to Cassista, Chan, Damiani, Glenn, and Sarah Sullivan. Aaron Biesaw, Gibilisco, Jared Jamieson, Zachary Jamieson, Madoule, Patrick Miconi, Nadeau, and Michael Rabuffo earned varsity letters for the boys’ team.
—PJ Foti