Printer Friendly Version - Branford Girls’ Swimming and Diving Competes at SCC Championship; Boys’ Soccer, Field Hockey Lose in Conference Semis

Freshman Erika Barone competed in a pair of individual events and two relays for the Branford girls’ swimming and diving team at last week’s SCC Championship. Barone finished 15th in the 200 individual medley and came in 19th place in the 100 backstroke at the meet. Photo by Kelley Fryer/The Sound

The Branford girls’ swimming and diving team was represented by several athletes at last week’s SCC Championship. The Hornets scored 274 points and finished in 14th place at the SCC meet, which took place at Southern Connecticut State University on Nov. 1.

Freshman Erika Barone swam a time of 2:21.52 to take 15th place in the 200 individual medley for the Hornets at SCCs. Barone also finished 19th in the 100 backstroke by posting a time of 1:05.39. Junior Gabrielle Gillis claimed 16th place in the 100 freestyle (57.41), in addition to finishing 20th in the 50 freestyle with a time of 26.63 seconds.

In the 200 medley relay, Branford’s quartet of sophomore Melissa Juliano, Barone, junior Cordelia Keberle, and Gillis came in 10th place by swimming a time of 1:59.77. Later in the meet, Juliano, Barone, Keberle, and Gillis joined forces once again to finish 10th for the 400 freestyle relay behind a time 3:56.17. The Hornets’ 200 freestyle relay of sophomore Nicola Colossale, senior Serena Sachs, freshman Rory Jacobson, and junior Adrienne Dillon took 16th place by swimming a 1:53.46.

Juliano also finished 21st in the 100 backstroke (1:06.05) and 24th in the 50 freestyle (26.94) for Branford at the SCC Championship. Dillon posted a 23rd-place finish in the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:07.36. Keberle finished 32nd for both the 200 freestyle (2:30.63) and the 100 butterfly (1:07.36) in the meet.

Previously, at the SCC Diving Championship, freshman Marina Giammattei scored a total of 261.30 points to finish in 24th place at Sheehan High School on Oct. 27.

Branford is competing in states this week. The Class M Diving State Championship will be held at Bulkeley High School at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 7; the Class M Swimming Trials are at East Hartford at 5:55 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 10; and the Class M Swimming State Championship takes place at Wesleyan University on Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m.

Branford dropped a narrow decision versus Xavier in the SCC Tournament semifinals last week and now turns its attention to states this week.

The 4th-seeded Hornets played an SCC semifinal game at top-seeded Xavier on Oct. 30. The Falcons netted the lone goal of the game in the second half to come away with the 1-0 win and advance to the final, where they took a 1-0 loss to Fairfield Prep.

Branford is competing in the Class L State Tournament as the No. 8 seed this week. The Hornets, who went 11-3-2 for the regular season and are 12-4-2 overall, are hosting No. 25 seed Law in a first-round game at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 6. If Branford wins, it will host the winner of No. 9 seed Barlow and No. 24 Bethel in the second round at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 8. The quarterfinals are on Saturday, Nov. 10; the semis take place on either Tuesday, Nov. 13 or Wednesday, Nov. 14; and the championship game will be held on Saturday, Nov. 17.

Branford took a loss to Cheshire in the semifinals of the SCC Tournament last week and is playing in the Class M State Tournament that gets underway this week.

No. 5 Branford played at top-seeded Cheshire in the SCC Tournament semifinals on Oct. 30 and dropped a 5-0 decision against the Rams.

The Hornets, who finished 8-5-2-1 in the regular season and are 9-6-2-1 overall, enter the Class M State Tournament as the No. 10 seed and will play at No. 7 Hand in a first-round game on Tuesday, Nov. 6 at 3:30 p.m. With a win, Branford would play at No. 2 Pomperaug (13-1-2) in the quarterfinals at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 8. The semis are on either Tuesday, Nov. 13 or Wednesday, Nov. 14 and the final takes place at Wethersfield High School on Saturday, Nov. 17.

The Hornets’ football squad had a bye week last week and is getting ready to take on Sheehan for an SCC Tier 3 showdown this week.

Branford enters its game against the Titans with an overall record of 5-2 and a mark of 1-1 SCC Tier 3 games this season. Sheehan is 6-1 overall and 3-0 in Tier 3 play. The game kicks off at 6:30 p.m. at Sheehan High School on Friday, Nov. 9. Branford is also ranked No. 7 in the Class M State Playoff rankings in which the top eight teams qualify.

Junior Gabrielle Gillis helped the Hornets’ 200 medley relay and 400 freestyle relay both record 10th-place performances at the SCC Championship that took place at Southern Connecticut State University on Nov. 1. Photo by Kelley Fryer/The Sound