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07/05/2023 07:26 AMFor the North Branford boys’ and girls’ outdoor track teams, 2023 proved to be a proud campaign which saw not only several solo achievements, but also a greater collective step taken forward in terms of postseason performances and team chemistry on and off the track.
For the boys’ squad, the T-Birds finished ninth at the Shoreline Conference Championship with 37.5 points while the girls were 11th with 11 tallies. For the Class S State Championship, North Branford tied for 29th with three points in the boys’ competition while the girls did not place as a team but had plenty of representation at the event–one of the major preseason targets hit by North Branford.
“Our goals for the season were to have a majority of the athletes qualify for Shoreline Championships and the Class S State Championships,” said Head Coach Michael Rabuffo, in his first year at the helm. “We accomplished that with many seniors qualifying for states for the first time in their careers. Everyone worked very hard this year, and they should be proud of their accomplishments, especially the seniors. They’ve had to deal with coaching changes throughout their high school careers, including this year. The senior class was the immutable key to our success this year. They took the workouts seriously and set a great example for the underclassmen of what hard work, dedication, and a positive outlook could achieve. They took it in stride and were able to still be successful despite the unsteadiness of our coaching program.”
Rabuffo also went on to highlight an instance of inspiration from senior Ryan Chasanoff, who missed his indoor campaign this past winter due to Tommy John surgery, which also left his jumping career in doubt after it concluded his pitching tenure in baseball. Learning the triple jump this spring, he captured first at Shorelines and was sixth for Class S–narrowly missing advancing to the State Open by 0.25 inches.
“I couldn’t be more proud of him,” said Rabuffo. “The most impressive part is that he had never triple jumped before this season started.”
On the girls’ squad, he went on to sing the praises of his 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams, led by senior captains of Sophie Gambardella and Carolyn Heffernan, respectively.
“They were able to motivate and lead their teams to state qualification for the first time in their careers,” Rabuffo said. “The 4x400 relay team had a massive personal record time at Class S, dropping about eight seconds from their times. The senior captains led the team to a fantastic year. They helped me to manage my first year as a head coach, always there to schedule pasta dinners, and supported me when I needed to talk over any ideas. Sophie has an undying and radiant positivity that drove the sprinter’s workouts. Carolyn was the epitome of dedication. She loved running distance more than anyone, and would always show the underclassmen that running is supposed to be enjoyable and not torture. She always worked hard in the workouts, which can be brutal, and set the standard for what the freshmen and sophomores should strive to be like. Both captains also excelled in academics too, showing the importance of being a student-athlete.”
In terms of team synergy across both squads, the T-Birds flew high but together as a flock, discovering the importance of teamwork and mutual support through all of the ups and downs of a track and field campaign.
“The team developed well. They all practiced hard and were always looking to improve. They also held a strong bond with each other off the track, hanging out with each other in their free time and hosting pasta dinners,” said Rabuffo. “Personally, I don’t care about winning and losing; I’m just concerned with making these athletes the best versions of themselves. They all learned what it meant to be on a team, to rely on each other, to build each other up and support one another, and most importantly what it means to fail and how to recover from it.”
Chasanoff was named First Team All-Shoreline thanks to his triple jump victory, while junior Sam Gott earned Honorable Mention recognition for All-Shoreline in the 200 and 400, and then junior Aidan Chittenden was also an Honorable Mention for the shot put.
Gott garnered Team MVP accolades for the boys’ club, and sophomore Destiney Christie won that distinction for the girls. Chittenden and Gambardella took home the Desire and Dedication honor for their respective squads. Lastly, Heffernan claimed the Floyd Parness Distance Award.
As Rabuffo expresses gratitude to an outside source that helped him navigate the waters of his first foray into coaching the T-Birds, he is quite optimistic that the progress of the program will continue to trek upward as the years move forward.
“We have a good group of returning athletes who I think may be able to compete for Shoreline titles next year,” said Rabuffo. “The middle school team has a lot of students, so I’m hoping to recruit a lot for next year. I believe the program will only get stronger as time goes on. I’d also like to give thanks to Mackenzie Glenn, a former athlete at North Branford and current athlete for the Southern Connecticut State University track team, for giving me drills and advice on how to coach the athletes.”
The 2023 North Branford girls’ outdoor track team’s roster was comprised of seniors in Sophie Gambardella, Heffernan, Carmela Carbone, Ava Gambardella, Alexa Teodoro; sophomores Christie and Aaliyah Rizzuti; and finally freshmen of Star Colon, Cassidy Navarrete, Ashlyn O’Rourke, Emma Preiss, Sophia Sorrell, and Meghan Tang.
The 2023 T-Birds’ boys’ outdoor track team roster was comprised of seniors in Noah Bredbury, Richard Castellano, Chasanoff, Jonathon Estrada-Perez, Jaiden Sorrell; juniors Chittenden, Samuel Custodio, Mohammed Farmani, Gott, Lars Peterson; sophomore Rauk Cepeda and freshman Brandon Longo.