By David Fierro
For the second straight season, the Greenwich High School boys track and field team was second to none at the FCIAC Championships.
Behind numerous impressive performances, the Cardinals captured the team title at the FCIAC Championships for the second year in a row, earning a team score of 92 points at Wednesday’s championship meet at Danbury High School. Trumbull was the runner-up at the meet with 86 team points and Danbury finished third (85).
Narrowly ahead of Danbury with only one race remaining, Greenwich won the 4×400-meter relay, claiming 10 team points and winning the FCIAC championship. Sophomore Caleb You, senior Gianluca Bianchi, junior Antonio Ciccarelli and junior Harrison Goldenberg combined for a winning time of 3:23.26 in the 4×400 for the Cardinals, who led Danbury by just a half a point heading into the meet’s final race.
The time in the 4×400 was a season-best showing for the Cardinals. Bianchi, one of the Cardinals’ captains, won two individual events for Greenwich, coached by Anthony Morello. Bianchi crossed the finish line first in the 400-meter run, clocking in at 48.24 seconds.
Ethan Walls of Ridgefield was the runner-up in the 400 (49.62), while Goldenberg placed third (49.85). In the 200-meter run, Bianchi earned the gold medal, posting a time of 22.06, giving Greenwich 10 team points. Jamar Alcena of Norwalk finished second in 22.51 and Goldenberg was fourth for GHS (22.87). Also in the 200, sophomore Noah Steele finished 11th for the Cardinals (23.60).
In the field events, Cardinals junior Aidan Karson won the high jump (6-03.00, personal-record) and teammate Leroy Obaanda, a senior, took fifth (5-10.00).
Sophomore David Akinnubi gave Greenwich a winning effort in the long jump (20-08.00) a personal-record performance. The javelin throw saw senior Alec Cevallos finish sixth for the Cards (131-01, personal-best). Greenwich’s Thomas Donovan, a sophomore, took seventh in the triple jump (39-01.25).
Back to the track events and Donovan had a second-place finish in the 110-meter hurdles, recording a time of 16.22. Trumbull’s Evan Dadson won the race in 15.62. Greenwich’s 4×800-meter relay squad comprised of freshman Ryan Newcomb, sophomore Chase Nizielski, Ciccarelli and freshman Matteo Chiesara combined for a second-place showing in 8:14.20. Fairfield Warde was the race’s winner (8:09.88).
Ciccarelli finished fifth in the 800-meter race (1:58.04), which was won by Isaac Graber of Ridgefield (1:54.71). Donovan took 10th for the Cards in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 44.20. Steele was sixth in the 100 in 11.79.
Up next for Greenwich is the CIAC Class LL Championships, held at Willow Brook Park on Wednesday. The Cardinals put forth a stellar performance at the 2022 Class LL Championships, finishing second behind champion Hall in the team standings.
