On Sept. 14, the North Branford cross-country teams ran in the Guilford-sponsored West Beach Invitational 2010 Meet at Hammonasset State Park in Madison.

"The outcome of the race for both the boys and girls team fell short in comparison to the other teams, but the expereince gained from the race far outweighs the place the team finished," said Coach Floyd Parness. "It was a good experience because the results of the race measure where we stand both as individuals and as a team."

The girls' team took eighth of 11 squads with top finishers including Corinne McHenry (17:00), Alyssa Arre (17:20), Haley Gomez (19:01), Sydney Lane (19:42), Sephanie Pantera (19:47), Chelsea Meagher (19:54), and Alexandra Smith (21:08). The boys were ninth in the 11-team field. Top finishers were Zachary Williams (17:00), Jason Conforte (18:17), Ryan Proto (18:58), Edward Fee (19:09), Kevin Walker (19:13), Sean O'Connor (19:24), and Raphel Roy (20:11). Williams, a freshman, took 10th in a competitive field and was the first freshman to finish the race. O'Connor was the second freshman to cross the finish line.

"I was pleased with the overall results considering the lack of experience on the team," said Parness. "The race served as a wakeup call to what this sport is all about to the new team members and the time and dedication required in order to achieve satisfactory results. As a team, we need to build on getting our times down and closing the gaps between places."

The boys' JV team was seventh of eight with finishers including Scott Jackson (20:04), Chris Olsen (21:19), Zachary Augur (21:31), AJ Cooney (21:34), and Max Golkowski (22:29).

-Jennifer McCulloch