Greenwich High School’s boys indoor track and field team enjoyed quite a run at the 2023 FCIAC Championships – a championship run.

The Cardinals raced to impressive times, resulting in an accomplishment the program hadn’t attained since 1972 – the FCIAC Indoor Track and Field team championship.

Greenwich won the team title at the championship meet, held at Floyd Little Athletic Center in New Haven this past Thursday, scoring 78 team points. Trumbull finished second in the team standings (58), followed by Staples (53) and Darien (49) at the 15-team FCIAC Championships.

“The whole team did great on Thursday,” said Greenwich senior Gianluca Bianchi, who helped sparked the squad with outstanding performances in his events. “My coach informed us that this FCIAC indoor championship was the first team win since 1972. It was great to see the whole team contributing to the success, with 10 of the 15 events having a top-6 place finisher.”

Coached by Jeff Klein, the Cardinals scored a lot of points by excelling in the relay races. Cameron Williams, Bianchi, Antonio Ciccarelli and Harrison Goldenberg combined to post a winning time of 3:29 in the 4 x 400-meter relay – a meet record performance. Trumbull was the runner-up in 3:34.66. Greenwich’s 4 x 200-meter relay also garnered the FCIAC gold medal. Caleb You, Bianchi, Williams and Goldenberg teamed up to win the event in 1:33.06.

Bianchi, a senior captain, won the FCIAC title in the 300-meter dash with a time of 35.41 seconds. Williams, a sophomore, was third in the race (36.84), followed by Goldenberg, a junior who finished fourth (36.88). Trumbull junior Liam O’Keefe placed second in 36.79.

“As the captain of the sprinters, I can say that the team puts in their best effort into practice every day,” Bianchi said. “Going out there and getting the win was very fulfilling to all of us. Personally, I felt like my performance was a great start to the championship season, winning the 4 x 200, 300 and 4 x 400.”

In the 55-meter dash, You, a sophomore, took third, clocking in at 6.71 seconds. Jamar Alcena, a Norwalk senior, was the champion (6.60). Ciccarelli, a junior, had a fifth-place finish in the 1000-meter run for the Cards, posting a time of 2:35.91. Teammate Chase Nizielski, a sophomore, was 13th (2:56.29). Peter Broderick, a junior representing Fairfield Warde won the FCIAC title in the event (2:32.41).

The one-mile run saw GHS freshman Matteo Chiesara place fifth in 4:36.84. Staples junior Benjamin Lorenz was the race’s winner (4:27.52). Junior Christian Zawislack gave Greenwich a third-place effort in the two-mile run, posting a time of 9:45.28. Trumbull junior David Carillo was first in 9:43.61.

Sophomore Thomas Donovan earned the third-place medal for the Cardinals in the 55-meter hurdles (8.75 seconds). Staples senior Jonas Varnas had the top time in the event (8.24).

“It was a great overall team effort, an achievement unimaginable without the dedication of every member of our program, both boys and girls,” Goldenberg said. “There were definitely a few moments during the meet when the outcome was unsure, but the impressive performances of all athletes on the team ensured a cushioned victory. Thank you to all the coaches for their continued support throughout the season.”

In the sprint medley relay at the FCIAC meet, Greenwich’s Brandon Aguste, Adonis Rodriguez, You and Ciccarelli were third with a time of 3:45.53. Fairfield Warde placed first in the race in a meet record time of 3:41.78. Senior Leroy Obaanda was third for GHS in the high jump (5-06.00) and teammate Alec Cevallos, also senior, was fourth (5-06.00). Michael Hemmings from Bridgeport Central took first (5-10.00). Freshman Ryan Newcomb of the Cardinals finished 13th in the 600-meter run (1:32.94), while junior teammate Aidan Fay placed 14th in (1:33.24).

Up next for Greenwich, is the CIAC Class LL Track and Field Championships, which is scheduled to take place Saturday at Floyd Little Athletic Center in New Haven.

Bianchi is aiming to make his mark once again, in the 4 x 200 and 4 x 400 relays and the 300-meter run.

“I look forward to the state LL championship and State Open championship, where I hope to win these three events,” Bianchi said. “Coming off a still recovering hamstring injury, it was great to run a fast time in my 300 that was close to my last season’s record.”