Buanno Looking For All-State Trifecta

With the scholastic track and field season officially kicking off Wednesday, Andrew Buanno looks to continue the amazing success he's experienced in his senior year at Enfield High School.

The standout three-season athlete is hot off an impressive showing three weeks ago at the New Balance Nationals, an indoor meet at the New York Armory. Competing in the Emerging Elite division, Buanno placed sixth in the 60 meter dash finals.

That performance capped a tremendous indoor season for Buanno, who won the 55 meters at both the North Central Connecticut Conference meet and the state Class M championships.

A couple of minor adjustments in his starting form helped Buanno over the course of the season. "We changed his block start a little bit this year, which he was a little resistant to at first," first-year coach Rachel Shuttleworth said.

"I used to have my hands flat on the ground, but she told me to put them up in an arch," Buanno said. Shuttleworth also encouraged him to lean a bit more forward while in the blocks, enabling him to improve his reaction time at the start.

Once he adapted to the change in position, Buanno blew through the field at the NCCC meet, winning the 55 meters for the second straight year, and helping the 4x200 relay team to a first-place finish.

His winning time of 6.63 seconds in the Class M finals qualified him for the trip to the Nationals. Prior to that event, however, he encountered his only hiccup of the season, in the State Open, where illness caused him to place 12th in the 55 meter preliminaries.

"I had a fever of 103 that whole week, and didn't practice at all," Buanno said. "I couldn't breathe well, but I ran it anyway."

In the Nationals, he ran the 60 meters in 7.13 and 7.14 seconds, vastly improving his time of 7.26 at the 2010 event in Boston, then known as the Nike Indoor Nationals.

Buanno's attention now turns to the outdoor season, where he is a two-time All-NCCC selection. He excels in the 100 and 200 meter dashes, and runs the anchor leg of the 4x100 relay team which won the Class M title last year. He said his goal is to make Nationals for outdoors as well.

"I definitely see leaps and bounds for him," Shuttleworth said. "He's so passionate about the sport, about making himself better and about his team. I'm hoping for a sub-11 (in the 100), and I think he can do it."

Outdoor track is expected to be the culmination of an honors-laden senior year for Buanno. The accolades began in the fall, when the 5'10", 170 lb. running back led the Raiders' football team to a 7-3 record. He rushed for 1,558 yards and 22 touchdowns, averaging 9.5 yards per carry, and added three receiving touchdowns. He was named to the All-State team following the season.

Westfield State College and Western Connecticut State University have both accepted Buanno for the fall semester. He says he is leaning toward Westfield State, due to the fact that Western Connecticut does not have a track program.

Buanno's talent is not limited to the gridiron and track. He took Senior Portfolio and Commercial Art and Illustration classes this year, and recently exhibited his work at the annual Enfield's Woman's Club Student Art Show. He is interested in pursuing a career in the art field.

He is as modest as he is talented. Despite his long list of awards and honors, he said the most memorable highlight of his athletic career to date was a football game in his sophomore year, when the Raiders came back to defeat Berlin, 52-50.

"I call him our current thoroughbred," Enfield High School principal Tom Duffy said. "He's a great student-athlete, he gives it his all and he's a great inspiration to other students."

Athletic coordinator Barry Bernstein added, "Andrew works as hard as any athlete I've ever seen, and he does it all with humility. He's a credit to his school, his teammates and his family."