For both the North Haven boys’ and girls’ cross country squads this past fall, the tandem of teams certainly etched their mark on the Southern Connecticut Conference and state championship courses, while bolstering themselves from within by wielding great synergy and teamwork.

For the girls’ group, the Nighthawks finished the dual-meet regular season with a 9-6 mark, before posting a ninth-place showing at the SCC Championship. The squad then mimicked that placement at states in Class M. North Haven noted that the main gain it aimed for in 2023 was strength in numbers, which it hit quite well, with motions taken well before the first race of the year.

“Our initial goal was to grow the team by adding new cross country runners to the returning team. We added six runners to the returning team [with freshmen, sophomores, and a junior],” said Head Coach Carl Jackson, who piloted both teams. “These new student-athletes worked together with the returning athletes over the summer to bond and get ready for the season. During the season, the team had weekly pasta parties as a way to bond and discuss upcoming meets. Both postseason finishes were better than the early season goals.”

Additionally, Jackson sung the praises of team captains in senior Jade Lewis, plus juniors Grace DeNardis and Amalia Morizio, by setting the stage for success and the template towards marked improvement daily.

“I give a lot of credit to the captains for their hard work, leadership, and daily practice habits that helped the team to improve as the season progressed,” said Jackson.

Despite the dual top 10 placings for the conference and state championship races, no Nighthawk notched All-State or All-SCC Team honors, but the program honored their own award winners. Morizio and freshman Emma Pincince shared the Team MVP award, the Sportsperson distinction went to sophomore Lily Mineur, and Most Improved Runner was bestowed upon freshman Brenna Wilson.

After sound postseason showings and only parting ways with a lone runner, Jackson declared that the Nighthawks are looking to take flight to the next tier of prominence within the sport.

“Looking ahead to the 2024 season, we will return everyone except senior Jade Lewis,” said Jackson. “Therefore, expectations will be higher for both regular and postseason.”

On the boys’ side of the slate, the Nighthawks captured a division crown after posting an 8-9 regular season mark. North Haven then equaled the girls’ finish at the SCC Championship by coming in ninth. Lastly, the Nighthawks paced themselves to 13th place at the Class MM State Championship. Despite the sub-.500 finish, Jackson and the boys hit their remaining objectives for the 2023 run.

“The goals for the boys’ team were to grow the team, finish the season with a winning record, and have a successful postseason,” said Jackson. “Seven runners returned from the 2022 cross country team, and eight new runners were added from all four grade levels. During the summer, the captains led the 2023 team through conditioning and bonding. During the season, the team worked hard to finish with a record of eight wins.”

Senior Nico Boyle led the entire club in terms of postseason accolades. Boyle earned a trifecta of honors with All-SCC, All-State, and All- New England Team honors. Boyle was third best in the state for Class MM competition, posting a time of 16 minutes and 44 seconds, just eight seconds off the winning pace. Then, he finished 18th overall with a time of 16 minutes and 19 seconds at the State Open.

He was additionally the first male cross country runner in school history to run at the New England Championships, and was selected as SCC Runner of the Year.

With that laundry list of laurels, Boyle was almost a no-brainer as the Team MVP award winner for his remarkable season. Classmate A.J. Signore went home with the Sportsmanship award, and finally, sophomore Diego Hoyos notched the Most Improved Runner honor.

While a quality quintet of senior runners have posted their final tracks with North Haven, the boys can certainly say that they left a superb final run for the program, with the feats put forth on individual and collective levels.

“In reflection, this was a very good season,” said Jackson. “The team achieved a lot, we grew the team from seven to 15, and won the divisional title. On the negative side, we will lose five seniors [Boyle, Charles Coughlin, Jack Green, Luke Reilly, and Signor].”

The 2023 North Haven boys’ cross country team roster was comprised of seniors Boyle, Coughlin, Green, Reilly, Signor; juniors with Matthew DeNardis, Hoyos, Logan Ohanyan; sophomores of Jeremy Edie, Eli Feinberg, Max Pugliese; plus freshmen Evan Conlan, Francesco D'Aria, Colby Parker, and Jaiden Walton.

The 2023 Nighthawks’ girls’ cross country squad roster consisted of senior Lewis; juniors with DeNardis, Morizio, Daniella Rapuano, Daniella Rapuano; sophomores in Mineur, Sophia Vollono; plus freshmen with Kayla Cherian, Elyana Najarian-Garb, Pincince, and Wilson.