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09/08/2024 08:50 PMThe North Haven High School Sports Hall of Fame will be inducting the Class of 2024 on Sunday, Oct. 20 at 11 a.m. at The Woodwinds in Branford. The Class of 2024 includes Bernie Hsu (Athlete, Class of 1997), Morgan Hsu (Athlete, Class of 1997), Joseph Esparo (Athlete, Class of 1989), Alyssa Migliorini Salzillo (Athlete, Class of 2012), Colin Uyeki (Athlete, Class of 2015), and Sabrina Fronte (Athlete, Class of 2016).
Bernie Hsu
Throughout his four years at North Haven High School, Bernie Hsu distinguished himself both academically and athletically. Ranked near the top of the class and consistently on the honor roll, he served as an Honor Society Officer and received numerous academic awards in Math, Science, and Economics. His commitment to service was evident through receipt of The Rotary Award and his volunteer work with the World Special Olympics and local tennis programs.
Under the guidance of North Haven High School Sports Hall of Fame Coach, Don Hurley, Hsu excelled in tennis, playing No. 1 and No. 2 singles and earning team captaincy and MVP honors from sophomore to senior year. He achieved All-Area, All-Conference, and All-State tennis honors throughout his high school career and was the 1995 Connecticut Boys Doubles Champion with his twin brother, Morgan.
During his junior and senior years, Hsu held top 15 singles and top 2 doubles rankings in New England. As a junior, in 1996, Hsu was a state semi-finalist for singles, and as a senior, in 1997, he was the New England Boys Singles finalist. That same year, the team, which included his brother and cousins (Morgan, David, and Frank) aced its way to becoming state finalists.
In addition to being a tennis standout, Hsu was a varsity swimmer for three years.
Hsu attended Cornell University and received his BA in Economics. Currently, he works in finance in New York, where he resides with his beautiful wife, Annie, and future scholar athletes, Harper (5) and Samuel (3).
Hsu remains active and has participated in multiple triathlons, marathons, and century bike rides across the United States. He is currently Harper and Samuel’s tennis coach.
Morgan Hsu
Morgan Hsu truly excelled as both a student and an athlete. Ranked in the top 10 in his graduating class, he was a National Honor Society officer and recipient of many Senior awards, including Math, French, and Economics. He received honor roll distinction each term and was also recognized with The Perfect Attendance Award for all his four years of high school. Hsu’s service to the community includes volunteering for the World Special Olympics, volunteering at the Pilot Pen Tennis Tournament, and coaching tennis for the area’s youth.
Under the direction of North Haven High School Sports Hall of Fame Coach, Don Hurley, Hsu’s tennis achievements are extraordinary. He played No. 1 and No. 2 singles from freshman to senior year, rotating with his twin brother, Bernie. He was elected team captain in his sophomore, junior, and senior years and was also declared the team’s MVP for those years. From 1994-1997, all four years of his athletic career, Hsu was awarded All-Area and All-Conference Tennis honors from the New Haven Register. From 1995-1997, for three years, he received All-State tennis honors from the Hartford Courant.
In 1995, as a sophomore, Hsu was the State of Connecticut Boys Doubles Champion with his partner, Bernie. As a senior, in 1997, Hsu won the New England Singles title and the State of Connecticut Open Singles title. He was also awarded the title of All-American Tennis Player from Gatorade. That same year, the team aced its way to becoming state finalists, which included his brother, Bernie, and cousins David and Frank.
In addition to these impressive recognitions, Hsu was a varsity swimmer for three years and qualified for state trials, along with being a saxophonist in the high school band and violinist in the orchestra for four years.
Earning his BA in Economics from Cornell University, Hsu excelled there, securing the title of National Scholar. He is still a competitive tennis player, and he has also battled as an ultramarathoner, Ironman, and road cyclist across the United States.
Currently, Hsu lives in New York City and is the CEO and Co-Founder of a real estate technology company. He is a longtime investor and operator in technology and real estate. Hsu is engaged to a beautiful woman named Donna and hopes to one day give the gift of tennis to his future children.
Joseph Esparo
Joseph Esparo graduated from North Haven High School in 1989. He received the North Haven Citizenship Award, providing numerous hours of service to the community. Esparo was considered a town favorite, whether it was as baseball coach for Max Sinoway or as a volunteer for North Haven’s summer and fall baseball and basketball clinics. Esparo also volunteered at Fore Kidz, an annual golf tournament, where proceeds were donated to the Connecticut Children’s Hospital.
In the fall, Esparo played four years of varsity football for legendary North Haven High School Sports Hall of Fame coaches Bob DeMayo and Mike Proto. As a freshman, Esparo captained his team and also earned his varsity letter. During his junior year, Esparo earned First Team All-Housatonic League Conference recognition and was named to the Second Team New Haven Register All-Area team. As a junior, he also received Honorable Mention honors for the New Haven Register All-State Team.
In his senior year, Esparo’s awards and honors continued. As the co-captain of his team, he was named the team’s Most Valuable Player. He was selected to the First Team All-Housatonic League Conference, First Team New Haven Register All-Area Team, and Third Team New Haven Register All-State Team. For his outstanding performance and achievements, in 2017, Esparo was inducted into the New Haven Gridiron Club Hall of Fame.
In the spring, Esparo traded his football cleats for some baseball ones and excelled on the diamond as an outfielder. Like football, Esparo played for coaches DeMayo and Proto and was captain of his freshman baseball team. During his junior year, he received First Team All-Housatonic League Conference honors and was named to the Second Team New Haven Register All-Area Team and Third Team New Haven Register All-State Team. The following year, as a senior, he was the co-captain and team’s Most Valuable Player. Esparo was also named to the First Team All-Housatonic League Conference, First Team New Haven Register All-Area Team, First Team New Haven Register All-State Team, and First Team Connecticut High School Coaches Association (CHSCA) Class L All-State Team. In addition to being a football and baseball standout, Esparo played freshman and JV basketball.
Esparo attended Iona College and graduated with a major in US History and a minor in Psychology. At Iona, he was a four-year starter. In his senior year, he was selected to the First Team All-Liberty Conference as a wide receiver.
Currently, Esparo is employed with OUTFRONT Media of Connecticut and is the Senior Real Estate Representative for the market. He is blessed with a son, Luke, who attends Penn State University on a gymnastics scholarship, and a daughter, Lilliana, who is a sophomore, active in theater arts at Mark T. Sheehan High School in Wallingford.
Alyssa Migliorini Salzillo
While at North Haven High School, Alyssa Migliorini Salzillo received honor roll recognition for four years. For all four years of her high school athletic career, she was selected to the All-SCC Team, and as a sophomore, junior, and senior, she was named to the New Haven Register All-Area Team. As a junior and senior, Salzillo was the co-captain of her team, and she was selected to the All-State Singles Team and was a quarterfinalist in the CIAC State Open Singles Tournament.
As a senior, Salzillo received recognition as being named to the SCC All-Academic Team. She was the MVP of her team as both a sophomore and senior, and as a sophomore, she led her squad to the SCC Division II Championship. The following year, Salzillo led her team to the quarterfinals of the CIAC Class L team tournament, and then again, as a senior, she piloted her team to the semifinals of the CIAC Class M team tournament.
According to North Haven tennis Head Coach Bob Migliorini, “Alyssa’s uncanny steadiness on the court in terms of her ability to run down shots and get them back into play to out-steady her opponents led to her tremendous singles match record as a high school player. In my 16 years of coaching high school tennis, Alyssa is the best mover on the court that I have ever seen. Her incredible accomplishments and team turn around during her four years vaulted North Haven girls’ tennis to among the elite teams in the SCC, paving the way for continued future success of the program.”
In addition to her achievements in tennis, Salzillo played soccer for four years and was named Most Improved Player as a freshman. In the winter, she ran indoor track for two years for the recently recognized North Haven High School Sports Hall of Fame coach Marc Celmer.
Salzillo attended NCAA Division I Sacred Heart University for one year and was the No. 6 singles and No. 3 doubles player. The following year, she transferred to UConn, receiving her Bachelor’s degree in Speech, Language, and Hearing Science. Salzillo received her Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from NCAA Division II Molloy College and boasted the rank of the No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles player there.
Upon graduation, Salzillo served as the North Haven High School girls’ varsity tennis team assistant coach from 2019-2023, the women’s assistant coach at Albertus Magnus College from 2018-2023, and she is currently the ACEing Autism Tennis Program Director in North Haven. Salzillo was named the High Lane Club Head Tennis Professional in 2023 and is currently the varsity girls’ tennis coach at Lyman Hall High School.
Currently, Salzillo is a speech-language pathologist. She lives in Wallingford with her husband, Brian, and their son, Mason Dominic. She continues to play tennis with her dad and sisters and has recently started to play pickleball. She also loves to run and work out in her spare time.
Colin Uyeki
Without question, Colin Uyeki was both a stellar student and athlete at North Haven High School. He graduated ninth in his class and was inducted into The National Honor Society, as well as the Science, Latin, Spanish, and Math Honor Societies. In 2015, he received the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) Scholar Athlete award for his accomplishments on the field and in the classroom. Uyeki also volunteered as a North Haven Youth Lacrosse coach throughout high school.
Uyeki played four years of varsity soccer for North Haven High School Sports Hall of Fame celebrated coach Federico Fiondella. As a junior, Uyeki earned the Outstanding Leadership Award and was selected to the Honorable Mention All-Oronoque Team. As a senior, he was the team’s captain and won the Jim and Brenda Howlett Scholar Athlete Award and The Joe Janush Sportsmanship Award. He was a two-time Southern Connecticut Conference (SCC) All-Academic selection.
Uyeki also played four years of varsity lacrosse at North Haven. As a junior, he earned First Team All-State and First Team All-SCC honors, and he was the team’s Co-MVP. As a senior captain, Uyeki was named a US Lacrosse All-American and set the school’s record with 285 career points. He received First Team All-State and First Team All-SCC honors, as well as being named the SCC Player of the Year and the New Haven Register All-Area MVP. He was a four-time SCC-All Academic selection in lacrosse.
At Wesleyan University, Uyeki earned his BA in Neuroscience and Behavior. He was part of a national semifinal team in 2017 and was a member of the 2018 Division III Men’s Lacrosse National Championship team, the first team national title in school history. As a senior at Wesleyan, Uyeki was selected as the team’s captain and was selected to the New England Small College Athletic Conference All-Academic and All-Sportsmanship teams. He was also awarded the Doug Maynard Award for Leadership.
Since 2016, Uyeki has been a member of the Scottish National Team. He played in the 2016 U19 World Championships, the 2018 Lacrosse World Championships in Netanya, Israel, and most recently captained the team for the 2023 Lacrosse World Championships in San Diego, California.
Currently, Uyeki is a fourth year medical student at Frank H. Netter, MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University, pursuing a career in orthopedic surgery. When he is not in the clinic, he spends his time running a nonprofit called Hockey Haven, which he co-founded in 2021.
Working in partnership with the New York Rangers to provide hockey at zero cost, Hockey Haven is dedicated to increasing access to team sports for children from under-resourced neighborhoods in the New Haven area. In 2023, Uyeki became an assistant coach of the North Haven High School boys’ lacrosse team, sharing his wealth of knowledge, passion, and leadership.
Sabrina Fronte
Sabrina Fronte graduated from North Haven High School in 2016. She played varsity football for three years, JV soccer for one year, and varsity rugby for one year. She also volunteered as a youth soccer coach for numerous years, and without question, she has inspired many female athletes to break barriers and try football.
According to renowned North Haven High School football Head Coach Anthony Sagnella, “Without a doubt, Sabrina was one of the most competitive athletes that I have ever coached. When Sabrina came to see me about playing football in her sophomore year, I asked her what position she was interested in playing. She said kicker. I said we have three pretty good ones on the roster, and she did not seem to be bothered by the statement. I said you may want to practice because the best one gets the job. When practice began that fall, we put all the kickers in line against one another, kicking extra points. Single elimination. Sabrina kicked 38 straight, knocking out all her competition. She then went on to have a stellar career for us, kicking in 38 games, including a state championship, where she went five-for-five.”
In 2015 and 2016, Fronte’s junior and senior years, she was recognized as the leading scorer in the state of Connecticut, and this inspiring young athlete set SCC and state records for points scored in a year (out of all players and in the kicker position, not just as a female player). She led her team to the playoffs in both her junior and senior years, including the first ever state championship appearance.
Fronte’s remarkable accolades continued, as she set several new state records for girls with the most points in a game (12 vs Lyman Hall, Nov. 6), most points in a single season (86), and most points in a career (122). Fronte’s senior year was quite impressive. She had 86 points, thanks to 77 points after touchdown (PATs) and three field goals. That statistic is the fifth highest single season total for a kicker of any gender in state history. Her senior year, Fronte was also named All-SCC kicker. In addition to her time on the gridiron, she played rugby and scored the first ever goal in North Haven High School history.
After high school, Fronte attended Cosmetology school and has received multiple certifications for her great work. For the past five years, she has been working as a freelance hairstylist in North Haven, specializing in blonding and coloring services. With her husband, Kristjan Lulaj, Fronte also owns two Italian restaurants, Antonio’s in North Haven and La Piazza in Wallingford. She handles all social media for both restaurants and works as a server at La Piazza. Fronte and her husband enjoy giving back to both communities, but most importantly, giving back to her beloved hometown, making donations whenever possible.
Tickets for the induction ceremony are $60 per person. To purchase tickets, email Caren Genovese at caren.genovese@yahoo.com.