“Small but Mighty” SHS Girls Cross Country Ready to Make Mark
Judged solely by their numbers, Southington girls cross country’s team might look small. But head coach Jaclyn Sullivan is confident the Blue Knights’ size won’t put a ceiling on their potential. The 12 members of this year’s group are united in their goals, and plan to run as one until the final finish line.
Sullivan calls the Blue Knights’ roster “small but mighty.” The title is a testament to the effort Southington put in over the offseason to prepare. It’s also a signal to opposing teams to watch what happens as the Blue Knights mature and grow.
“It’s mighty in the sense that they are driven,” Sullivan said. “They’re putting in the mileage, they’re putting in the work. If they can put all that energy, positivity and work together, that is a very strong force to be reckoned with. They are small, but they can be mighty if they’re willing to continue challenge themselves and hold each other accountable. Who knows what they can do.”
Many of this year’s runners have worked with Sullivan through indoor and outdoor track & field. But cross country opens up a very different avenue to grow and bond. Athletes aren’t spread out between numerous events – everyone is on the same course, chasing the same brass ring.
To succeed, Southington must stay together. Through every trial and tribulation, the Blue Knights believe they get stronger as a team. That mentality has laid the groundwork for the girls cross country program and will continue to define their success.
“The girls have an opportunity to really connect,” Sullivan said. “They spend so much time running together,” Sullivan said. “They’re out there running for an hour, an hour-plus at times. They build different connections and relationships with each other. The team culture builds differently. It’s all one goal.”
“Even though they’re individually racing, competing, training and they have their individual goals to go after, they have this team environment where they’re all working for the same goal,” she continued. “In indoor and outdoor track, you have field events, or you might try something as a jumper or thrower. These girls are all running the same event, doing the same thing with the same goal to see how they can move forward, how high they can finish as a team. That provides a different level of motivation. It’s cool, the camaraderie they build around that.”
'Summer Foundation' builds Blue Knights
“Championships are won in the summer,” is a common cross country cliche. Sullivan calls it ‘Summer Foundation,’ adding, “The larger the foundation, the higher the tower can be built.”
As Southington was starting that building process, they met a bit of a speedbump when construction at the high school forced a change to their usual course. The historian in Sullivan is bummed that the times she records will be for a different course length, making it difficult to compare them to previous seasons. Still, she acknowledges that the adjustment was not too hard. Boys cross country head coach Nick Migani helped with the measurements, and the Blue Knights weren’t thrown off too badly by the change.
Following individual training over the summer, Southington had a clear plan once practice began. Sullivan wanted to concentrate on, “a little bit of everything,” from the aerobic to the mental side of cross country. The focus was on efficiency and finding proper race pace. Southington used all the metrics that were available to improve their endurance and maintain higher speeds consistently.
Along with their work on the course, Sullivan wanted the Blue Knights to set some team goals. The head coach was pleased to see they already had some in mind, and they didn’t just involve winning.
Of course, the Blue Knights want to compete in the Central Connecticut Conference South and make noise at the Class LL State Championship, if not beyond. But they also want to cultivate a positive team culture. They want to always encourage and support each other. They are all eager to hold each other accountable. To Sullivan, Southington’s team environment is what will set them apart from the pack.
“We’re a small team, but most of them were running over the summer. A lot of them ran over 400 miles. They were all working towards something,” Sullivan said.
“After the first week, it was time to create team goals. They were able to come together and set quite a few different goals for themselves this season. Not just postseason goals, but what does the process look like for them. Can they build a team where they’re all good teammates and there’s a positive culture as well? It’s cool they were able to come together and work on that together.”
Preparation leads to season opening wins
Southington opened their season with a tri-meet at home against Rocky Hill and Wethersfield. Entering the campaign, Sullivan wasn’t overly concerned with the clock. She mostly wanted the Blue Knights to prove they were ready to compete at the highest level.
“I’m not worried about your time, I’m not worried about what it says on the clock,” Sullivan said. “I really just want to see you execute your race and compete to the best of your ability. Can you compete? Can you go out there and throw down when asked? Can you be strong and be comfortable being uncomfortable?”
This year’s team passed their first test, earning a 21-37 win over Wethersfield and 18-41 victory over Rocky Hill. Sophomore Madeleine Canner-O’Mealy led the way, winning the race outright with a time of 19:52.49. Fellow sophomores Emily Phipps (21:26.23) and Giada Pagnucco (22:00) finished third and fourth, respectively. Senior Fiona Kilbride (23:12.57) who finished seventh, and sophomore Giuliana Angieri (23:24.99), who placed seventh, rounded out Southington’s top five.
Sullivan wanted to see a high level of competition, and that’s what she got. The Blue Knights were able to swat away any early season cobwebs. Southington now knows they can compete. Still, the head coach says it’s just the beginning.
“A lot of the girls were pretty pumped with how they performed. It was the first time we were able to run on this course,” Sullivan said. “To go out and execute and feel strong, feel powerful and confident throughout the race, really challenge themselves to try something and know that it’s okay to make a mistake because they’re only going to grow from it. They had a lot of insightful reflection.”
Moving forward, Sullivan wants the Blue Knights to focus on what she calls the “little things.” Southington will continue to work on their mental and physical endurance. But ultimately, each runner must look inside to see what they’re truly made of.
“Learning to be tough and working through and with the pain. Continuing to prepare before races,” Sullivan said. “Really visualize, bring confidence and work with nerves, not against them. Everybody gets nervous. Within races, continuing to move up, trusting in each other. Trust in yourself. Be strong when it gets hard.”
“Finding that grit and tenacity is so important in racing,” she continued. “You have to develop that and continue to practice it. Those are little goals to work towards big goals to see what they can do.”
The Blue Knights continued their winning ways in a quad-meet against Platt, Middletown and New Britain on Sept. 15. Southington stayed undefeated, earning 15-50 wins across the board. Canner-O’Mealy again led the way, winning another race with a time of 20:10. Pagnucco (20:58) and Phipps (21:16) were right behind, literally, finishing second and third respectively. Sophomore Emily Blankenship (fourth, 21:56) and Kilbride (fifth, 22:52) rounded out the top five.
They’ll compete in the Wilton Invite on Sept. 19.
Southington captains lead young roster
Girls cross country uses a rigorous process to find their captains. Interested candidates must fill out a Google form. Then, Southington votes using a weighted system. The players get 50 percent of the vote while the coaches get the other half. Sullivan wants to ensure that it isn’t just a popularity contest, but values the player’s opinions, as coaches can’t see everything.
In 2026, senior Fiona Kilbride and junior Jenna Tartarelli emerged as the team’s captains. Kilbride has been on the team for three seasons and has run at the State Open. Tartarelli is still new to the sport but already competed at Nationals for Indoor track. Between their championship accolades and communication with the team, Sullivan thought both captains fit the role perfectly.
“She brings experience at the championship, postseason level,” Sullivan said of Kilbride. “She brings dedication. She’s one of the athletes who ran over 400 miles, you can tell that she’s driven. She really is just friendly with everyone on the team. She gets things going and is really an asset in that regard.”
“It’s her second year of cross country so she’s a little bit newer,” the head coach said of Tartarelli. “When she joined track as a freshman, she’s someone who jumped into everything. Right from the get-go, she grew into someone who was a postseason runner. She brings a lot of that varsity, championship experience. She is also one of the most positive people I know. She may have a hard day, but she tries so hard to be positive. Not just for herself but for her teammates.”
Alongside the captains, Sullivan is excited to see the development of numerous underclassmen. Sophomore Madeleine Canner-O’Mealy operated as the Blue Knights’ No. 2 runner in 2025, going on to finish ninth at the outdoor track State Open in the 3200. Sullivan has watched her continue to take great strides as a runner and is expecting her to strive for lofty goals as a sophomore.
Fellow sophomore Giada Pagnucco was Southington’s seventh runner at the Class LL State Tournament in 2025. In her first race of 2026, she set a new personal record. Sullivan sees her confidence growing in all aspects, which she expects to translate to even more success.
The same goes for sophomore Emily Phipps as she comes off her third place finish. Along with being a great teammate, Sullivan notices how much Phipps enjoys the distance of cross country. That passion for the sport and improvement will only create a brighter future in the head coach’s eyes.
Emily Blankenship marks the fourth sophomore on Sullivan’s watch list. While she didn’t compete in the opening meet, Blankenship did run over 400 miles in the summer. With a fourth place finish in her 2026, Sullivan knows the sophomore is primed for a strong campaign.
The youth of Southington’s roster can’t be ignored. Of their 12 players, seven are underclassmen. They will have to get used to competing at the varsity level. But Sullivan sees it as a blessing, rather than a curse. This group will grow in the program together. They’ll face the same highs and lows. The Blue Knights will be built in their vision.
“It is nice to have a young squad coming in and having similar goals,” Sullivan said. “They’re together longer, they get to know each other, they get to build that camaraderie. They grow together. It’s exciting to see what’s going to happen. I'm excited for the season and future.”
“Don’t get me wrong, having lost Katie [Cavanaugh] and Jenna [Hebert] from last year for example, that’s a lot of experience lost. But they were able to be on a team with them and learn from them too. My hopes are, as we go from year to year, they become those experienced athletes and are able to share that with newcomers as well.”
Southington girls cross country’s 2026 roster features seniors: Addison Deputa, Brooke Flugrad and Fiona Kilbridge; juniors: Anna Janowski and Jenna Tartarelli; sophomores: Giuliana Angieri, Emily Blankenship, Madeleine Canner-O’Mealy, Giada Pagnucco and Emily Phipps; alongside freshmen: Adriana Cal and Fiona Doran.
Blue Knights crafting own line of success
When the postseason rolls around, Southington will be putting their ‘small but mighty’ mantra to the test. Sullivan admits that having a bit more depth could help the team in the long run. But there is nothing stopping this year’s 12 from making an impact in the CCC and state at-large.
“It’s hard to not have depth. But seven girls are your varsity runners and five score,” Sullivan said. “Despite being a small squad, I don’t think anything is impossible. If they all stay on the same page, keep their goals in mind, all do what they need to do, anything is possible.”
In terms of success, the Blue Knights have found plenty recently as the reigning CCC South champions. Everyone involved with Southington girls cross is aiming to reach those elevated heights once more.
But whether or not the Blue Knights succeed in 2026 won’t be exclusively determined by wins. Hundreds of miles are racked up by each runner as they try to reach their personal peak. It’s the journey, and lessons learned along the way, that will remain in the minds of Southington’s mighty 12 long after their fall season.
“Are they achieving their individual goals first and foremost,” Sullivan asked. “Are they showing growth, challenging themselves? Are they growing not only as athletes but as human beings? Are they learning about themselves in a way that’s going to be conducive to being successful in life? Are they achieving their team goals, are they good teammates and friends?”
“But can they go after a CCC division win? Can they do something at LLs that’s going to qualify them for State Opens? Reaching or not reaching those goals wouldn’t qualify it as a success,” Sullivan continued. “As long as we try and put our best effort out there, that’s what I want to see. I want to see them dig deep, be tenacious, I want to see them be competitive. If they do that, that’s success.”
