This season, the track and field team gained two new head coaches. For the last four years, the Spring and Winter track and field coaching carousel has turned over three coaches. This season, that carousel hopefully stops, as new coaches Katherine Suraci and Jaime Serrano take the track. 

Serrano graduated from Morgan and has been helping out as a coach for sports since he was in 6th grade. After high school, Serran attended Mitchell College where he played soccer and graduated with a bachelor’s degree, then went on to Eastern college. He got his start when he was in high school; he was allowed to coach a U10 soccer team. Then, after he was done with college, he chose to come back to Clinton permanently in pursuit of becoming a coach. At The Morgan High School, Serrano was picked up by Ross Demay to be his assistant coach for Morgan’s soccer team, where he still coaches in the present day. Currently, he’s a coach for two youth travel teams, Morgan boys soccer, indoor and outdoor track, and also just picked up coaching A club called, Southeast Premier Soccer. 

Serrano isn’t a coach who comes and goes after a season; being apart of many different teams has led him to better connect with his players: “Short-term goals are to see improvements on all athletes from the beginning of the season to the end. The long-term goal is to consistently have a large number of returning athletes and become the biggest competitive team on the shoreline.¨

The team currently has a total of 53 sign-ups ups which is an increase from the previous years of sign-ups being in the range of 40s

Suraci, the second coach hired, has been working as a gym instructor at Coastline Fitness in Clinton for 26 years and plans to incorporate a lot of her work experience as an instructor into the track practices. Suraci grew up in East Haven, where she ran track and field and was also on her high school swim team.

After high school, Suraci started teaching group exercise at Coastline Fitness here in town, and that transferred over to personal training. Suracis wants to take what she has learned from her professional career into her coaching career. ¨I want you guys to feel like you’re a little better person than you were when you started.¨

Athletes on the team were able to meet and get to know the new coaches during conditioning at the school a week before official practice began on March 24th. Conditioning was held inside the weight room, where both Suraci and Serrano got their first experience with the new team. 

Senior track member Aaron Kennedy, after one of the workouts with both of the new coaches, said, “They have very opposite teaching styles, but I think it might just work.”Since both coaches come from different backgrounds, Suraci, a personal fitness Instructor, and Serrano, a Morgan High School coach, will need to spend the season getting to know each other and the team.

The team has already started their new season with the first official practice on Monday, March 24. Both coaches are eager to bring fresh energy, strategies, and a focus on development to the team. With a clear vision for the season ahead, they are committed to fostering a positive and competitive environment that will help each athlete reach their full potential. Serrano. ”The season is off to a great start, with the team being competitive. I want these student athletes to be the most competitive track team we have had in a while.”