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05/25/2022 12:00 AMOn the field, Jenna Pine has been a major part of the North Haven girls’ lacrosse’s team’s defense for the past two seasons, often tasked with locking down opposing attackers. Off the field, Jenna has formed an unbreakable connection with her Nighthawks’ teammates, while displaying great growth as a leader along the way.
Jenna started playing lacrosse for North Haven’s youth program in 6th grade. Prior to playing, Jenna spent time practicing with her father and brother, both named John, as she grew up. Jenna’s brother was always the goalie. The time that Jenna spent with her family encouraged her to start forging her career in the sport.
“From a young age, I was brought into it. I always practiced with my dad and my brother, and I would shoot on him just for the fun of it,” says Jenna. “Finally, in 6th grade is when I decided to start playing.”
Jenna liked playing lacrosse as soon as she started. She felt that it was a good experience and enjoyed competing alongside her new teammates. Back then, her coaches were Jennifer and Peter Saracino. Her brother also played a big role in supporting her and helping her learn the game.
In her first game at the youth level, Jenna played midfield. However, she soon realized that defense was where she was meant to be. While she has moved from low defender to high defender, Jenna has patrolled the defensive side of the field for nearly her entire career. It’s a position that she finds both challenging and rewarding.
“You have so many things going through your head. You have to see who is behind you and make a split-second decision,” Jenna says. “It’s a rewarding feeling knowing that you helped the goalie.”
Jenna joined the North Haven girls’ lacrosse program in her first year of high school and competed for the freshman team. It was a whole new world for Jenna as she adjusted to the regimen of practicing every day, but she was ready to dedicate herself to the daily grind.
“It was a big transition. In youth, we would practice twice a week,” Jenna says. “It was a big commitment, but it was definitely worth it.”
Although Jenna’s sophomore season was canceled, North Haven’s athletes still had a chance to play lacrosse when they competed against local towns in the Dream League that summer. Jenna says that everyone started to bond and the seeds of long-term friendships were planted through their participation in the league.
“The Dream League season is when the team really came together as one. It was mainly juniors and sophomores,” says Jenna. “As a freshman, you just played with each other. In the Dream League, you got to play against players in upper grades. It was a good way to blend with each other. From there, we had such a great team bond. It made the whole experience better.”
After spending a year away from the high school field, Jenna made her varsity debut when she returned to North Haven as a starting defender in her junior season last spring. While she was a bit intimidated at first, Jenna says that Head Coach Bernie Pellegrino and Assistant Coach Frank Bisceglia motivated her to become the best lacrosse player she could be.
“The freshman team is so much different than being on the varsity team starting. It’s a big responsibility,” Jenna says. “But the coaches did a great job of pushing me outside my comfort zone and helping me get to where I am.”
Once Jenna got her opportunity on the varsity stage, Coach Pellegrino quickly took notice of her dedication to lacrosse. Now having watched Jenna play varsity for two seasons, Pellegrino knows that the senior defender’s passion for the sport has helped her grow as both an athlete and a person.
“Jenna is a great kid. She is totally committed,” says Pellegrino. “I can’t think of a day she missed in her career.”
Now a senior, Jenna is finishing her time with the Nighthawks as a leader on defense. Jenna and senior captain Lauren Bogaert are the two veterans in North Haven’s defensive corps, and the duo has spent a lot of time mentoring the club’s younger players. Jenna feels that she and Bogaert have succeeded due to the strong communication they have both with each other and the entire team.
“Me and Lauren are really good at communicating. She’s more of a low D, and I’m more of a high-middle D,” Jenna says. “It comes down to communicating with one another. Not just us, but the whole team. We were able to work together on the field. The younger kids really do look up to the older kids. They really do appreciate it.”
After graduation, Jenna will attend Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts. She plans to pursue a degree in exercise science at the school.
Over the past four years, Jenna has always felt proud to be recognized as a lacrosse player as she walks the halls of North Haven High School. That sense of pride not only comes from her performance on the field, but all of the wonderful people with which Jenna has shared that field.
“It has been a really positive experience for me. I’ve loved every second of it,” says Jenna. “I’m sad to see it come to an end, but I’m really grateful for the time that I got. It was a really good way to make new friends. It kept us close. They’re just a really good group of girls to become friends with.”