By Matt Diglio
(November 2, 2026) — On October 31, 2026, both the Haddam-Killingworth High School Boys and Girls Cross Country teams won the Class SS State Championship race at Wickham Park in Manchester for the third consecutive year. They were the only school from the entire state of Connecticut to win both the Boys and Girls team titles (the third year in a row they have accomplished this feat). HKHS also had the most combined Boys and Girls All-State runners out of any program in the state with seven runners earning All-State accolades.
The Girls team won their eighth state championship in the past eleven years dating back to 2015 and their third consecutive title, the ninth state title for the Girls program. The team overcame a great deal of adversity with injuries to several members but still pulled out the victory, scoring 66 points as a team to outdistance runner-up Cromwell with 91 points. They were led by Senior Co-Captain Charlotte Behnke, who placed third overall in the race with a time of 19:37 over the hilly 3.1 mile course. She was followed by her sister, Sophomore Alyssa Behnke, who placed fourth in a time of 20:14 and Senior Co-Captain Emi Schweitzer, who placed tenth in a time of 20:30. They were followed by the Freshman duo of Delia Becker 31st (22:29) and Mattie Gersz 32nd (22:37) who both ran terrific races to solidify the team title. By virtue of their top twelve individual finishes, Charlotte, Alyssa and Emi all earned All-State accolades. For Charlotte, it is her third time earning All-State honors.
The Boys Varsity team also won the Class SS State title for the third consecutive year by scoring 33 points to easily defeat runner-up East Hampton with 89 points. This was the Cougars’ fourteenth state title in program history. The Boys team was led by the 1-2 punch of Senior Captains Evan Berardino, who won the race with a time of 16:42 over the challenging 5,000 meter course, and Wyatt Voegtli, who ran stride for stride until the last straightaway and finished second overall in the race with a time of 16:50. Following them across the line was Junior Trey Downing 6th (17:19) and Senior Paul Birkmeyer 7th (17:22). Rounding out the team scoring was Freshman RJ Ortega, who placed 17th (17:52). They were followed by Junior Fischer Norton 40th (18:57) and Sophomore Quinn Spector 48th (19:11). By virtue of their top twelve individual finishes, Evan, Wyatt, Trey and Paul all earned All-State honors.
