Tomorrow, the Granite State will send its best to take on the rest of New England in Norwell, MA at the 72nd New England Championships. Another unique event to track and field, it often unites the track and field athletes from the ‘603’ throughout the day.
Meet Information
Below are some things to look for in events where NH seems the strongest!
Girls
- Speaking of the ‘603’! Anyone ready for a rematch! NH’s Kristie Schoffield (MV), Corinne Kennedy (Lebanon), and Leya Salis
(Bedford) own the top three seeds in the 800! Look for a couple from Massachusetts to join the battle to make it a party of five and hopefully produce some really fast times! Who is going to win? Your guess is as good as our’s, but did anyone feel as if Schoffield had a little bit more left than she showed this past weekend? - Exeter’s Jackie Gaughan is ranked 1st by 31 seconds in the 3200. Her seed time of 10:09.49 is actually slower than her PR of 10:05 at Loucks Games earlier this season. The New England record is 10:10.26 set by Hannah DeBalsi back in 2013. This is rarefied air which happens in our state once every thirty years or so and should be appreciated as such! The only question is, with Brooks PR looming next week, just how hard will Gaughan push towards DeBalsi’s record.
- NH’s distance contingent is also well represented in the 1600 as Milford’s Rebecca Durham and BG’s Caroline Fischer are ranked 5th and 6th respectively.
- NH’s top hurdlers, Pinkerton’s Maria Virga and Merrimack’s Siaoli Wright are ranked 6th and 5th in the Highs and 300’s
respectively. - Don’t sleep on Souhegan’s 4×800. Their PR is 9:18 this season, which would be seeded #2. If they load it up, and catch some luck with placement in the fast heat, they could threaten for the title.
- South’s Sydney Lewis and Pelham’s Mia Herrling are tied for the second seed (with several others) in the High Jump.
- Bedford’s Mollie Redman is ranked 3rd in the Triple Jump.
- NH’s throws are strong! Leb’s Kath Merchant is ranked 6th in the Javelin and 7th in the Discus. Bedford’s Shanna Scribner is ranked 5th in Javelin and Coe-Brown’s Kathleen Collins is ranked 8th in the Discus.
- Central’s Katya Levasseur is ranked in the top 15 in all of her events (100, 200, Long Jump)
Boys
- Winnacunnet’s Billy Powers is NH’s lone top seed in the Highs and 4th seed in the 300 hurdles. Trinity’s Oliver Thomas, South’s
Terrell Lewis, and Pinkerton’s Adam Spencer, ranked 3rd, 5th, and 8th respectively, gives the 603 a strong chance to make up half the field in the finals. - Alvirne’s Noah Bellomo’s 1:52.45 bomb-drop at last weekend’s MOCs vaulted him into contention as the number 2 seed in the 800. If he foregoes the 1600, he could really have a legit shot at becoming New England Champ. Trinity’s Tim Zepf in ranked 8th.
- In the sprints, double state champ Pinkeron’s Jadyn Ruimwijk is ranked 7th in the 100 and 8th in the 200. Teammate Noah Woodman is ranked 6th in the 400, but his PR in the 48’s gives him as legit shot as any to make it to the top of the podium.
- At 9:19.16, North’s David Vorbach is ranked 7th in the 3200. With OR’s Patrick O’Brien ending his illustrious prep career last weekend, in reality Vorbach is sitting in podium position of 6th!
- Look for Keene’s Scott Rathbun to make a push in the pole vault. His all-time PR of 15’3″ gives him a legit shot to podium.
- Don’t look now, but Nashua North’s Triston Delicema’s new state record would place him as top seed in the triple.
- In the throws, Goffstown’s Oliver Gunski is ranked 8th in the Discus and Berlin’s Joey Fodor is ranked 4th in the Javelin.
