Obviously we can’t do Larry justice, but channel your recollection of his unique speech delivering style and accent as you read each below! Thank you coaches for your contributions below!!! Congrats D3 NH All Stars!
GIRLS
Liza Corso, a senior at Portsmouth Christian, coached by Mike Schevenell
A 4-time All-Stater! Extremely consistent runner, after placing 6th in D3 as a freshman, Liza was 2nd at D3s the last three years. Really hoping the PCA crew decides to go after the D3 4×800 record this spring as Liza’s name deserves to be on that one, Everyone knows that Liza is really competitive. Sometimes it shows up in the strangest places. Several years ago Coach Shev made the mistake of holding a planking competition at Cross Country practice. Most everyone dropped by 3-4 minutes. Liza and her older brother were locked in a grudge match until the coach had to declare a tie after 10 minutes – so no one would get hurt.
Alyssa Hall, a freshman at Monadnock, coached by Clint Joslyn
Impact Freshman and first time D3 All-Star. 10th at D3s, 11th D3 runner at MOCs. She loves cross country. She says this is her life. She enjoys annoying her brother and her dogs. She likes hiking. She also enjoys biking and one of her favorite things to do is zip lining. One of her favorite quotes is, “I may be small, but I am mighty. “
Brianna Malone, a sophomore at Portsmouth Christian, coached by Mike Shevenell
2020 D3 champion after placing 3rd her freshman year. She followed that up with a 9th at MOCs, 2nd D3 runner. In addition to great leg speed Brianna also excels in something else – flexibility. It is somewhat intimidating to watch her do post run stretching and the positions she can hold. When Coach asked how she was able to do this, Brianna credits several years of gymnastics training.
Anna O’Reilly, a junior at Hopkinton, coached by Rob Rothe
Anna is a first time All-Star as she placed 7th at D3s, and was the 4th place D3 athlete at MOCs (11th overall). She was #2 Hopkinton girl on the 2018 State Championship team. She enjoys watching movies, baking and has been hiking with her parents since the age of 3.
Katie Palmateer, a junior at Bishop Brady, coached by Bill Heath
By virtue of her 6th at D3s, 14th overall but 5th D3 runner at MOCs, Katie became a first time D3 All Star. Katie likes to keep active and on the move. In the off season, she hikes, bikes, skis and rides horses. As a respite from these activities, she likes to cook, especially trying out new recipes.
Isabel Pentony, a junior at Newmarket, coached by Blake Neri
Isabel led the resurgence at Newmarket by finishing 11th at D3s and as the 9th best D3 girl at MOCs. She now is a first time D3 All Star. Outside of cross country, Izzy is a swimmer. Well, it is probably more like outside of swimming, Izzy is a runner. She is the type of person that others want to be around. She has an infectious, positive attitude that generates outwards onto her peers. She is a member of SALT (Student Athletic Leadership Team), National Honor Society, Interact, and is also the Student Government treasurer. Academically, she is at the top of her class. She excels in all academic settings. As a student athlete, she is self-motivated, prepared, and a natural leader who possesses humility, resiliency, and appreciation. This year she added tossing pinecones at her teammates to our practice warm-ups. She is a true Newmarket Mule.
Cailey Stockwell, a junior at Hopkinton, coached by Rob Rothe
Cailey is a 2-time D3 All Star as she was 8th at D3s and was D3s 8th place finisher at MOCs. She was the top Hopkinton girl on the 2018 state championship team. She has been a competitive swimmer in New England and has placed top ten in several events over the years. She enjoys being outdoors with her family and likes to go fishing, hiking, and cycling. She is certified in scuba diving and has gone diving in several times within the Caribbean.
Catherine Stow, a junior at Gilford, coached by Kathy Aldridge
Likely the biggest mover this year as she finished 73rd in the state last year. First time D3 All Star with a 3rd place finish at D3s, and 6th D3 runner at MOCs.
Cat, as she is known to her teammates, is a Nordic Skier at heart and would call running her second love. Cat is extremely energetic and organized and is the team fashionista. She plans to be an Econ major once in college. She unfortunately has a poor sense of direction which led to a few longer than necessary runs this Fall. Cat can be found conducting post race interviews on the back of the bus and may have a future in broadcasting. It’s no secret she is very competitive and last year’s disappointing season weighed heavily on her heart and mind. She was determined to bounce back for the 2020 season and she did exactly that by placing third at the Division meet.
Delaney Swanson, a senior at Monadnock, coached by Clint Joslyn
Another 4-time NH All Star! Freshman year she placed 2nd, sophomore year 4th, and junior she placed 9th at D3s, only to bounce back to 4th this year and then 8th overall at MOCs and the top D3 girl!!! Delaney also loves to perform in many types of dance and musicals having been in dance classes since she was 3 years old. Delaney has a go-get-it attitude always pushing herself to achieve new goals. She loves to hike and hiked her first 4000’ peak in the White Mountains last summer. She wants to hike more of them. She wants to attend UMass Lowell where she plans to run XC.
Megan Whitnell, a senior at Campbell, coached by Jan Platt
First time on the NH Division 3 All Star team by virtue of her 6th at D3s and 10th at MOCs (3rd D3 girl). In 2017, when they won the Division 3 state championship, Megan was #5, with only one graduating up to now. She led the team all season. Megan is a National Honor student who wants to major in Biology. She loves hanging out with her XC friends and her favorite food is pasta and ice cream. When she is doing speed workouts, she enjoys driving her coach crazy by running circles around her for her active recovery
BOYS
Ben Daniels, a freshman at Hopkinton, coached by Rob Rothe
After an excellent Middle School career, Ben was 7th at D3s, 7th D3 runner at MOCs and now a first time D3 All Star. Ben loves mountain biking, playing spike ball and fishing. Oh, and he loves luxury cars and having long, curly locks.
Patrick Gandini, a sophomore at Gilford, coached by Kathy Aldridge
After placing 2nd in D3 as a freshman, Patrick became the D3 champion this year. He followed that up with an 8th MOC overall finish (2nd D3 runner). Also as a standout freshman last year he followed runner-up D3 finish with a 10th at MOCs and 28th at New Englands, NH’s fifth guy. Sometimes called “Gatrick” by his mates, Patrick has an affinity for Cheez-its, mountain biking, and fighting with his younger brother. Patrick is a class officer and is the team diplomat as well as cheerleader. He loves his job at the local bike shop and would likely be on the school mountain bike team if one existed. Patrick is quietly competitive and laid back but don’t be deceived. He tracks his competitor’s statistics and uses the data to plan his racing tactics. Patrick also never complains and for that his coaches are thankful.
Tyler Hebert, a senior at Monadnock, coached by Clint Joslyn
4-time D3 All Star like teammate Delaney Swanson. Great progression at D3s as Tyler placed 12th freshman year, 6th sophomore year and 3rd junior and now senior year. He matched the 3rd D3 runner at MOCs as well. Tyler also loves basketball for which he is a starter on Monadnock’s varsity team. Tyler is a team player and many athletes, coaches and parents have said he is the best teammate in the school. He often sacrifices his own competition to help his team and teammates achieve their goals. XC has taught Tyler to get out of his comfort zone and helped him push his limits beyond what he thought he was capable of.
Donovan Lombara, a senior from Monadnock, coached by Clint Joslyn
After placing 84th as a freshman, and in the 30s during his sophomore and junior years, Donovan, a first time D3 All Star as an incredible 9th place at D3s and a key part of this year’s D3 championship team. He is a huge Patriots fan and was lucky enough to go see them play at the Super Bowl 3 times! Is about to complete hiking all the 4000 footers in NH to join Tyler Sheedy from Dover! Backpacked 75 miles of the Long Trail in VT this summer with a friend. Enjoys learning about history and one of his favorite places to go is Gettysburg, PA. His sister, Genavieve, was All State for Outdoor Track in 2018. He ran a Turkey Race in VT before he started high school that was a 5k but had a 10k option. He never turned around at the 5k mark and ended up running the 10k! He didn’t realize it until he was told when he finished!
Dylan Robert, a senior at Winnisquam, coached by Felicia Chirgwin
First time D3 All Star by virtue of his 12th at D3s, but 8th D3 runner at MOCs. As a freshman he was 28th but then faded to 40th as a sophomore. He bounced back his junior year with a 14th place finish. He was also part of the 2018 D3 4×800 championship team.
Harry Ryan, a senior at Monadnock, coached by Clint Joslyn
After finishing 35th as a freshman, 54th as a sophomore and 28th as junior, Harry Ryan jumped to 4th at D3s as part of the Hebert-Ryan 1-2 punch to become a first year D3 All Star. Harry has a passion for music. He is head of the school drumline, has composed performance pieces for the drum line, plays guitar, and writes music as well. He loves progressive rock/metal. He will be going to college to pursue a PhD in Aerospace Engineering and is in constant pursuit of the perfect apple pie.
Jethro Somero, a junior at Mascenic, coached by Mike Smith
After finishing 34th his sophomore year, Jethro finished 11th at D3s this year and then 9th best D3 runner at MOCs to secure his first D3 All Star honor. Jethro earned his spot on the Varsity last year by working hard over the summer to become the team’s #5. This year he ran as the #3 /4 man, while homeschooled. He’s gotten a little further along than most high schoolers, taking college courses at NCC in his junior year. He is part of the Black Hammer tribe and is known as “the Bagging Bear”.
Connor Traffie, a junior at Mascenic, coached by Mike Smith
After finishing 19th in 2018 and 16th in 2017, this year Connor placed 6th at D3s, and was the 6th D3 finisher at MOCs to earn his 1st All Star team. Known as the NOT quiet Traffie boy he comes from a running family. His older brother Avery got the family into it as Avery and Logan (2nd brother) both were on the 2014 team. Younger brother Drew (sophomore) was 7th man on last year’s championship team. While not blessed with speed (the family is really good at the long grind), his claim to fame is kicking down 2019 D2 800 champ Porter Heigis in the anchor leg of the 4×800 at MOCs to claim 5th place (CB was sixth and also made NEs). He is known in the Black Hammer Tribe as “the Running Beaver”, looks to be leading next year a team with a bunch of incoming freshmen as well as fellow D3 All Star Jethro Somero
Landen Vaillancourt, senior at Mascenic, coached by Mike Smith
Landen has been the most consistent top D3 runner over the past 4 years as a 4-time D3 All Star. As a freshman and sophomore he placed 2nd to Jeffrey Allen getting closer each year. He broke through to win the D3 title as a junior and then placed 2nd at D3s this year only to return to the top of D3 with his most gutsy performance placing 6th overall at MOCs. He was relatively unstructured prior to HS. Landen upped his game, running wise after his freshman cross season, then realized he wanted to attend college on scholarship so upped his academic game during his sophomore year. Co-chief of the Black Hammer tribe where he’s known as Landinious “Tinted Windows”, now headed to UMass Lowell.
Ethan Vitello, a junior at Conant, coached by Bill Edson
Now a 2-time NH D3 All Star, Ethan placed 5th at D3s, and was the 4th D3 finisher at MOCs. Ethan never sits still. He is in constant motion and everything he does, he works to be the best at it. It’s not quite clear if Ethan is a very good soccer player who loves to run, or a very good runner who loves to play soccer. Either way, Ethan is dedicated to being the best at both. If that’s not enough, he a works part time job at Athens Pizza and maintains high honors at school. Through it all, Ethan always brings a contagious positive attitude that is grounded in his family, friends, and teammates.
By clicking on the sponsor button below you will be helping to purchase the awards for these amazing kids! All proceeds will go directly to the purchase of the awards. We will be recognizing the sponsors on a future post as well as Larry has done with the programs at the banquet.
