2022 D3 Championship Recap, Replay, Interviews, PICS!

Results Courtesy of Lancer Timing

Girls

Boys

PICS

By Mike Smith

After a day’s postponement due to potential weather threats, the Division 3 meet (and the Division 2 meet as well!) went off without a hitch.  Under sunny blue skies which got a little hot for the beginning of the meet but became perfect as the meet went on, we got to see some impressive performances leading to some impressive results.

Girls

In the season preview I gave the nod to Hopkinton but in the championship preview I highlighted that Newfound had been coming on strong over the season.  That prediction would come true as the Newfound Bears steamrolled the division, winning with 112 points on some strong throwing, picking up points here and there and sweeping the top four spots in pole vault.  Newmarket would not quite be able to play the spoiler role however would ascend the rest of the pack scoring 80 points mostly off the strength of their relay teams.  Hopkinton would soar above the rest in third with 57 points.

Sprints/Hurdles

As expected, the cream rises to the top, and in this case I’m talking about Belmont’s Emma Winslow in the 100 (12.86), Wilton Lyndeborough’s Sam Boette in the 200 (26.63), and Monadnock’s Liliana Chirichella in the 400 (sub 60 in 59.33!)  I threw the 400 in this grouping as many of the supporting names are the same.  Boette would finish second in the 100 as well, with Newfound’s Elle MacDonald in third.  In the 200, Chrichella would be second, with Winslow in third.  With Chirichella and Boette seniors, we’ll see if Winslow, a junior rules the sprint roost, or some young phenom steps up like they often do, to challenge for sprint supremacy.  

In hurdles, there was only one name necessary to know as Newport’s Maddox Lovely would win the 100 meter high hurdles and the 300 meter “long” hurdles.  Newfound’s Molly Lu McKellar would pick up some valuable points for second in the 100hh and teammate Stacia Paulwould do the same in the 300 hurdles.

Mid D/Distance

Much like I did with the sprint recap, I’m going to blend the mid d and distance recap, not just because I want to but because that’s exactly what Portsmouth Christian’s Brianna Malone did, but in more style than I could ever muster.  Malone made no bones that she was after the Division 3 record for the 800, getting close but not quite there all season long. Leaving nothing to chance, Malone obliterated the old record of 2:17.02 from 2018 by running 2:14.61.  Not satisfied with just getting the record, she doubled back to win the 3200 meters in 12:02.92 over Bishop Brady’s Katie Palmeteer, who tried to challenge Malone early but couldn’t go with the surge when Malone pulled the trigger.  Newmarket’s Isabel Pentony would be the best of the rest in the 800, running 2:23.

In the Malone-less 1600, Hopkinton’s Anna O’Reilly would round out her very successful D3 career with the win in 5:34.09, with Newmarket’s distance ace Alanna Hagen in second, with Gilford’s vet Cat Stow in third in 5:36.

Jumps

In high jump, Newmarket’s Kaitlin picked the most opportune time to break out, out jumping pre meet favorites, winning with a jump of 4-11. The versatile Maddox would take second by jury at 4-10, with Newfound’s Gretchen Reynolds getting some more important points in third at 4-10 as well.

In long jump, Campbell’s Ava Houle would stay on top, out jumping InterLakes Sara Harris by just under two inches with a jump of 15-9.75.  Hopkinton’s horizontal jump stalwart would reign the triple jump, almost two feet up on Newfound’s Laurel McKellar, clearing 34-9 feet of sandy landing space.

Like mentioned in the opening, Newfound swept the first four spots in pole vault, with the finishing order being Taylor Mooney, Mikayla Ulwick, Cassandra Zick and Malina Bohlmann.

Throws

I had mentioned in both the season preview and the championship preview to keep your eyes on Mascoma Valley’s Opal Schinnlinger and if throws are your thing Schinnlinger lived up to the hype.  Schinnlinger would win the discus (118-9) and take second in shot (36-7.)  Newfound’s Paulina Huckins (what a name for a shot putter!) would be first in shot (39-4) lending 10 points towards the cause.  White Mountain’s Isis Kelm would spin her way into second in disc (94-1.)  Newfound’s multi girl Malina Bohlmann would take javelin with a throw of 117-3 with Somerworth’s Grace Bronkema second (104-5.)

Newfound would find a way to upset Belmont in the 4×100 meter relay, running 52.12 to Belmont’s 52.41.  Newmarket would retain the top seed in the 4×400, running 4:19.99 to Newfound’s 4:21.29.  Newmarket would also start the day on a high by breaking the D3 record, set by Hopkinton in 2010 (9:59.17) by running 9:54.53.

Boys

In the season preview I had mentioned Kearsarge might be the favorite on paper but keep an eye on Conant and Gilford in the championship preview and that prognostication turned out to be true.  While Gilford was crushing the distance end of things (mostly on the shoulders of Patrick Gandini) the Conant Orioles were stacking up points in the field events (Garrett Somero, Ethan Vitello and Ben Sawyer), so as the final event, the 4×400 meter relay, everyone knew the contest was close.  In the end, Conant would top Gilford, 81 points to 78 points, meaning the outcome of the relay would determine the outcome of the meet.  Monadnock would sneak into third with 46 points.

Sprints/Hurdles

I said to keep your eye on PCA’s Tim Kelm and Kearsarge’s JJ Davis in the preview and that thought held true as Davis would upset Kelm 11.28 to 11.31 in the 100 final.  Stevens Dylan Chambers would finish third.  In the 200, top seed and herculean multi man Ethan Vitello would score ten points, running 22.53 to Velmont’s Colby Vetter (23.20.)

Trinity’s Tyler Geffrard would get the best of Gilford’s  Aiden Malek, 16.36 to 16.70.  Monadnock’s newly minted hurdler Jack Lorenz would best everyone in the 300 hurdles, running 42.35 to Sunapee’s Maddox Cahill’s 43.25.

Mid D/Distance

InterLake’s Owen Carney would be back in the 400, getting the ball rolling running 50.80 to Campbell’s DJ Chaundry would would spin a 51.58.  

In talking about the rest of the events in this category, last year Patrick Gandini went about dismantling the distance running corps by winning the 1600, the 800 and the 3200, before anchoring the 4×400 meter relay as a sophomore.  Not looking to back off that challenge this year, with other athletes looking to take their cracks at him, while trying to hoist his Gilford teammates on his back for a title run comes with it’s fair share of pressure.  Gandini showed he was up to the task, easily dispatching the 1600 meter field, running 4:26.  Monadnock’s Mitchell Hill would challenge early, before backing off to throw down later in the 800 for second.  In the 800, Hill would go right to the front, splitting 59 through 400, but Gandini would take control with about 200 left to go, winning 1:57.15 to 1:58.11, both athletes negative splitting the 800 (un-heard-of.)  Patrick would be back in the 3200, with PCA’s Jonas Teeter hoping to take advantage of a potentially tired Gandini.  However Gandini would not be thwarted, dispatching Teeter over the final mile, winning 9:51 to Teeter’s 10:01.

Jumps

In high jump, Conant’s Ben Sawyer would out contest Fall Mountain’s Brady Elliot, both clearing 6-0 with Sawyer winning on countbacks.

In the long jump, teammates Sawyer and Vitello would benefit a late scratch by Concord Christian’s Shane Wang, going 1-2 by jumping 20-7 and 20-2.  Wang would take the triple jump title earlier, jumping a meet record of 48-3 over Gilford’s Anthony Haddocks.

In pole vault, Newfound’s Dalton Dion would win on countback over White Mountains Elijah Beaulieu and Campbell’s Keegan Reynolds, all clearing 10-0.

Throws

As good as Garrett Somero’s teammate Vitello is, if there was a performer of the meet I would be swayed to give it to Conant’s Somero.  Hobbled midseason by a hamstring injury, Somero could be forgiven for showing up with an excuse for poor performances. Instead the throwing colossus would win the shot and disc, throwing a PRs of 46-0 and 135-5.  That’s just huge.  Monadnock’s Gabe Sanchez (42-11) and Belmont’s Brian Miles (122-10) would finish second in shot and disc.  In javelin Newport’s Kyle Ashley would outdistance the field by more than five feet, throwing 154-11 to Campbell’s Justin Edmonds 149-7 foot toss.

Relays

Mascenic boys 4×800 team would need to run faster than their seed time to win this one, running an 11 second season best (8:42.78) to outdistance Prospect Mountain’s 8:48.64 run.  In the 4×100, Kearsarge would take the win over Bishop Brady, 45.34 to 45.63.  And as mentioned in the team recap, Conant would put away this race (on the third leg by Vitello) and the team title, winning 3:33.26 to the Gandini anchored Gilford team in 3:37.19.