NHIAA State Division Championship Meet Hub
Running Events Program – Courtesy of Lancer Timing
Field Events Program
Girls Meet Preview
As described in the season preview this team competition will come down to the Rt. 4 Rivals, Oyster River and Coe-Brown. Both schools have complete track and field teams meaning they have the potential to score points in the sprints, distance, jumps and throws. However, Oyster River does have the slight advantage on paper with a 5 point cushion on the performance lists due to perhaps more depth in a couple of areas while also having home track advantage. Regardless we are certain both teams will have great showings and we are in for a competitive team competition.
Sprints & Hurdles
Following what seems the theme of this season, Division 2 sprinting will be excited come Friday. In the 100 meters, we will once again see the D2 queen of sprinting, Kennett’s Aida Wheat competing against CBNA’s Anushka Chavda, and Oyster River’s Erin Carty. Look for these same 3 in the 200 as well as Milford’s Keely Giordano to contend. Wheat’s teammate Piper Lopashanski is the top seed in the 400 and will assuredly be pushed by Maya Thomas (Goffstown) and Morgan Kantor (Lebanon).
The top seed in the High Hurdles is Hollis-Brookline freshman Grace Dow. She will certainly be challenged by Pembroke’s Zoie Wall. Oyster River’s Erin Carty is a near 3 second favorite in the 300m Hurdles where Dow is also ranked 2nd.
Middle and Long Distance
Oyster River’s super sophs Haley Kavanagh and Mackenzie Cook begin their day as the top seeds in the 1600. Watch for Hanover freshman Lea Perreard to give chase. Kavanagh will double back to the 800 as that event’s top seed. Watch for Goffstown’s Kara Tschida to keep the pace honest. Cook doubles back to the 3200 as the overwhelming top seed at 11:06.
Relays
Relays are impossible to predict and are usually set up in response to the team competition. If a team is in contention, will they opt for a weaker relay to preserve the team’s top point scorers for their individual events. Or, if a team is not in contention for the podium, do they absolutely load up their relays to win the division title. Top seed in the 4×100 is Oyster River and we would expect them to load this one up. They have a strong tradition in this event and take pride with winning it. It will not be easy however as West and Con-Val are both in the 44 second range as well.
The Bobcats are also in contention in the 4×400 which is always interesting at this meet. Many times it is which school has the freshest legs at the end. Expect the top seeded Kingswood to go after this title.
The 4×800 at the beginning of the meet is usually the one with the intrigue. Coe-Brown is the top seed and they are in the team title race, so it will be interesting to see who they use in this one. Hanover seeded second certainly has the talent to take a shot at this as well.
Jumps
Starting with the verticals, Goffstown’s Penelope Annis is the top seed in the High Jump at 5’1″. Plymouth’s Anelie Flynn is 2nd seed at 4’11”. Pole Vault sees Con-Val junior as the top seed at 9’2.5″ with Oyster River sophomore Sophie Durant next at 8’7″.
In the horizontal jumps, look for West’s Eshaya Lauder as she has a nice cushion as top seed in the Long Jump at 17’0″. The triple is much closer with CBNA’s Josie Malloy top seed by just 3.5 inches over Milford’s Annalise Nassy. Both are seniors; expect a great competition here!
Throws
With 4 athletes sporting marks over 103′, the discus should be one of the more hotly contested events on the day. Milford’s Kyle Allen is the top seed at 106’1″, MV’s Victoria Leak is at 105’8.75″, CBNA’s Madeleine Grenier is at 13’10” and West’s Helena Jackson is at 103’2.25″. Allen also happens to be the top seed by nearly 3 feet in the Shot Put with West’s Jackson the 2nd seed. Javelin is a different story as CBNA’s Emma Zeblisky is the top seed by 5 feet over Pembroke’s Natalie Longacre.
Boys Meet Preview
As with the girls, the boys team competition will come down to the same 2 schools in the Rt. 4 Rivalry, Coe-Brown and Oyster River. While Coe-Brown has
been the odds-on favorite to win their 4th consecutive title, completing the triple crown (XC, Indoor, Outdoor), Oyster River will keep them honest in the very least. The Black Bears certainly have a complete track and field team heavy on experienced juniors and seniors many of which are favored to win individual titles on the track and in the field. They have been pretty dominant this entire season when all of their athletes compete. The Bobcats have put together quite the season as well! Perhaps with slightly less depth, Oyster River counters with superstar Ty Dorow, a dominant High Jump triumverate and then a sprinkling of points all over the place. If the Bears are not firing on all cylinders, Oyster River can win.
Sprints and Hurdles
The aforementioned Ty Dorow of Oyster River is the top seed in all 3 sprint events. This does not happen very often and if healthy, Dorow is still the solid favorite in each one even when considering his busy day. Looking to push him on the 100 will be West’s Edwen Rodriguez and Con-Val’s Kendrick Edwards. In the 400 there are several names to watch for giving Dorow all he can handle. MV’s Bishow Thapa, Hollis/Brookline’s Matthew McLaughlin are ranked 2nd and 3rd but don’t rule out Hanover’s Lucian Gleiser or freshman Liam Kitchel. Finally the 200, Dorow will be flanked by his teammate Talon Ouellette and CBNA’s Matthew Corriveau. Don’t rule out John Stark’s Logan Montgomery either.
Cole Henderson, who has had a fantastic season, is the favorite in the High Hurdles. Watch for Hanover’s Aiden Powell and Plymouth’s Cole Ahern to give him a race in the final. Powell is the favorite in the 300 Hurdles with MV’s Tyler Wallace the 2nd seed.
Middle and Long Distance
While Oyster River’s strength is with Dorow and company in the sprints, Coe-Brown certainly has the advantage in the middle and long distance races. Right off the bat with the 1600, Coe-Brown has the top 4 seeds in Aidan Cox, Gavin Demas, Jamie Lano and Tyler Tkaczyk. They are expecting big points here, but watch for Leb’s Birhanu Harriman to crash the CBNA party. He is a state champion himself after all. He has been improving off his injury gradually over the course of this season. Expect him to have a great day.
Of the CBNA big 4, Demas and Lano will double back to the 800. Demas is the favorite on paper here off his eye-popping 1:52.65 back at Black Bear. However, Oyster River’s Chris Jernigan will be fresh and he sports his own fast seed time. He will be a large factor here racing on his home track. Hanover’s Gleiser is the 3rd seed but will be completing one of the tougher doubles off the 400. Cox and Tkaczyk double back to the 3200 looking for big points again along with teammate Nikhil Chavda. But watch for Harriman again here as well as his teammate Thomas Wolfe.
Relays
The 4×800 will be interesting to see how Coe-Brown, Lebanon, Goffstown and Oyster River play this. Will CBNA run their studs going after records, or save them for the individual events described above. Will Lebanon and Goffstown load up hoping to win the 4×800 if CBNA doesn’t run their top team. And will Oyster River use Jernigan to score a few points which on paper, they are not expected to score?
Oyster River is the top seed in their favorite the 4×100 with a 44.52. They are not a shoe-in for the win however, as West and Con-Val also boast a time in the 44s.
And finally, the 4×400. With Coe-Brown and Oyster River the top seeds, will the meet come down to this?? Watch for Hanover here as well as MV and Hollis-Brookline to be contenders as well.
Jumps
Oyster River’s other strength is in the High Jump as they own the 3 of the top 4 seeds with Daniel Doherty, Cameron Faulkner, and Thomas Fogg. Hanover’s Ian Solberg, the indoor champ, is favored with Doherty here. Bow’s Ben McDowell is a big favorite in the pole vault with almost a foot advantage over CBNA’s Finn Hill, Zachary Blades and Plymouth’s Cole Ahern.
The horizontals see West’s Rodriguez is the top seed at 21 feet even in a crowded field of 7 guys at 20′ or better. Look for John Stark’s Rio Calle and Con-Val’s Edwards are both at 20’7″ or so. Pembroke’s Gavin Currier is the top seed in the Triple Jump at 41’3″. Kennett’s Nash Harrigan and Hanover’s Nathanial Solberg are the other seeds over 40′ and should contend as well.
Throws
Lebanon’s Tanner Ames is the top seed in the shot at 50+ feet, 2nd seed in the Discus and 3rd seed in the Javelin. Hoping to push him in the shot will be Milford’s Keagan Hatch and Pembroke’s Jimmy Valotto. CBNA’s Zachary Bistany is the top seed in the discus at 152′ and change, but Ames is not too far behind seeded second. The overwhelming favorite in the javelin is Hanover’s James Chafouleas at 173’3″. This is 14 feet up on Kingswood’s Caleb Russo who sits at 159′.
