Division Favorites – Pinkerton, Hanover, Hopkinton
Individuals to Watch – Mackenzie Cook (Oyster River), Haley Kavanagh (Oyster River), Fiona Lee (Bedford), Contessa Silva (Pinkerton), Addison Englund (Plymouth), Charlotte Koutalidis (Winnacunnet), Mia Scherr (Portsmouth), Lea Perreard (Hanover), Isabel McIntyre (Dover), Isabelle Groulx (Pinkerton), Molly Ellison (Kearsarge), Alanna Hagen (Newmarket), Alyson Bortz (Dover)
Division 3
Hopkinton girls are the returning champions, having won four of the last five (and runner-up for the fifth)
and the last three consecutive championships, thereby should be given deference coming into the preseason. Led by junior Shaylee Murdough and senior Elizabeth Trafton, with support from Amelia Walsh and Reese Bove, the Hawks have a strong foundation and a long tradition of getting it done, most recently by finishing sub 10 in the 4×800 meter relay at MOCs with only one senior. However they did graduate three of their top five, meaning they are going to need to reload and reload quickly (as they have a habit of doing). While not the top returner on paper, expect Hawks to be riding the thermals come October.
Nipping at their heels should be Mascenic. Ending 16 points behind the Hawks at the Divisional Championships last year, the Vikings were able to overtake the Hawks at Meet of Champions, finishing as the top D3 school and #9 in NH. With a squad of juniors and freshmen, the Vikings came in second to Hopkinton at D3s in the 4×800, they might be in the best position to upset the apple cart. Led by sophomore duo and twin sisters, Erin and Kaitlin O’Shea, with strong support from seniors Skye Lambert, Emma Schaumloffel, Amelia Smith and Gracie German, if the Vikings go berserk they certainly have a chance to pillage the village.
Looking to soar beyond both the teams mentioned is Conant. The Orioles finished just behind the Vikings at both the Divisional meet and Meet of Champions, by just 3 points and 6 points, as the #10 team in NH. Led by juniors Bella Nero and Amber Gnoza, and sophomore Amelia Hill, the Orioles return five from last year’s championship team that includes Neve Mormando and Amarah Lapinsky. Add in freshmen Lily Mormando and Abigail Hendren and the Orioles should be looking to whistle their way to that top spot.
Monadnock would seem to be a team that would be looking to move up from their fourth place finish in D3 last year. However the Huskies have lost two of their returning top three, with Summer Bentley the only returner to their line up. Monadnock has been a team that seems to be able to do more with less, but this might be too much to overcome. If the Huskies are going to mush their way towards the top, they will need to bring their freshman class up to speed right quick.
Kearsarge finished fifth last year. While they lost three of the six that ran last year, they do have the top returner in senior Molly Ellison. The Cougars of hill country generally find a way to be competitive and I expect they will find what it takes to get there. Add in returnees senior Amelia Lefevbre and sophomore Ellie Wimer and you’ve got a solid nucleus to build a squad around.
I’m also keeping an eagle eye on the girls from Gilford. Led by junior Georgia Eckhardt, if the Golden Eagles can bring the magic from spring track to the cross country season, they could play a spoiler role and upset some of the top seeded teams. They ran a fantastic 4×800 at Meet of Champions and have momentum on their side.
Three teams I’m going to be keeping my eye on are Fall Mountain, Newfound and Newmarket. Fall Mountain is led by Jenna Fillion who finished 10th in D3s as a ninth grader but 23rd overall at MOCs a week later. A young team with sister Kelsey and everyone coming back, I expect the Wildcats to be clawing inroads towards the five MOC berths.
Newfound was led last season by 7th placer Addie Alpers and top 25 Ceili Irving (daughter of MV’s Dave Irving.) With support from Reese Cutting and Emerald Briggs I only expect the Bears to get better this season, and if Coach Laplume can get his sharp shooting perfected, I see the Bristol Bears making a run on the top five.
Newmarket is led by last year’s 9th placer Alanna Hagen. But don’t let that placing fool you. Hagen went out with PCA’s Brianna Malone, D3, MOC champ and NE runnerup at the start and paid dearly for that. However she came back and finished 15th at MOCs, making New Englands. Add in Eilis McKenna (31st) and Magnolia Redmond, Lillian Thompson and Holly Fermon, you’ve got a decent five to get things started. Not to mention the great indoor and outdoor seasons the Mules cultivated since last season.
Individually, I expect Kearsarge’s Ellison and Newmarket’s Hagen to be at the front of most races, with Hopkinton’s Murdough, Mascenic’s O’Shea twins, Monadnock’s Bentley, Gibson and Hall, Newfound’s Alpers, Conant’s Nero, Gnoza and Hill making up the chase pack.
-Mike Smith
Division 2
#1. Hanover: The Hanover girls are back again and will certainly be looking to repeat as DII Champs! They return 5 of their top 6 from last year’s winning squad, all of which are projected to finish in the top 11, whaaaat?! Lea Perreard (10, 19:19) and the rest of the sophomore sensations Lili Muirhead (10, 20:37), Matilda Monroe (10, 20:49), and Megan Faris (10, 20:52) along with Sarah Glueck (12, 21:25) should make this team extremely difficult to beat.
#2: Oyster River: The Bobcats will most certainly be looking for revenge over Hanover after last year’s
runner-up finish, and if anyone can do it, it’s most definitely Oyster River. They will be led by superstars Haley Kavanagh (11, 18:58) and Mackenzie Cook (11, 19:06), who will quite possibly take the top two spots overall. Mix in Eliza Hall (11, 21:30), Natalia Banafato (12, 21:54), Tessa Brown (12, 22:12), and an outstanding class of incoming freshmen, and they very well could be vying for the state championship hardware!
#3: Plymouth appears to be the next in line for a spot on the podium! Led by the spectacular sister duo of Addison (12, 19:28) and Elli Englund (10, 19:58), the Bobcats could potentially place two runners in the top 5! With a strong supporting cast of Kelsey Maine (12, 22:14), Reagan Sutherland (11, 22:15), and Leah Ines (11, 23:29), the Plymouth girls should have their best team performance in recent history!
#4: Kennett is set up for yet another solid season, returning 4 strong from last year’s crew. Pack running will be the key to the girls’ success this season, as all 5 scorers will likely finish within 1 minute of each other. Piper Lopashanski (11, 21:26) returns as the Eagles’ #1, with Jeweliana Gorham (10, 22:05) and Molly DellaValla (12, 22:17) following closely behind. If one of last year’s JV runners or newcomers can hang onto the pack, the Kennett squad should be a great shape!
#5:Souhegan: This may seem like a bold pick at #5, while only returning two runners from last year’s varsity, but the Sabers have some incoming firepower that could immediately propel them up the ranks. Stephanie Svendsen (12, 20:53) and Sarah Bryson (11, 22:03) should provide the leadership, while middle school superstars Samantha Swanbon and Bridget Hill (winner and runner-up at last year’s DII MS
Championships!), will hopefully provide some low sticks for this crew. Souhegan always shows up prepared when the races count the most, so don’t be surprised to see them battling it out up front!
#6: John Stark looks to grab the final MOC’s berth this year, as they amazingly return all of their top 6 from last season! The pack mentality will certainly come into play here as well! Kayla Barriere (10, 22:16) and Izabel Korbet (11, 23:01) will likely lead the way, while runners #3 – 7 will follow close behind! Look for the Generals to punch their first ticket to the MOC’s…ever?!
In the mix: Despite losing their big guns to graduation, Coe-Brown is still Coe-Brown and can always find a way to come together when it matters most. Merrimack Valley is also a team to keep an eye out for, as they bring back 6 of 7, and managed to place their top 4 all within 30 seconds of one another last year! Other teams to watch this season are Sanborn, who bring back all of their top 5, led by Lily Tedford (12, 21:44) and Bow who return a powerful top 3 led by Hannah Pawlowski (11, 21:12).
Individuals:
On the individual side of things, I’m predicting a showdown of Oyster River Bobcats to be vying for the title. Kavanagh and Cook appear to be the class of the field, but don’t rule out Hanover’s Perreard, or either of the Englund sisters from Plymouth. Based strictly on returners from last year’s championship, there’s a 40 second gap back to those top 5…but as we know, anything can happen at Derryfield Park in October!
Surprises?
Who will be this year’s breakout star? Will any freshmen burst onto the scene and make an immediate impact? Which team will surprise us with their rebuild and unseat one of the top 6 to win a coveted spot at the Meet of Champs?
I can’t wait to get the racing started! Best of luck to everyone!
-NHCC
Division 1
Unlike last summer where most days were hot and steamy, this summer has been quite pleasant for training, albeit quite wet. This could make for some big surprises from teams where kids come in more ready for the season then they have ever been. As usual, the pre-season preview is difficult not knowing how summer training has gone, what unfortunate injuries have arisen (or not gone away) and possible transfers or freshmen that could immediately impact the scores. All we can do is look at what we know and tweak the rankings as the season gets underway going into September.
Heading into the 2023 season, Division One should have a lot of the same names at the top of the team and individual results since only 2 of the top 25 individuals were graduating seniors. Following that logic, Pinkerton and Bedford appear to be the D1s top contenders, having been the best New Hampshire teams from D1 at New England’s last year with most of their varsity teams returning. Pre-season I would give the early nod (but not a big nod) to Pinkerton since they return their entire top six from last year’s D1 winning team. Leading the team once again will be senior all-state winners Contessa Silva and Isabelle Groulx. Silva and Groulx are in the top five returning girls for D1 and used to leading the team to victory. Following not far behind they have good depth with Althea LeBlanc (16th , 20:38), Gabrielle Bedard (20th , 20:51) and Sarah Rzasa (21st , 20:52), potentially giving them 5 under 21:00 at Derryfield which could give them five in the top 20. That is tough to beat.
However, if anyone can do it then it’s Bedford. Bedford only lost to Pinkerton by 4 points in 2022 and they return their top five from last year’s team. Similar to Pinkerton, they have strong leadership with their top three returners being seniors with Fiona Lee leading the way as a potential D1 individual champion. Right on her heels should be fellow seniors Sophie Mooney (10th , 20:23) and Kelseigh O’Neil (13th , 20:35). A sophomore trio of Caitrin Duprey (18th , 20:44), Abigail Durocher (26th , 21:01) and Mia Moranti (31st , 21:26) will give Bedford strong depth and once again potentially have 5 under 21:00 at Derryfield and 5 in the top 20. These two teams (in August) seem almost identical, so it will be quite the matchup in October if things shake out the way it appears on paper.
After the dominate top two of Pinkerton and Bedford, the next should easily be Winnacunnet. The
Warriors were third in 2022, however by more than 30 points. They return their top four including D1 returning favorite senior Charlotte Koutalidus. After Koutalidus they need to go back more then a minute to get their group of three upperclassmen returners in Skyla Mace (20:42), Carly Eaton (21:01) and Ava Burness (21:48) which gives them a pretty good top four. If those four had a strong summer of training and dragged others with them, they have the potential to fight into the top two, but will need some big improvements to be able to compete.
After the obvious top three, Division One seems quite open. Dover has a strong top three in seniors Alyson Bortz and Isabel McIntyre both top ten last year and junior newcomer to cross country Anique Poulin (800m D1 runner up 2023 outdoor season). If they can find some depth to follow these three, they could move into the top three. Keene, Concord and Bishop Guertin have strong front runners in Lily Runez (20:34), Morgan Doherty (20:50) and Anna Fondakowski (20:37) respectively, but was difficult to
find enough depth to potentially break the top three. However, they should be the next teams making the all important cut off for the Meet of Champions.
The surprise team to make the Meet of Champions without being ranked in the top seven would be Exeter. Exeter has two of the top 8th graders from last year’s middle school state meet as they became middle school state champions. Add them to returners from last year’s veterans, they could shake things up and earn a spot back at the Meet of Champions.
Individually, the early nod goes to Winnacunnet’s Koutalidis but she will not be alone. Pinkerton’s Silva and Bedford’s Lee won’t let her take the crown easily. Silva was the 2023 spring 3200m D1 champion and Lee was the 2023 spring 800m and 1600m champion so both are coming off strong outdoor seasons ready to contend. After the top three, Pinkerton’s Groulx and Dover’s Bortz and McIntyre will be hoping for top five finishes. Hoping to push one of them out of the top five would be Portmouth’s Mia Scherr, Timberlane’s Abigail Robinson, Bedford’s Mooney and O’Neill and Keene’s Runez will be fighting for the ever Important top ten.
-Amy Sanborn
MOCs
Last year, Hanover was the surprise of the season as the historic program returned to NH’s top spot winning the Division 2 and MOC titles. They were such a surprise because their top 3 were all freshmen (Perreard, Muirhead, Monroe) along with their 5th runner (Faris). Matter of fact they return 5 of their top 7, so they are the slight preseason favorites to repeat this season as, based on returners, the top 6 schools are only separated by 54 points with the top three within 20.
Clipping on Hanover’s heels will be both Pinkerton and Bedford. Both teams were on the young side last year. Pinkerton, led by the aforementioned Silva and Groulx and their experience and grit, could be considered as another favorite. And, looking at the past 10 years especially, their coaching staff knows how to prepare teams for the championship seasons. Bedford has a ton of balance, and looking at what Lee did in the spring, the low-stick necessary to contend as their pack comprised of names like O’Neil and Duprey has proven to be more than consistent. If Bedford adds anyone from their state championship track and field teams, look out as they can take the whole thing.
Three Seacoast schools seem to have the inside track to the next three New England qualifying slots. The Koutalidis-led Winnacunnet squad along with the Kavanagh and Cook led Oyster River team seem to be in a dead heat. How each of their programs develop over the course of the season will determine this and perhaps one if not both could also crack the top three. Dover Green Wave led by McIntyre and Bortz is not too far behind and should be considered in this front pack if-you-will. The championship season will determine the order of these final rankings.
Looking to fill out the next four slots for a top 10 ranking should be Hopkinton, Souhegan, Mascenic, Keene and Plymouth.
Unlike the last several years, there is not a clear cut favorite individually either. Super exciting! While Oyster River’s Haley Kavanagh is the top returner by 5 seconds over Bedford’s Fiona Lee, both have their work cut out for them. Kavanagh’s teammate Mackenzie Cook, Pinkerton’s Contessa Silva, Plymouth’s Addison Englund and Winnacunnet’s Charlotte Koutalidis all can set their respective sights on the top spot. Include Hanover’s Lea Perreard, Portsmouth’s Mia Scherr, Dover’s Isabel McIntyre, and Pinkerton’s Groulx with the same sentiment. Dark horses should be Kearsarge’s Ellison, Dover’s Bortz, Newmarket’s Hagen.
Good luck to all!!!
