HOKA Results Hub
Last year we made the decision to travel 100 minutes north and take on the challenging Newfound Invitational course. Having struck up a competitive friendship back in 2021 when I had inadvertently left Newfound out of the boys preseason preview and they ended up second that year to us at Divisionals, we have traveled up 93 to exit 23. For one, I get to see more of the “northern” schools, allowing me to better represent the entire state on the website, but also because of the tightness of our teams (Newfound athletes ran on our Junior Olympic Valhalla team at Nationals last year).
Anyway, they always produce a solid meet, on a challenging course, with good competition. Last year we won both the boys and girls races, and for the girls, it was kind of their coming out party. This year, knowing what kind of firepower they have, they wanted to represent again. Tied with Plymouth in this week’s rankings, I’d be remiss that they didn’t feel that maybe they had something to prove. Having graduated last year’s course record holder and second placer, the boys team was looking to see where they stack up against the rest of D3 in their pursuit to land a coveted MOC berth. We were going to find out the answers to those questions over the afternoon.
The girls race got off right at 4pm, with Mascenic teammates Erin O’Shea and Kaitlin O’Shea headed right to the front with Plymouth’s Elli Englund in tow. The chase pack was made up of four more Mascenic and a lot of other schools top athletes. Mascenic wanted to force things up front in an effort to manage the race.
After the first loop, Erin O’Shea held a slight lead over Englund, with Moultonborough’s Adah Chapman shadowing Kailtin O’Shea. In the chase pack Newfound’s Ceili Irving, Mascenic’s Emma Schaumloffel and Skye Lambert, and Plymouth’s Kelsey Maine were breaking away from the rest of the field, sprinkled with runners from Plymouth and Moultonborough.
Over the ensuing lap, both Englund and Chapman would give a strong push, stretching away from the O’Sheas. Englund was in control, with Chapman opening a small gap. Irving was at the front of the chase pack, pushing over her home course with the Mascenic crew holding gamely on. Also moving up through the pack was Kearsarge’s Molly Ellison, obviously electing to use the run as a workout in an effort to get ready for Manchester on Saturday.
In the end, Englund would stay out, crossing the line in 21:40, with the course being almost 150 meters long. Chapman would be second, followed by Erin then Kaitlin O’Shea. Irving would lead in Maine and Lambert, with Newfound’s Emerald Briggs, Ellison and Merrimack Valley’s Lily Moser rounding out the top ten.
Mascenic would run away with this one, 38 to Plymouth’s 55. However, noticeably absent was last year’s winner, Addi Englund of Plymouth with what I heard was a sore hip. Toss her in and Plymouth would probably have finished first. MV would be third with some strong pack running with 88 points. Newfound (95) and Moultonborough (100) would round out the top five teams.
In the boys race, Kearsarge’s Daniel Dalbec wasted no time establishing the lead, with Newfound’s Evan and Colin Foster, Plymouth’s Leo Ebner and Tate Hayman, and InterLakes Ronan Hird and Isaac Nudd-Homeyer in hot pursuit. The rest of the athletes were sorting themselves out over the first lap. By the end of that lap, Dalbec had established his lead and was simply rolling along. Ebner and Hayman were duking it out with Hird, Nudd-Homeyer and the Foster brothers. Mascenic’s Dylan Callahan and Derek Somero were starting to make inroads, working through the front pack. And while there were surges being thrown in over the varying terrain, the order was just shifting back and forth.
Once the dust settled, Dalbec would cross the line in 18:13. Ebner would be back, 21 seconds with teammate Hayman slipping under the 19 minute mark. IL’s Hird and Nudd-Meyer would split the Foster brothers, with Evan being the faster Foster brother. Somero and Callahan would beat out Belmont’s Braden Townsend to round out the top ten.
In the team race, Plymouth would win this one over a surprise Mascenic, 61 to 88. InterLakes (95 ), MV (109) and White Mountains (121) would round out the top five teams.
Many of these teams will be racing on Saturday at Manchester Invitational.
