By Nate Leveille
Girls
Last year the Pinkerton girls ran away with the state title over a young Bedford Squad. Bedford got revenge in the spring with an upset victory. These two teams appear to be the returning front runners on paper. Portsmouth returns with some major point scorers while Concord and South are always in the mix for a podium finish.
Sprints/ Hurdles
We have been discussing this dominant sprint group for the past couple of years and they are all finally seniors. Last year 2nd through 5th were all juniors. Runner-up Soraya Ross of Nashua South, 3rd place finisher Alexis Best of Merrimack, 4th Lily Jenkins of Portsmouth, and 5th Rayna Thompson of Exeter are all back. Let’s not forget about returning 300m champ Mikita Barry of Bedford, runner-up Harriet Barber of Manchester Central, and Hannah Sipple of Pinkerton. The sprints are loaded. In the hurdles, Anika Scott of Bedford is the top returner followed by Morgan Doherty of Concord and Miriam Nada of Portsmouth.
Mid Distance and Distance
Anique Poulin of Dover and Samantha Ducharme of Bedford return this year after a 1-2 finish in the 600m last year. Isabel McIntyre of Dover stole the show last year with a double win in the 1000m and 1500m, well she’s back. Isabelle Groulx of Pinkerton is the returning runner up in the 1000. Lily Thomas of Salem was runner up in the 1500m last year and 3000 meter champ Contessa Silva of Pinkerton is back this year. Distance returns lots of talent with some new 9th grade talent to mix things up.
Jumps and Throws
Teammates Ella Goulas and Kelley Mickelson of Concord are the top returning high jumpers. Scott of Bedford is the returning Long Jump champ followed by Nada of Portsmouth and Ayva Mullen of Concord. In the shot Alyssa Abbott of Alvirne is the top returner followed by Mia Getchell of Merrimack.
Boys
Last year the Bedford boys had a phenomenal state meet running away with a 16 point victory over runner-up Pinkerton Academy. The bad news for the rest of the state is that same Bedford team pretty much returns all their major point scorers from a year ago. Other teams which may be able to get in the mix include Windham, Nashua South, and Memorial.
Sprints/ Hurdles
AJ Sebastian of Manchester Memorial is the defending champ in the 55 meter dash and Chris Stevens of Keene is the defending champ in the 300m. They both return to defend their titles. Kevin Brooks of Windham, Caden Michaud of Pinkerton, and Christopher Chong of Bedford are others to watch in the sprints. Chong is the defending hurdle champ followed by Matthew Morrison of Pinkerton, JJ Powers and Jaden Cote both of Bedford.
Mid Distance/ Distance
Zack Smith of Pinkerton is the top returner in a wide out 600m field. Double winner Jacob Redman of Bedford is back to defend his titles in the 1000m and 1500m. If he is challenged in the 1000 it might come from Exeter’s Gavin Malark or Nathan Binda of Pinkerton. Matthew Giardina of BG is the defending champ in the 3000m. Other top distance returners consist of Josiah Conley of Concord, Dante Castellano and Ryan Duvarney both of Nashua South.
Jumps & Throws
Malik Ogbunamiri of BG is the top returning high jumper followed by Alexander Rivera of Manchester Memorial. Rivera of Memorial is also the defending champ in the Long Jump followed by Shayan Biswas of Windham. Darius Smith of Nashua North is the top returning shot putter followed by Joseph Packowski of Pinkerton.
