Each week, we shout out those performances which stood out to us! Each week, we also give you all a chance to contribute to these shoutouts by commenting on this post. Whether it is an addition to the list or you want to echo one of ours, please do so! All about celebrating NHTF athletes!
Meets
Sprints & Hurdles
Competition brings out the best in all of us! Look no further for an example than the 2024 Sanborn Invitational. Bishop Brady’s Joshua Gentchos had an incredible day winning both the 100 and 200 in 10.78 (not a typo) and 22.42 (meet record)!!! He would probably be the first to thank PCA’s Tim Kelm (11.06) and Nehemiah Oyaronbi (11.09) for the push in the 100. At the North Invite, Windham’s Kevin Brooks swept the 100 and 200 in 11.08 and 22.58 respectively. Pinkerton’s Jamison Isaac was 2nd in the 200 with a 22.98. Folks, this may be the deepest sprint corps our state has seen in some time.
On the girls side, Kennett’s Aida Wheat returned to the Sanborn Invite doing what she does, winning both the 100 and 200 in 12.67 (new meet record) and 26.14 respectively. At North Invite, South’s Nyah Musa won the 100 with a 12.62 in the final, but she posted a 12.57 in the prelim. Could she challenge Wheat for state supremacy? Then of course there is “Queen Harriet.” Central’s Harriett Barber had herself a day blasting to the win in the 400 with a 56.32 just to come back to also win the 200 posting a time of 25.32.
Newport’s Maddox Lovely and Oyster River’s Erin Carty waged an early season battle in both hurdle events. Lovely won the High Hurdle showdown in15.78 to 16.24 both eclipsing the meet record. However, Carty took the 300 win with a 47.17 (meet record) to 48.54. At North, Concord’s Morgan Doherty won by a step in 15.74 over Alvirne’s Petrina Ofori’s 15.91. Both Ofori and Doherty would return to place 2nd and 3rd in the 300 Hurdles to North’s Jhanelle Thomas who won by almost a second with a 47.47. Shout out to Sanborn senior Ben Cardoso who won the 300 Hurdles for his host school with a 41.84, the fastest between both invitationals. Of note, Pinkerton soph John Child posted 15.92 prelim and then won in the finals.
Middle and Long Distance
A handful of NH best distance runners made the trip to Hall HS in Connecticut for its annual distance festival. CBNA’s Jamie Lano opened his season placing 4th in the hotly contested mile in 4:19.09. He then lent his pacing services to the not-so-often contested 5000 meters less than an hour later where his pacing helped the top 2 finishers to break 15:00. Riding momentum from his breakout indoor season, PCA’s Jonas Teeter placed 3rd in 15:05.43. Con-Val’s Will Simard placed a super impressive 5th with a 15:15.56, with BG’s Carson Fischer posting a time of 15:44.24 for 12th. On the girls side, BG’s Anna Fondakowski placed 2nd with a 18:49.04.
Teeter would then travel to Sanborn the very next day to compete in the 1600. After leading most of way, he repelled a late race challenge by CBNA’s Sanjith Nomula to win with a 4:28.58 to 4:29.20. At the North Invite, Hanover’s Lucian Gleiser and Keene’s Sully Sturtz had a tight finish with Gleiser taking the dub in 4:35.00 to 4:35,55. Sturtz would return to take the 3200 win later in the meet.
Hanover’s Lea Perreard battled with North’s Laura White to win the 1600 5:13.70 to 5:15.03. Over at Sanborn, Oyster River’s Haley Kavanagh started the day with an impressive win in the 3200 posting a solo 10:56.17, a meet record. Her teammate Mackenzie Cook also ran solo to the win in the 1600 in a relaxed 5:08.42, also a meet record. Impressively, Newmarket’s Alanna Hagen was the double winner on the day sweeping the 400 and 800 events. These events are pretty close on the schedule, so even more impressive is she broke her own meet record in the 800 with a 2:19.69.
Jumps
Goffstown’s Penelope Annis won the High Jump clearing 5’2″ while at North Invite Concord’s Ella Goulas cleared 5’4″. Concord went 1-2 in the pole vault with Madeline Muller clearing 9’6″ and Kendall Barton clearing 9’0″. Somersworth’s Savanna Comeau had the best jump between both meets to win at Sanborn with a leap of 16’5″. Hopkinton’s Grace Hall won the triple there with a mark of 34′ 3.25″. By comparison, Concord sophomore Grace Saysaw won with a mark of 35’1″. Goulas placed 2nd with 34’6″.
Spaulding’s Paul Butler cleared the highest height between both meets with a 6’2″, but Concord once again flexed its field event muscle at North sweeping the verticals. Colby Nyhan cleared 12′ to win the pole vault and Alain Twite won the HJ clearing 6’0″. Back at Sanborn, Trinity’s Rere Edokpolo won a thrilling Long Jump competition which came down to the final attempts. Edokpolo leapt 21’08” to win in his final jump over Spaulding’s Cris Santana who posted a 21’0.5″ mark also in his final jump! Keene’s Isaac Nelson won the North Invite Triple with a 44’3.6″.
Throws
At his home invitational, North’s Darius Smith won both the Shot Put and Discus while Concord’s Nick Reynolds unleashed a bomb of a throw in the javelin, 183’6″!!! Over at Sanborn, Coe-Brown’s Elias Warner won the discus in a meet record throw of 153’11” winning by more than 30′! Warner would also place 2nd in the shot put to Newport’s Kyle Ashley. Ashley would win the Javelin himself with a nice toss of 162’1″. On the girls side, Oyster River’s Riley Drapeau tossed the javelin 108’0″ to win at Sanborn while Con-Val’s Tasha MacNeil threw 107’5″ at North’s Invite. This could get good!
One Response
Lucian Gleiser also split a 1:55.38 in the 4x800m relay at Nashua North!