Divisional State Championships Meet Hub
Results Courtesy of Lancer Timing
Once again Portsmouth High School hosted the best of the best from NH’s Division 1 for the 2025 State D1 Championships. As always, these championships did not disappoint. From champs crowned to records broken, NH once again proved it is a hotbed for exciting championship track and field. Kudos of course to the Portsmouth Track and Field Community for being incredible, gracious hosts and a thank you to the usuals, LancerTiming, NH Officials who always do the heavy lifting ensuring …
Girls
Entering the championship both Concord and Nashua North needed their stars to perform at their best to take home hardware. And perform they did. Ultimately it was Concord High School that emerged as the team champion, scoring 110 points behind dominant sprinting, jumping and relay efforts. Nashua North finished second with 94 points behind their superstar, while Exeter rounded out the podium with a gutsy 85 points.
SPRINTS & HURDLES
The sprinting events belonged to Grace Saysaw of Concord, who not only swept both the 100 and 200 but did so in historical fashion. She won the 100 meters but did so in a Division 1 record time of 12.07 seconds, breaking the Division I record set in 1988 (Angela Johnson). Her performance in the 200 meters was even more historic. Saysaw clocked 24.41 seconds, again breaking the oldest state record that had stood since 1970 (Kathy Lawson), and adding another state title to her remarkable day.
Leiana Cory of Portsmouth was a clear standout among the underclassmen, finishing second in both the 100 and 200 meters, while Nora Brayall of Pinkerton secured third in the 100. Tiana Brown of Nashua North finished third in the 200 and played a vital role in her team’s overall performance.
In the 400 meters, Angela Cenesca of Manchester Central, following in former teammate Harriet Barber’s footsteps, took gold with a strong finish of 57.93 seconds. Martelle McBride of Exeter and Rebecca Osanya of Pinkerton took second and third, respectively, helping their teams remain competitive in the standings.
The hurdles were of course a showcase for Jhanelle Thomas of Nashua North, who claimed titles in both the 100-meter and 300-meter hurdles. Winning comfortably in both events, Thomas ran 15.21 in the 100 hurdles and 44.60 in the 300 hurdles. Her teammate Tiana Brown followed her across the line in both events, placing second each time. Brown quietly had an incredible day! Molly Flynn of Portsmouth and Sienna Metcalf of Portsmouth earned third in the 100 and 300 hurdles, respectively, keeping the home team in the mix.
DISTANCE
The distance races were highlighted Exeter’s Alexis Paterna who was the double champ in the 1600 and 3200 meters. She won in the 1600 in 4:56.05, with Laura White of Nashua North right behind her in 4:57.80. Paterna doubled back to the 3200 title clocking 11:01.30. White claimed another second-place finish, and Eli Cross, also of Exeter, was third. In one of the closest races on the day, Rosalie Neveu of Nashua North edged out Isabelle Bremer of Exeter to win the 800 meters in 2:16.67 to 2:16.78. Brianna Paterna of Exeter, Alexis’s sister, followed closely behind in third.
RELAYS
In the relay events, Concord’s dominance was further solidified. The 4×100 meter relay team of Chelsea Toenah, Goulas, Ballay Conteh, and Saysaw won in 48.52 seconds. Nashua North and Portsmouth followed in second and third. In the 4×400 meter relay, Concord (Muller, Conteh, Saysaw, Yahya) again claimed victory, holding off strong squads from Exeter and Nashua North. The 4×800 went to Exeter, with Alexis Paterna, Danica Caron, Abby Riccio, and Madeline Poteet combining for a time of 9:37.24, followed by Bedford and Pinkerton.
JUMPS
Perhaps having the absolute best day was Jumps Queen, Ella Goulas of Concord, who swept all 3 ‘jumps’ achieving the jumps version of the triple crown. She won the long jump with a leap of 18-04.25, captured the triple jump with 37-09.75 and cleared 5’0″ to capture the high jump crown. Her teammate Ballay Conteh was runner-up in the long jump, giving Concord an important boost in team points. Angela Cenesca of Manchester Central placed third in the long jump, adding to her gold from the 400 meters. Sarah Frye of Nashua North and Molly Flynn of Portsmouth were 2nd and 3rd in the Triple Jump while Linsey Gregoire of Londonderry and Cassandra Jimeno of Merrimack rounded out the top three in the High Jump.
The pole vault saw Ruby Kaupp of Bedford also rewrite the record books, clearing 11-08 to establish a new Division I mark. Madeline Muller of Concord placed second, and Delaney Paquin of Pinkerton was third.
THROWS
The throwing events were hotly contested. Consuelo Borico of Concord won the shot put with a throw of 36-11. Brynn Johnson of Windham took second, and Carolyn Kemp of Bedford was third. In the discus, it was Jameson Trask of Pinkerton who claimed top honors with a mark of 117-01. Chloe Cruz of Nashua South and Carolyn Kemp also made the podium.
Kelly Wright of Windham threw 111-07 to win the javelin, edging out Makenna Knapp of Keene and Sarah Rzasa of Pinkerton. Wright’s performance capped a productive day for Windham, which finished seventh overall.
When the team scores were tallied, Concord’s 110 points gave them a commanding victory. Their depth across sprints, jumps, and relays—anchored by record-setting, point amassing performances from Grace Saysaw and Ella Goulas—proved too much for the rest of the field. Nashua North, led by Jhanelle Thomas and Tiana Brown, took a strong second place with 94 points, while Exeter, fueled by distance stars like the Paterna sisters and Isabelle Bremer, secured a feisty third with 85.
BOYS
The 2025 NHIAA Division I Championships brought together the state’s top track and field athletes for a competitive and record-breaking day in Portsmouth. While Pinkerton Academy dominated the meet with a commanding 101 points, bolstered by depth across sprints, jumps, and relays, the level of racing and competition were the big exciting draw.
Sprints & Hurdles
In the 100 meters, Ceasar Flahn of Manchester Central edged out a fast field in 10.85 seconds, narrowly missing the D-I record, with Travis Cavallo of Pinkerton (10.90) and Kobe Perry of Nashua North (11.08) following.
Owen Janetos of Winnacunnet won the 400 meters with a late push in 49.07. Brodie Proulx of Exeter (49.31) and Theo Beattie of Portsmouth (49.85) rounded out the top three. Janetos picked up his 2nd D1 State title as he was was dominant in the 200 meters, clocking 22.06, just off the division record. Luca Kabel of Merrimack (22.22) and Jamison Isaac of Pinkerton (22.24) claimed second and third.
In the hurdles, John Child of Pinkerton took the 110m hurdles in 14.79, followed by Wayne Crowell of Keene (14.94) and teammate Oliver Gould (15.25). The 300m hurdles saw Ryan Jamison of Winnacunnet take gold in 38.36, with Joey Marcotte of Alvirne (38.93) and Crowell (39.88) close behind.
Distance
In the 1600 meters, Carson Fitzgerald of Londonderry surged to victory in 4:22.88, just ahead of Carson Fischer of Bishop Guertin (4:23.43) and Jason Robie of Pinkerton (4:23.71).
The 800 meters featured Ryan Zumbach of Winnacunnet winning from gun-to-tape clocking 1:53.62. Dover’s Melo Berdecia placed a well earned 2nd (1:55.86) after battling with Will Hart of Portsmouth (1:56.46).
Another gun-to-tape victory came in the 3200 meters as BG’s Matthew Giardina of Bishop Guertin set out to smash the Division I mark (9:15) with a blazing, solo 9:05.50! Super impressive. Trainor Mailloux of Pinkerton (9:28.59) and freshman phenom Ethan Fischer of Bishop Guertin (9:30.85) were 2nd and 3rd respectively.
Relays
Talk about records being broken, Pinkerton broke the 4×100 meter relay state record with a blistering 42.28 behind the team of Travis Cavallo, Winston George, Elijah Roberts, and Jamison Isaac.
In the 4×400, Exeter took the win in 3:24.13, narrowly holding off Nashua South (3:24.38) and Winnacunnet (3:25.85). This was also close to the 4×400 state record. Looking forward to Winnacunnet loading up their relay at MOCs.
Salem claimed victory in the 4×800, with the quartet of Jackson Gannon, Benjamin LaGrasse, Evan Spence, and Brock James running 8:08.45. Pinkerton (8:15.64) and Nashua South (8:19.71) followed. Expect this relay to be hotly contested next week.
JUMPS
In the high jump, Gavin Suchecki of Nashua North cleared 6-2 for the win over Sam Woodward of Bishop Guertin and a three-way tie for third between Eli Benjamin (Spaulding), Kaiden Okowuga (Merrimack), and Gabe Texeira (Bedford HS), all at 6-0. Colby Nyhan of Concord won the pole vault at 14-6, well ahead of Leo Guarracino (Portsmouth, 13-0) and Preston Bois (Nashua South, 13-0).
In the long jump, Oliver Gould of Pinkerton jumped 20-9 to beat Luke Peters of Nashua North (20-7.5) and Alex Dixon of Keene (20-5). Dixon returned to win the triple jump with a leap of 43-4. Thomas Saysaw of Concord and Preston Bois of Nashua South tied for second at 42-11.
THROWS
Darius Smith of Nashua North was a force, winning the shot put (53-10), taking second in the discus (159-9), and third in the javelin (167-9). In the discus, Shawn Boudreau of Alvirne delivered the standout throw of the day with a meet record 173-11, surpassing the D-I mark of 171-7. He also placed fourth in the shot (47-2). Charles Franks of Pinkerton won the javelin at 194-3, ahead of Sawyer Penny of Nashua South (173-6) and Smith.
TEAMS
Pinkerton’s strength across the board secured them the Division I title convincingly with 101 points. Nashua North (64) rode strong performances from Smith and Peters, while Nashua South (49) shared third with Winnacunnet (49), powered by middle distance and relay contributions. Bishop Guertin and Exeter tied for fifth with 36 points apiece.
Congrats to all! See you all next weekend at the MOCS!
