NHXC is BACK! The 2025 Bobcat XC Invitational once again opened the season at beautiful DeMeritt Hill Farm in Madbury. With clouds, humidity, and a competitive field made up of over 20 teams toed the line for varsity and jv races bringing together top programs from across the state. Hats off to the Oyster River XC Community and a special special thanks to DeMeritt Hill farm for yet another awesome NHXC experience!!!
Girls Varsity
The Bobcat invite is a 3 lap race essentially and from the outset it was what all expected as 2 of NH’s best blasted out to gap the field. At the front of the race, Madeleine Lane (Hopkinton) and Mikita Barry (Bedford) began their individual battle in earnest going through the 1st mile side by side in sub 5:40 pace. Last year Barry “ran” away with the Bobcat crown early, but this year it was Lane who stamped her mark on the 2025 season, charging away over the the 2nd lap to eventually to win in a course record of 18:49.1 on the hilly DeMeritt Hill Farm course.
Barry claimed second in 20:00.4, holding off a hard-closing pack of Oyster River athletes. The host Bobcats claimed the next three spots: Neely Roy in 20:18.7, Olivia Kavanagh in 20:30.7, and Madelyn Cook in 20:52.5. That surge of white and blue uniforms across the line effectively sealed the team win by the midpoint of the race.
The rest of the top ten featured Kaitlyn Stocker (Sanborn) in sixth at 21:08.5, Maisie Emerson (Hopkinton) in seventh at 21:14.1, and Olivia Cartagena (Alvirne, SO) in eighth at 21:24.3. Hopkinton junior Rose Afflerbach placed ninth (21:45.0), while Bedford senior Raissa Caridade rounded out the top ten in 21:52.9.
Oyster River showed off both front-end firepower and depth, taking the team title with 44 points. As mentioned, the Bobcats packed three runners inside the top five, but their depth was unmatched as they closed their scoring with five in the top 17 with their 6th runner placing 21st. Hopkinton grabbed second with 71 points, led by the overall individual champion Lane. The D3 powerhouse has already displayed quite the top 3, expect the back end of their scoring 5 to only get better. Nice start for the Hawks. Bedford rounded out the podium with 85 points, led by the senior runner-up Barry and steady depth through their top five. Londonderry (134) and Alvirne (163) completed the top five team finishes.
Boys Varsity
The pre-race prevailing thought was the boys varsity was going to be close on the individual side of things. Several athletes had legit shots, which usually sets the stage for a close race, but William Trautz (Belmont Hill, JR) surged away early and never looked back, finishing in 16:09.9 to win by nearly 24 seconds. His aggressive front-running style separated him from the chase pack and set the tone for Belmont Hill’s fourth-place team finish.
The battle for second went to defending Bobcat champ Carson Fitzgerald (Londonderry), who crossed in 16:33.8, edging the Pinkerton duo which followed close behind. Oscar D’Amelio (Pinkerton) grabbed third in 16:39.6, just ahead of teammate Jason Robie (Pinkerton) at 16:40.4. Rounding out the top five was Peyton Joslyn (Monadnock) in 16:48.3, before Oyster River made its first appearance with Levi Clapp in sixth (16:52.5).
The rest of the top ten showcased Pinkerton’s depth: Trainor Mailloux ninth (17:03.4), Joseph Gustavson tenth (17:05.5), and Sean Hayes eleventh (17:07.7). Between them, Christian Barnes (Portsmouth Christian) ran a strong race for seventh overall in 16:57.4, and Oliver Lehman (Oyster River) took eighth in 17:01.2.
As expected NH #1 Pinkerton ran away with the team title, scoring just 37 points thanks to an incredible display of pack running. The Astros placed all five scorers inside the top 11, led by a tight 28-second spread between their first and fifth runners. That depth confirms Pinkerton’s powerhouse status.
Londonderry secured runner-up honors with 75 points, led by a Fitzgerald’s second place as well as teammates Josh Twomey, Patrick Ramsey and Jack DiBuono placing 12th, 13th, and 18th respectively. supported by two more athletes in the top 15.
Oyster River impressed on their home course with 80 points just 5 points back. Showcasing a balanced lineup as they had four runners in the top 25 led by Clapp and Lehman. Belmont Hill (145) and Hopkinton (164) rounded out the top five, both powered by strong front-runners and competitive mid-pack scorers.
JV Races
Bedford’s Alexis Kirk won the girls JV race in 24:19 leading Bedford to the JV win. Led by Drew Verweij’s and Zoey Garnas’s 2nd and 3rd places, Oyster River placed 2nd. Pinkerton won the boys JV race led by Parker Brown and Demitri Rufo going 1-2. Brown won in 18:29. Oyster River’s Simon Lamb took third but Belmont Hill School claimed 2nd place as a team and was led by Riley Marth who placed 4th.
