As always NH put on one heckuva show at the 2026 NHIAA State Division Indoor Track and Field Championships at Plymouth State University! From the athletes to meet management to the fans, this past Sunday was everything it was mean to be! A hearty thank you to all involved with organizing the meet to a level the kids of NH deserve. Congrats to a job well done on all fronts!
Results Courtesy of Lancer Timing
Team Championship – Coe-Brown Returns to the Top!
Depth won championships on Saturday, and Coe-Brown proved it once again. With points spread across sprints, hurdles, distance, and relays, the Bears pulled away late to claim the Division II State Championship title with 61 points, just 11 points clear of runner-up Souhegan (50) which put up a valiant effort with their studs. This was the Black Bears’ 3rd title in 4 years. Coe-Brown’s ability to score in nearly every event—highlighted by the hurdles, relays, and distance races—was the difference in a meet where no single athlete dominated the scoreboard.
Con-Val (36) edged out St. Thomas Aquinas (35) for third in a tightly packed podium battle, while Oyster River (32) and Monadnock (24) rounded out the top six.
Sprints & Hurdles
Bow senior Gavin Buxton lived up to his top seed and capped his high school indoor sprint career in style, winning the 55 final in 6.52. This is of special note as he held off 2 superstars as Brody Smith (Souhegan, 6.64) and Ross Stephens (Con-Val, 6.67) placed 2nd and 3rd respectively. Stephens’s teammate Griffin Schultz squeezed out 4th in 6.69 seconds.The final was stacked with sub-6.75 performances and set the tone for a fast afternoon.
Coe-Brown junior Brogan Grzybowski stayed composed through the finals to take gold in 7.96, leading a multi-event scoring effort for the Bears. Brady O’Connor (Pelham) and Jacob Gonzalez (Sanborn Regional) completed the top 3.
The 300 meters was the moment of the day making history! Stephens (Con-Val) delivered one of the meet’s top performance, blasting a 34.73, breaking the long standing (21 years – Dominique Worsley, Central 2005) state record, while Smith (Souhegan) dipped under the Division II record in 35.17 to boot. NH has never had an athlete dip under 35 seconds at a state meet, let along 2 in the same race! Hats off to both Stephens and Smith. Congratulations!
Middle Distance
Peyton Joslyn (Monadnock) displayed incredible strength to repeat as 1000 meter state champ in 2:33.70. He had to show amazing strength holding off a hard changing and motivated Grant Skorupan (Milford) who pushed him all the way to the line crossing in 2:34.11. St. Thomas’s Oliver Schartner kept them both honest as he placed 3rd in 2:38.85.
In a surprise, St. Thomas Aquinas senior Aaron Hughes held off top seed and grinding Jacob Hoesch (Hollis/Brookline) to gain a hard fought state title in the 600 crossing in 1:25.03 to 1:26.59. Anyone else notice how strong St. Thomas middle distance was this season???!!! Pivotal in the team effort, Coe-Brown’s Anthony Szatko, not projected to score, placed third as he won the first heat going away crossing in 1:27.29, a 4 second personal record.
Distance
Wow, did the 3000 meters preview what was to come with regards to exciting races and surprises. Yes Oliver Lehman (Oyster River), the top seed, surged away over the final lap to win in 9:01.27, but he did so after having to catch Coe-Brown freshman Samuel Youngs. Racing fearlessly, Youngs made a bold move with 4 laps to go in attempt to run and hide from the junior Lehman. To Lehman’s credit, although Youngs had opened up a lead of around 10 meters, Lehman never broke contact and was able to pull away over the final lap. Never giving in, Youngs crossed in 9:04.37. Showing up again in a state championship, Coe-Brown’s other freshman, Broden Cox placed 3rd in 9:17.41. The Black Bears totaled an impressive 16 points as Gus Glaser surprised with a 5th place finish in 9:36.06 – critical team points.
The 1500 was also pivotal. Competing on what may say is his home track, Plymouth senior Tate Hayman, fresh off a nordic ski meet on Saturday, was able to hold off a hard charging pack to take the 1500 title in 4:18.07. How close was this race? Well we had the top 4 cross within a second of each other. Doubling back, from earlier events, both state champs in their own rights, both Joslyn and Lehman made strong final bids trying for their second titles fo the day. To Hayman’s and Coe-Brown’s Ben Larson’s credit, as fresh racers, they kept the pace honest. Larson made a bid of his own with a few laps remaining and then raced Joslyn and Lehman to the line as well. In the end, it would be Joslyn (4:18.39), Larson (4:18.42) and Lehman (4:18.71) placing 2nd-4th. What a race! Along with Sammy Youngs’s 6th place, CBNA picked up another 9 pivotal points.
Relays
In a bit of an upset, Pembroke closed strong to win the 4×400 relay in 3:37.02, edging St. Thomas Aquinas in one of the meet’s most competitive relays. Wrapping up the team title, Coe-Brown placed third.
Souhegan was not deterred however as their 4×200 delivered another record breaking performance running 1:34.27, a new Division II record, behind legs from Smith, Ryan Stone, Owen Pisinski, and John Katsel. Coe-Brown and Con-Val followed to place 3rd.
Field Events
The Long Jump saw yet another record go down. Pelham senior Osinachi Nwabueze produced the day’s top field mark, soaring 22-9.5 to set a Division II meet record. Souhegan’s John Katsel placed 2nd with an impressive 20-11.75 leap. Prospect Mountain’s Domenic Scarpa edged Belmont’s Brock Smith for 3rd as both jumped 20-06.75, but Scarpa’s 2nd best jump was better.
In another surprise, the shot put saw Belmont’s Brady Filteau claiming the state title with a throw of 49-7.25, holding off Barnaby Diehn (Mascoma Valley 47-10.5) and Oscar Gulledge (Lebanon 46-0.5).
Honestly, this was Division II at its best—fast, deep, and relentlessly competitive from the first gun to the final throw. Congrats to all!
