Results Courtesy of Speed Sport Timing
The athletes of the 24th Black Bear Invitational were greeted with perhaps the best weather day of the season in Northwood and they certainly took advantage. The Black Bear Invitational once again delivered one of the most competitive early-season meets in New Hampshire, bringing together a deep mix of Division I, II, and III programs in what has become a true mid-spring measuring stick. With full team scoring and loaded fields across every event group, Saturday’s meet gave a clear early look at contenders across the state.
As always, we were there to provide the livestream, snap pics, conduct interviews! Congrats to all and thanks to the Coe-Brown community for another job well done.
Distance
In the spirit of the Black Bear, we will begin this recap with the grueling 3200 meters as it was the first finals held on the day. Exeter’s Brianna Paterna wasted no time heading to the front of the pack which featured names like Oyster River’s Olivia Kavanagh, Hopkinton’s Maisie Emerson and BG’s Zoe Coler. Paterna would steadily pull away over the 8 laps passing the 1600 in 5:28. She was a metronome clicking off 84s ultimately kicking in a 77 to cross in 10:58.72. An incredible solo effort. To her credit, Kavanagh hung tough with Paterna through 2000 meters and held strong for runner up crossing in 11:17. Never quite giving in and remaining strong throughout, Emerson crossed in 11:22.83 while BG’s Zoe Coler also finished in striking distance at 11:28.83.
On the boys’ side, PEA’s Owen Welch took off from the gun with only CBNA’s Patrick Youngs latching on leading through the 1600 in 4:45. After easing into this one, Monadnock’s Peyton Joslyn and OR’s Oliver Lehman made a strong effort to close the gap. Joslyn then wasted little time taking the lead with a strong move and would go on to pull away posting negative splits to cross in 9:27.52. Lehman would follow his lead claiming second in 9:33.70. Youngs would win the battle with Welch to claim 3rd by .30, both crossing in 9:37 and chain.
Next in the distance events was the 1600 races. The ladies led off again with the PEA duo of Julia Malysa and Norah Pratt leading through 800 meters with only Plymouth’s Elli Englund and BG’s Shannon Forsyth with them. Malysa and Englund would gain separation over the second half with Malysa winning the battle taking this one in 5:19.78 to Englund’s 5:21.71. Pratt would wind up 3rd in 5:26 while Dover’s Janelle Poulin would run a strong 2nd half to pick up 4th in 5:34.
The boys 1600 was the race of the day as PEA’s Bocelli Howland-Vlahakis and Concord’s Josiah Conley waged an epic battle. Bocelli pressed the 1st 800 rolling through in 2:13 when Conley took the lead with a 64 second 3rd lap. To his credit Bocelli hung on to respond by retaking the lead, but Conley had just enough over the final lap closing in 62.53 to Bocelli’s 62.65 to win in 4:21.02. Great race! Plymouth’s Tate Hayman would be the best of the rest running a very patient race to take 3rd in 4:39.00
The girls 800 saw another of the Exeter stars lead gun to tape as Izzie Bremer rolled to the win in 2:17.72. Her teammate Eli Cross race a great race in her own right to claim 2nd in 2:22.10 while OR’s Madelyn Cook rolled to 3rd in 2:25.24. The boys saw a similar race as PEA’s Truman Yee employed the same tactic ripping through the first 400 in 56 and change to eventually cross in 1:57.35. His teammate Marcus Kiehl followed Yee’s lead to claim 2nd in 1:59.01 while Dover’s Melo Berdecia, doubling back from a 4:40 in the 1600, would cross in 3rd in 2:01.08 out-leaning 3200 winner Conley.
Sprints & Hurdles
Excitement and close races were also featured in the sprints and hurdles. In one of the closest finishes of the day, Kingswood’s Norah Pelletier out-leaned CBNA’s Bristol Shirland to win 15.22 to 15.27. HB’s Grace Dow was 3rd in 15.55. Pelletier would go for the double win in the 300 Hurdles and would come oh-so-close placing 2nd in 47.62. Dow would be 3rd in that one as well in 48.03 but it was PEA’s Lily Sabol who would ‘steal’ the win out of the 3rd heat blasting to a 47.30!!! Wow!
The boys saw host school CBNA’s Brogan Grzybowski ran a clinic of a final in the High Hurdles breaking the proverbial tape in a state leading 14.86! PEA’s Alex Harwich was 2nd in 15.38 with Sanborn’s Jacob Gonzalez claiming 3rd in 16.49. Harwich would get his revenge however as he came back to win the 300 hurdles in a bit of a surprise as he edged Winnacunnet’s Ryan Jamison 39.14 to 39.34. Gryzbowski would take 3rd in 41.65.
The sprints of course started with the 100 Division 3 superstar Belmont’s Ava Lacasse besting Timeberlane’s Charlotte Beaudoin for the win 12.46 to 12.53. CBNA’s Lila Fitzpatrick would take 3rd in 12.73. Lacasse and Beaudoin would battle again in the 200, but this time Beaudoin turned the tables winning in 25.52 to Lacasse’s 25.90. PEA’s Ayana Okuneye took 3rd in 26.69.
It was a D3 sweep as Mascoma Valley’s Sam Joyce had a half step on BG’s Jacob Parshay 11.36 to 11:43. PEA’s Elias Warner placed 3rd in 11.52. Matter of fact, Joyce would complete the sprint double as he also claimed the 200 meter title in 22.83. Hollis/Brookline’s Andrew Desmarais placed 2nd in 23.01 to Spaulding’s Aaron Geldart’s 23.19.
Exeter demonstrated their school’s depth in the 400 taking 1st and 3rd in the event. Martelle McBride won in 60.01 in a tight battle of Okuneye’s 60.16. Exeter’s Isabelle Ernst took 3rd in 60.49. The boys race could also have been considered the race of the meet as it certainly was the closest with only .02 separating the top 3 finishers. Employing a valiant last 100 and a potent lean, Coe-Brown’s Jackson Doran took the win in 51.30 to PEA’s Rhys Cunningham and Winnacunnet’s Dexter Mariotti’s 51.32.
Jumps
D2 star Bow’s Camden Wilson won the High Jump in 5’4″ with MV’s Jada Lucas placing 2nd in 5’0″ and Somersworth’s Savanna Comeau 3rd clearing 4’10”. The boys saw Somersworth’s Orlando Wondal winning clearing 5’10”. Bow’s Julia Hou won the pole vault clearing in a meet record 11’0″. CBNA’s Brooke Bachhuber was 2nd with a 9’0″ clearance.
The horizontal jumps saw CBNA’s Jazzlyn Curry claiming the Long Jump with a career best 17’1.5″ leap. OR’s Avery Baumgardt placed 2nd with a 16’10.75″ mark while Exeter’s McBride was less than 2 inches behind with a 16’9.25″. Timberlane’s Noah Chery took the boys Long Jump in a virtual tie with Colton Ray of Exeter as both finished with a best mark of 20’8.5″ as he won on his second best jump. OR’s Micah Gedney was 3rd also over 20′.
As expected Baumgardt was queen of the Triple Jump as she hopped, skipped and jumped to a 35’5.25″ victory. MV’s Hannah Barrington was 2nd (31’4.5″) and HB’s Anvi Kshirsagar took 3rd (30’9″).
Throws
Exeter’s Autumn Fabiano was a double winner in the throws beginning her day by taking the Discus with a 101’07” toss winning by 1 inch over MV’s Genny Blanchette (101’6″) and and 3 inches over her teammate Lucille Beem (101’4″). Fabiano won the Shot Put a tad more comfortably with a 34’01.75″ throw. BG’s Noelle Gauthier was 2nd and Newport’s Callie Dixon 3rd.
Mascoma Valley’s Barnaby Diehn broke the meet record in the discus with an absolute bomb of a throw of 177’5″. John Stark’s Grant Spooner placed 2nd with a 149′ thrown while Belmont’s Brady Filteau 3rd with a 146’4″ throw. Diehn placed 2nd in the shot Put with an impressive throw of 49’10.5″ but was narrowly beaten by PEA’s Shaib Abubakar’s 50’3.75″ toss. John Stark’s Owen Dion took 3rd with a 48’7.25″ toss.
OR’s Mollie Sexton won the girls javelin by just under 2 feet with a 104’4″ mark. Second was CBNA’s Elizabeth Joy who threw a 102’6″ while Pembroke’s Jasmine Blake claimed 3rd with a 97’11”. Newport’s Ayden Hodge won in a bit of an upset with a toss of 168’7″ in the boys javelin. PEA’s Carter Johnson was 2nd in 167’3″ and his teammate Dana Mussulman took 3rd.
Relays
Host school Coe-Brown swept the 4×100 relays with the girls winning going away in 50.77 while the boys also enjoyed a comfortable victory in 45.26. Bishop Guertin girls began the relay city conclusion of the meet by winning the girls 4×800 in 10:08.60 while PEA boys won even more comfortably in 8:18.32.
The culmination of the meet were of course the 4x400s and they did not disappoint! The girls race was the battle of Exeter with both teams breaking the meet record. Exeter High School take the win in 4:04.72 to PEA’s 4:06.62. Winnacunnet would take the boys race in 3:31.08 to PEA;s 3:31.18. Coe-Brown would take 3rd in 3:32.66.
Teams
D1 indoor champs Exeter took the girls title with a total of 106 points to PEA’s 77 and Coe-Brown’s 70 points. PEA did take the boys title rather comfortably amassing 136.5 points. Coe-Brown took 2nd with 66 points for the runner up position over Concord’s 41 points.
