Wilderness League Champs Meet Hub
The 2026 Wilderness League Championships brought championship-level performances, record-setting efforts, and a dramatic team battle to Inter-Lakes High School on Saturday, with Hopkinton emerging as the girls team champion after piling up 77 points behind exceptional distance depth and balanced scoring across nearly every event. Gilford finished second with 56 points, while Mascoma Valley (55.33), Belmont (43), and Kearsarge (42) completed a tightly packed top five in a meet filled with standout individual stars.
The sprints opened with one of the meet’s marquee matchups as Belmont’s Ava Lacasse and Gilford’s Macy Sawyer squared off in the 100 meters. Lacasse surged to victory in 12.55, narrowly holding off Sawyer (12.67), while Hopkinton’s Aisling Madden placed third in 13.10. Later Sawyer turned the tables in the 200, blasting to a meet-record 25.41 to eclipse the previous championship mark. Madden finished runner-up in 26.81, while Kearsarge’s Juliet Faria secured third in 26.86.
Lacasse was not finished making headlines. The Belmont standout returned in the 400 meters and delivered one of the day’s top performances, clocking a meet-record 58.11 to break the previous championship record. White Mountains’ Olivia Lorenz finished second in 1:00.61, while Kearsarge’s Riley Raynes took third in 1:03.15.
Hopkinton’s distance squad took center stage in the middle-distance races. In the 800, Maddy Lane demonstrated her range dropping down to break the meet record winning in 2:18.99. Kingswood’s Kelsie Davis placed second in 2:28.12, while Mascenic Regional’s Kaitlin O’Shea grabbed third in 2:31.39.
The 1600 featured a tactical battle before Mascenic Regional’s Erin O’Shea pulled away for the win in 5:18.83. Hopkinton’s Sofia Upton stayed close throughout to finish second in 5:25.89, while Moultonborough’s Hailey Watts earned third in 5:28.28.
Hopkinton returned to the top of the podium in the 3200 as Maisie Emerson controlled the race and secured gold in 11:20.51. Plymouth Regional’s Elli Englund finished second in 11:30.48, while Inter-Lakes’ Elsa Bartlett thrilled the home crowd with a third-place finish in 12:13.07.
Continuing a great season, Kingswood’s Norah Pelletier proved untouchable in the hurdles, sweeping both events in dominant fashion. Pelletier won the 100-meter hurdles in 15.34, ahead of Profile’s Isabel Lawton (16.98) and Belmont’s Cora Takantjas (17.19). She returned later to take the 300 hurdles in 48.89, with Takantjas again making the podium in 49.73 and Gilford’s Emily Aguiar placing third in 50.69.
Relay races played a major role in the team standings and showcased tremendous depth across the league. Hopkinton set the tone for the day snatching the win in the 4×800 relay on the very last stride! What a kick! They edged Newfound Regional in the thrilling finish, 10:59.28 to 10:59.51, while Campbell finished a close third in 11:02.39. Gilford captured the 4×100 title in 51.63 ahead of Plymouth Regional (52.44) and Winnisquam (52.99). Gilford followed that performance with another victory in the 4×400 relay, winning in 4:15.26 over Hopkinton (4:22.75) and Plymouth Regional (4:23.55).
The jumping events delivered plenty of excitement. Mascoma Valley’s Sophia Smith claimed the high jump title after clearing 5-0, with teammate Lyla Jacobson and Profile’s Grace Caron tying for second at 4-7. In the pole vault, Kearsarge’s Ainsley Frenkiewich earned gold at 9-0, edging Smith on misses, while Inter-Lakes’ Laura Schwarz, Winnisquam’s Kyra Russell, and Inter-Lakes’ Thea Wright shared third at 7-0.
Pelletier added another championship to her day in the long jump, soaring to a meet-record 17-0.75 to surpass the old championship standard. Frenkiewich placed second at 16-9.75, while Newfound Regional’s Autum Blackman grabbed third at 16-6.50. Campbell’s Skyla Houle claimed the triple jump title with a leap of 33-10.5, ahead of Mascoma Valley’s Montana Ballard (32-8.25) and Frenkiewich (31-11).
Mascoma Valley flexed its strength in the throwing events behind a dominant performance from Georgia Kondi. Kondi shattered the meet record in the shot put with a massive toss of 39-11.5 and returned to win the discus at 112-10. Laconia’s Morgan Trefrey finished second in the shot put at 33-10, while Winnisquam’s Phoebe Timmons took third at 30-1.5. In the discus, Hopkinton’s Zoe Bishop placed second with 97-8 and Gorham’s Lily Bradbury finished third at 89-1.
Trefrey bounced back in the javelin with a title-winning throw of 111-9 for Laconia. Bishop added another major score for Hopkinton in second at 98-3, while Berlin’s Brooke Laflamme finished third with a toss of 95-10.
On the boys side, when the dust settled it was Mascoma Valley standing atop the podium with the boys team title, scoring 99 points to outdistance runner-up Winnisquam (69). Hopkinton (58), Kingswood (56), and Plymouth Regional (52) rounded out a tightly packed top five in one of the league’s most competitive championship meets in recent memory.
Mascoma Valley built its championship around sprint dominance from Sam Joyce, elite field event scoring from throwers Barnaby Diehn and Colin Myers, and key contributions throughout the meet. Winnisquam countered with a dominant hurdles group led by Nolan Abbott and a strong relay showing, while Plymouth Regional leaned on middle-distance excellence and balanced scoring across multiple events. Kingswood’s sprint depth and relay success kept the Knights in contention all afternoon.
The sprint events belonged to Sam Joyce of Mascoma Valley, who completed a sensational double by winning both the 100 and 200 meters. Joyce surged to victory in the 100 in 11.26 seconds ahead of Kingswood teammates Graham Scully (11.47) and Ewan Nicoll (11.52). He returned in the 200 to again take gold in 22.52, followed by Kennett’s Jayden Duncan (23.08) and Plymouth Regional’s Lucas Van De Moere (23.18).
The 400 meters produced one of the day’s deepest races, with Plymouth Regional’s Lucas Van De Moere controlling the pace to claim the title in 50.60. Kingswood’s Evan Thurston stayed close for second in 50.97, while host Inter-Lakes got a major boost from Landon Richards, who finished third in 52.24.
Distance racing brought major excitement, especially from Plymouth Regional in the 800 meters. The Bobcats went 1-2 behind Tate Hayman, who broke the tape in 1:59.63, and George Sutherland, who followed closely in 2:00.21. Newfound Regional’s Brady Harker finished third in 2:05.02 to begin an outstanding championship double.
Harker was doubling from the 1600 where took command late courtesy of his now signature blistering kick to win in 4:39.79. Hopkinton’s Liam Tripod challenged throughout before finishing second in 4:41.24, while Kingswood’s Grady Steele earned third in 4:43.38.
The 3200 meters featured a strong closing effort from Hopkinton’s Max Goupil, who secured the title in 9:57.19. Newfound Regional’s Colin Foster finished second in 10:11.23, while Mascoma Valley’s Carl Russell placed third in 10:13.78 to provide valuable championship points.
Winnisquam asserted itself in the hurdle events thanks to the outstanding work of Nolan Abbott. Abbott won the 110-meter hurdles in 17.18, followed by Belmont’s Sacha Artis (18.03) and Mascoma Valley’s Silas Jukosky (18.27). Abbott doubled back to also win the 300 hurdles in 43.15, while teammate Taber Haggett made it a Winnisquam sweep by taking second in 43.53. Plymouth Regional’s Jaydin Marsh rounded out the top three in 45.04.
Relay competition proved crucial to the team standings. Kennett delivered in the 4×800 relay, running 8:52.87 for gold over Mascoma Valley (9:04.88) and Hopkinton (9:24.54). Kingswood captured the 4×100 title in 44.23 winning by over 2 seconds over Mascoma Valley (46.36) and Campbell (46.56). Winnisquam answered in the 4×400, winning in 3:36.19 ahead of Plymouth Regional (3:39.68) and Laconia (3:43.76).
In the jumps, Hopkinton’s Kristoff Cauley soared to the high jump title by clearing 6-1, ahead of Kearsarge’s Jacob Dunn (5-9) and teammate Thomas Cicoria (5-7). Mascoma Valley’s Reece Yorke claimed the pole vault championship at 10-6, edging Winnisquam’s Nolan Abbott on misses, while Winnisquam’s Dayton Brigante took third at 10-0.
Inter-Lakes standout David Walker electrified the home crowd in the long jump, leaping a meet-record 22-3.25 to surpass the previous championship standard. Prospect Mountain’s Domenic Scarpa placed second at 19-4.75, while Laconia’s Holden Mousseau finished third at 19-2.50. In the triple jump, Mousseau returned to win with a leap of 40 feet even, ahead of Belmont teammates Aaryn Durand (39-1.25) and Christian Edgren (38-6.50).
The throws were dominated by Mascoma Valley’s powerhouse duo. Barnaby Diehn won the shot put with a toss of 52-2.5, followed by teammate Colin Myers at 48-9.5 and Belmont’s Brady Filteau at 47-2.5. Diehn also nearly matched his own meet record in the discus, winning with a massive throw of 171-11. Myers completed another Mascoma 1-2 finish with 153-8, while Filteau again finished third at 146-8.
Hopkinton finished the meet with a statement in the javelin, sweeping the top two spots behind Hunter Eckner-Naylor, who launched 159-8 for the title. Cauley followed closely with a throw of 158-10, while Inter-Lakes’ Brayden Robinson placed third at 147-8.
Congrats to all!
