By Nate Leveille
Girls Results Courtesy of Lancertiming
Boys Results Courtesy of Lancertiming
The D1 championships took place at Londonderry High School yesterday. Hats off to them for running an excellent combo state championship meet. Lancer Timing was fantastic, as always. Officials, athletes, and spectators fought through a very long day, and everyone did an outstanding job.
I’m not going to sugarcoat the conditions yesterday; the first few hours of the meet were pretty brutal. It felt much more like an early-season tri-meet in April than it did a couple of days before June. It made for a very challenging first round of field events, but the sun finally make an appearance in the afternoon for the second half of the meet, which was a welcome change.
Boys’ Team Race
It was an absolutely dominant display by the Pinkerton Academy boys. They racked up 156 total points, which I am pretty sure is a new D1 record, securing a victory by over 100 points—and they don’t graduate many seniors. The streak doesn’t look like it’s going to end in the near future.
Second place was wide open coming into the meet, given the sheer number of points the Pinkerton boys were projected to score. Nashua North was able to secure the runner-up spot with 47.33 points. Originally, I thought it was going to be a race to 50, so the preview was pretty close. Following Nashua North were Manchester Memorial, Concord, and Bishop Guertin. To put things into perspective, Pinkerton won 8 events, while the rest of the state combined won 9.
Girls’ Team Race
On the girls’ side, it was a true two-team battle between Pinkerton and Exeter heading into the meet, with a slight edge given to Pinkerton. I previously noted it would be a race to north of 115 points. Pinkerton Academy took a commanding lead through the early field and track events, showing their toughness in the harsh conditions.
Exeter stormed back on the track, and as the 4x400m took shape, Exeter held a slim 2-point lead—but the pole vault had not yet finished. At 8:00 PM on Saturday, the pole vault was delayed until Sunday morning. Pinkerton had two jumpers left and just needed one of them to finish 5th or higher to secure the first outdoor girls’ team championship in school history. Delaney Paquin secured 2nd place, clinching the first ever team championship for the Astros in school history! Congrats to the Pinkerton program on sweeping the D1 team titles!
Sprints / Hurdles
Abigail Stienicker of Pinkerton secured 10 points in the hurdles, taking the win in 15.75 seconds ahead of Salem’s freshman star Gaenel Gotay (16.04) and Abigail Bozek of Nashua North (16.44). In the boys’ hurdles, John Child of Pinkerton made it a clean sweep for the Astros, winning in 14.55 seconds ahead of Alvirne’s Joey Marcotte (14.69) and Keene’s Wayne Crowell (15.08).
In the 100m, Bedford’s freshman standout Aliana Beck (12.55) powered to the lead late to hold off Portsmouth’s Lianna Cory (12.67) for the victory. Pinkerton’s Nora Brayall took third in 12.78. In the boys’ 100m, it looked like Caesar Flahn of Manchester Central was going to hold on for the win, but he pulled up a few meters short of the line with an injury. A late-charging Winston George of Pinkerton used his elite top-end speed to carry him to victory in 11.02 seconds. Flahn held on for second in 11.14, and Nashua North’s Kobe Perry finished third in 11.26
In the 300m hurdles, Allison Frye of Nashua North showed why she has been the most dominant performer all season, blasting the field in 46.27 seconds. Behind her were teammates Charlotte Wilson (47.58) and Abigail Azevedo (47.81), securing a massive 24 points for their squad. On the boys’ side, Pinkerton’s Gavin Edgecomb cleared a clean final hurdle to grab the lead right at the tape, winning in 39.78 seconds ahead of Keene’s Crowell (39.93) and Bedford’s Elijah Todd (40.07).
In the girls’ 200m, Cory of Portsmouth (26.13) got out to an early lead, but Beck of Bedford made it 2-for-2 on the day, taking the win in 25.67 seconds. Josephine Swisher of Merrimack finished third in 26.73. In the boys’ 200m, Winston George completed his sprint sweep by finishing in 22.01 seconds. Behind him was North’s Perry (22.54), barely edging out Manchester Memorial’s Ewa Edokpolo (22.55).
Mid-Distance/Distance
The girls’ 400m appeared to be one of the most wide-open races of the meet. Swisher of Merrimack used a late charge down the final 100m to win in a lifetime-best time of 58.81 seconds. Behind her was Pinkerton’s freshman star Naomi Ebhaleme (59.43) and Izzy Bremer (59.51). On the boys’ side, Edokpolo stormed to the front of the pack and never looked back, becoming only the second boy in NH history to run under 48 seconds, finishing in a blazing 47.95—just off the state record. Coming in second was Dexter Mariotte of Winnacunnet (50.07), with Nashua North’s Gavin Suchecki taking third (50.65).
It’s not very often in New Hampshire you get to see two New England champions go head-to-head in three separate distance events at the State meet, but that’s exactly what happened when Mikita Barry of Bedford and Alexis Paterna of Exeter squared off in the 1600m, 800m, and 3200m. There was no “running for points” with these two on the track. Paterna took out the 1600m at a state-record pace and held it there, winning the first leg of her triple in 4:47.18 to establish a new state record! Barry held on the entire way to run a personal-best 4:48.99. Brianna Paterna of Exeter cruised to third in 5:08.78.
In the boys’ 1600m, Pinkerton’s Jason Robie made it look effortless, crossing the line in 4:20.42 ahead of Salem’s Lucas Gomez (4:24.46) and Londonderry’s Carson Fitzgerald (4:25.00).
In the girls’ 800m, Barry took her turn leading the pack in her signature event, holding off Paterna for the win in 2:10.84—good for a new D1 record (right after running the 1600m!). Paterna was second in 2:11.58, and Rosalie Neveau of Nashua North was third in 2:13.50. All three runners went under the old D1 record. Could Barry be planning to make a fresh run at the 2:06.43 state record next week?
In the boys’ 800m—which I tabbed as the boys’ race of the day—Pinkerton’s Joe Gustavson did what he does best, unleashing a brutal late kick to take the win in 1:53.42, just off the D1 record. Behind him was Londonderry’s Josh Twomey (1:54.60) and Will Hart (1:55.01).
In leg three, the 3200m, Lexi Paterna was back out in front, grinding the pace to try and take the kick out of Barry. Brianna Paterna briefly took the lead, and it looked like the Exeter duo might go 1-2, but Barry dug deep and caught Brianna right at the line. The final results: Lexi Paterna 10:41.20, Barry 10:42.17, and Bri Paterna 10:42.28. Absolutely incredible triples by those athletes.
In the boys’ 3200m, it was a similar tactical battle, with Bishop Guertin’s Ethan Fischer trying to shake Pinkerton’s Robie. Fischer grinded the pace the whole way, but with one lap to go, Robie took the lead and closed the door with a 61-second final lap, finishing in 9:08.30 ahead of Fischer (9:11.47). Concord’s Josiah Connolly was third in 9:35.41.
Relays
The Exeter girls got the relays started with a 4x800m win in 9:41.55, followed by Bedford (9:55.59) and Pinkerton (10:13.66). On the boys’ side, Londonderry took the victory in 8:08.67, with Portsmouth in second (8:15.57) and Pinkerton in third (8:20.12).
The 4x100m was the closest race of the day, as the Pinkerton girls won on a lean over Portsmouth, 49.78 to 49.79. Bedford was third in 50.30. On the boys’ side, Pinkerton coasted to an easy win in 43.21, well ahead of Bishop Guertin (44.18) and Merrimack (44.49).
Both the boys’ and girls’ 4x400m relays were battles of attrition, as almost everyone running had already put 2 to 3 hard races into their legs. Nashua North stormed to the front on the third leg and never looked back, winning the girls’ relay in 3:59.24. Exeter held on for runner-up in 4:00.54, and Bedford—powered by a gutsy squad and a 58.3 anchor leg from Barry—finished 3rd. On the boys’ side, Spaulding held the lead heading into the anchor leg, but Gustavson did what he does best, tracking them down on the final stretch to secure the win for Pinkerton in 3:27.14. Dover finished second in 3:28.38, and Spaulding was third in 3:28.46.
Throws
The D1 throws got underway in the absolute worst of the weather. The discus was a complete wildcard, as the freezing temperatures and steady rain made it incredibly difficult for the girls to grip the disc. Windham’s Brynn Johnson came in as the top seed and left as the champion with a toss of 108’10”. Pinkerton’s Avery Trask found her rhythm in the finals to move up to second (107’10”), and Bedford’s Carolyn Kemp finished third (100’6″).
In the girls’ shot put, it was a collection of familiar names. The ever-consistent Johnson won with a mark of 36’4.5″, Trask was again the runner-up with a 33’10” toss, and Exeter’s Autumn Fabiano took third in 33’0.75″.
The javelin proved to be the event that swung the team title to Pinkerton. They entered as the 2nd and 4th seeds, but Sarah Rzasa—who only managed two throws—uncorked a mark of 112’5″ to secure the win. Coming in second was Josie Lefebre (104’7″), and Pinkerton’s Skylar Marzolf took third with 102’6″.
In the boys’ throws, the shot put was heavily impacted by the weather, as athletes struggled to match their season personal bests. Alvirne’s Charles Barrett embraced the elements to win with a throw of 45’2″. Bedford’s Santino Digaetino was second in 43’9″, and Pinkerton’s Thomas Blaszka was third in 43’2″. In the discus, Concord’s Travis Dunbar took the crown with a throw of 145’0″, followed closely by Alvirne’s Barrett (142’7″) and Pinkerton’s Blaszka (140’4″). The boys’ javelin saw athletes struggling to find their footing on the slick runway, but top-seeded Penny Sawyer of Nashua South managed the elements best to win with a toss of 152’2″.
Jumps
The boys’ high jump was wide open going into the weekend, and the weather certainly backed up that prediction. In the end, it was the athlete with the most poise and experience, Nashua North’s Gavin Suchecki, who claimed the win by clearing 5’10”. Merrimack’s Austin Cassetty took second at 5’8″, and Pinkerton’s Ryan Robinson cleared 5’8″ for third.
In the long jump, the freshman stars absolutely came to play. Spaulding’s Caleb Plante launched a massive 22’2.75″ leap to take the victory. Fellow freshman Joel Elliot of Manchester Memorial followed in second at 21’9.75″, and Exeter sophomore Colton Ray took third with a leap of 21’7.5″. The future of the D1 long jump is incredibly bright.
In the triple jump, Thomas Saysaw entered as the overwhelming favorite and lived up to the billing, taking just two jumps and clearing 45’3″ to win the title. Nashua South’s Preston Bois took second (43’11”), and Concord’s Robby Marcelin was third (43’8″).
Over at the pole vault, Portsmouth’s Leo Guarracino saved his best for last, setting a school record and a lifetime best clearance of 14’2″ to win. Behind him was Nashua South’s Bois (13’0″), who shattered his vaulting pole earlier in the competition—talk about overcoming adversity. Pinkerton’s Ian Magnan took third by clearing 12’6″.
In the girls’ long jump, Pinkerton’s Katie Coleman made her final attempt of the competition count, winning the event by a mere 0.75 inches with a distance of 16’7.5″. Exeter’s Martelle McBride was a close second at 16’6.75″, and Amelie Ramirez of Nashua South was third at 15’10”. In the high jump, Londonderry’s Eres Delores used the home-field advantage to secure the win with a leap of 5’4″. Nashua North’s Azevedo cleared 5’2″ for second, and Windham’s Isabelle Schreiner took third at 4’10”.
In the triple jump, Salem freshman Gaenel Gotay bounded out to an impressive 35’9.25″, surpassing the 35-foot mark four separate times during her series. Nashua North’s Sarah Frye was second with a jump of 35’0.5″, and Nashua South’s Emma Millette finished third at 34’7″.
In the final event of the meet—which literally spanned two days due to the weather delays—Nashua South’s Millette claimed victory in the pole vault by clearing 11’0″. Finishing right behind her and shoring up the official team title for Pinkerton was Delaney Paquin, who cleared 10’0″, followed by Bishop Guertin’s Bridget Powers in third at 9’6″.
Congrats to all the D1 champions and place-winners, and best of luck at Meet of Champions (MOCs)!
