By Jake Drouin
Inter-Lakes Middle/High School — Meredith, NH — June 2, 2026
Fresh off hosting the Wilderness League Championships a week and a half earlier, Inter-Lakes was back at it hosting nineteen schools and over 300 athletes in the Lakes Region Middle School Championship at Inter-Lakes Middle/High School in Meredith. The competition delivered from the opening heat to the final throw. The Epsom Central School Track and Field Eagles would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Inter-Lakes head coach Tim Hayman, his outstanding team of coaches, meet officials, timing personnel and Athletic Director Sarah Dumais. From organization to execution, you gave every athlete in this meet the championship experience they deserved. It was a first-class event from start to finish.
GIRLS
Sprints and Hurdles
In the hurdles Kingswood’s Olivia Collopy entered as the top seed and delivered, running 16.78 to win the event going away. Behind her, Franklin’s Acadia Fife had the performance of her season, running 17.84 for second, a dramatic improvement on her seed mark of 18.58. Profile MS’s Lilly Caron was impressive in third at 18.72, jumping from the 11th seed to the podium. Perhaps the most surprising result of the event came from Belmont’s Josephine Shoemaker, who entered seeded 27th and finished 5th at 18.90, one of the largest individual seed jumps of the entire meet.
The 100 meter dash belonged to Winnisquam’s Josephine Myers, who won comfortably in 13.91. Belmont’s Izabella Arsenault was strong in second at 14.11, and Laconia’s Catalina Carrera delivered the surprise of the event, entering as the 10th seed and running 14.36 to claim third place.
The 400 produced one of the most memorable individual performances of the day. Franklin’s Grace Bruckshaw, seeded seventh at 1:10.87, ran the fastest 400 meter time of the meet in the third of four sections, making a statement before the anchor heat even took the line. She won in 1:06.80. Kennett’s Avery Owen was outstanding in second at 1:07.28. Profile MS went third and fourth through Caitlin Detamore at 1:07.77 and Sarah Caron at 1:07.94. The entire top five broke the 70 second barrier in one of the most competitive girls 400 meter fields. Epsom Central’s Abigail Hanson ran 1:09.89, essentially her seed time, and still finished seventh. That tells you everything about how fast this race was.
The 200 meter dash saw Myers win her second individual title at 29.18, but the race behind her belonged to Kingswood. Olivia Collopy ran 29.72 for second. Lexi Eaton, seeded 16th, came from completely off the radar to run 29.83 for third. Kingswood scored 15 points in a single event with no athlete seeded inside the top ten of that race. For Epsom Central, it was a story of resilience. Caitlin Brown, seeded 15th, ran a personal best of 29.91 for fourth, and Julia Preve followed in fifth at 30.53. After a difficult morning in the hurdles and the 100, both athletes found their best race of the day when the team needed it most.
Distance
The distance events featured two outstanding individual performances at the top. Kennett Middle School’s Tabitha Johnson was the story of the girls distance running from the moment she crossed the 1600 meter finish line. She won in 5:47.77, going out in 1:19 and never looking back. WMRMS’s Devyn Cyr was a strong second at 5:57.25, and Winnisquam’s Kyra Campbell claimed third at 6:07.71. Behind them were two fifth graders, Saint Bani’s Hadley Basset finishing 4th, 6:15.76, and Epsom Central’s Violet Ferry, finishing 5th, 6:16.47. Ferry ran a season best by over eleven seconds, in a gutsy performance in her first championship meet.
Johnson came back in the 800 and won again, this time in 2:42.25, to complete a dominant distance double. Gilmanton’s Sadie Bishop had the individual race of her season, closing in 1:20.99 to move from third place at 400 meters to second at the line in 2:45.66. Campbell picked up her second distance result in third at 2:46.01. Brandi Hill and Annie Perlet of Belmont, who entered seeded 13th and 14th respectively, finished 5th and 7th.
Jumps
The high jump saw Winnisquam’s Ashlyn Fowler clear 4’8″ for the victory. The top seed, Kingswood’s Ariana Wilson, finished fourth after a challenging day. Moultonborough’s Elena Gray was solid at 4’6″ for second, and Myers added a third individual event score with a third-place clearance.
The long jump produced one of the closest finishes of the entire meet. Profile MS’s Sarah Caron entered as the top seed at 14’2.75″ and won at 14’1.5″, edging Gilford’s Jolene Lazdins by a mere half inch. Lazdins jumped 14’1″, a full six inches beyond her seed mark, in a battle not decided until the final attempts. The biggest mover in the event was WMRMS’s Ava Donnovan, who entered seeded 16th and jumped 13’1″ to claim third. Epsom Central’s Julia Preve, seeded last in the field at 11’8″, jumped 12’1.5″, a solid improvement on her mark and a legitimate effort in a deep event.
Caron won again with a 29’3.5″ jump in the triple, claiming her second individual field event title of the day. Gilmanton’s Lola O’Connell jumped from the fifth seed to second at 28’1″, and Lily Merrill jumped from the sixth seed to third at 27’8.5″. Both athletes significantly outperformed their seeds to give Gilmanton 9 triple jump points and a vital contribution to their team total.
Throws
In the discus, Plymouth’s Ayla Ahearn edged Newfound’s Irianna Robert by a single inch, 70’8″ to 70’7″, in one of the tightest throws finishes of the day. WMRMS’s Zoe Stone was right behind in third at 70’3″, with the top three separated by less than a foot. In the shot put, Robert took the win at 28’0.5″ with Belmont’s Quinlan Daley strong in second at 25’11.5″.
The javelin was the throws event of the day. Holderness’s Alaini Wilcox entered as the top seed and delivered, throwing 86’1″ to win. Daley was second at 76’4″, and Gilford’s Norah Cupples finished third with a strong 74’7″. The biggest individual story in the event was Winnisquam’s Kyra Campbell, who entered seeded 18th at 62’3″ and threw 72’10” for fourth, an eleven-foot improvement for the distance thrower.
Relays
The 4×100 was a statement from Kingswood. Entering as the second seed, the Kingswood A team of Collopy, Marbury, Proctor, and Wilson ran 55.56 to win by more than a second over Belmont’s 56.93. Winnisquam held third at 57.38. Epsom Central set a team PR of 58.02 to finish fourth, with Caitlin Brown, Julia Preve, Avery Brown, and Abigail Hanson dropping over a second off their entry time on the championship stage.
The 4×400 continued Kingswood’s relay dominance. Entering seeded sixth at 5:02.64, the Kingswood relay of Marbury, Dearborn, House, and Kerin ran 4:55.23 to win by over eleven seconds. Winnisquam ran well for second at 5:06.18 and WMRMS held on for third at 5:07.78.
Girls Teams
Winnisquam claimed the girls team title with 66 points, built on a complete effort across every discipline, including Myers’s sprint double, Campbell’s distance and javelin contributions, Fowler’s high jump win, and strong relay performances. Kingswood finished second with 57, powered by Collopy’s hurdles dominance, the stunning 200 meter sweep, and back-to-back relay victories. Belmont took third at 43, steady throughout the throws and relay events. Profile MS finished fourth with 41 points in a performance that announced them as a program to watch for years to come. Caron’s long jump and triple jump titles alongside Detamore’s 400 meter result made them one of the stories of the meet. Kennett Middle School finished fifth with 32 points, headlined by Johnson’s remarkable distance double.
BOYS
Sprints and Hurdles
Laconia’s Ian Kristofferson seeded first in the hurdles at 17.00, ran 16.41 to win the event decisively and set the tone for what became a dominant day for the Laconia program. Gilmanton’s Landon Rubino was second at 17.17. Newfound’s Brady Shinn had no seed time listed and delivered anyway, running 17.84 for third.
The 100 meter dash was the Boulanger show, almost. Laconia’s Luke Dorval-Drown had other ideas. He won convincingly in 12.00, ahead of Gilmanton’s Jack Boulanger in second at 12.15 and Liam Boulanger in third at 12.21. Alton Central’s Rocco Campanile was fourth.
Gilmanton’s Mitchell Cummings controlled the 400 from start to finish, winning in 59.32. Newfound’s Raphael Blais, seeded sixth at 1:05.04, ran 1:02.03 for second. Kennett’s Greyson Preece took third at 1:02.58. The race featured several athletes well outperforming their seed marks in a very fast and competitive field.
In the 200, Gilmanton’s Liam Boulanger ran the best race of his season, a 25.21 to win going away. Laconia’s Marcello Ruley was second at 25.50, and Kingswood’s Eli Pelletier ran a tremendous 25.56 for third.
Distance
Profile MS’s Thatcher Brown and Caleb Reeder came to Meredith to race and made it known immediately. Brown, seeded first in the 1600, delivered a dominant 4:53.78 to take the win. Kenneth A. Brett’s Bohdan Thurber ran an outstanding 5:02.17 for second. Reeder backed Brown up in third at 5:08.42. Kingston Hackett of Inter-Lakes made the biggest jump of the event, moving from the 11th seed to sixth at 5:33.79.
The 800 was even tighter. Alton Central’s Jacob Wood and Brown went at it from the gun, with Wood crossing in 2:21.67 to Brown’s 2:22.13, a margin of less than half a second. Reeder finished third in 2:24.24, giving Profile MS 30 combined points in the two distance events from just two athletes.
Jumps
Dorval-Drown delivered in the triple jump, jumping 39’4″ to win the event. Gilmanton’s Rubino jumped 33’11”, nearly two and a half feet beyond his entry mark to finish second. Laconia then added Trefrey in third and Soto in fourth to sweep three of the top four spots in the event.
The long jump went to Dorval-Drown again, his second individual field event title of the day at 18’9″. Kingswood’s Eli Pelletier jumped his way to second place at 16’6″. Button of Winnisquam took third.
Kristofferson completed his individual double in the high jump, clearing 5’4″ to win. Laconia’s Logan Trefrey and Newfound’s Shinn tied for second at 5’2″, with Campanile fourth at 5’0″.
Throws
The shot put produced the upset of the field events. Berlin’s Jakob Hammill entered as the fourth seed at 33’0″ and threw 38’6″ to win the event outright. Gilmanton’s Mason Benton was strong in second at 37’0.5″, and Laconia’s Dante Vlk finished third at 36’3″. Inter-Lakes had a quietly outstanding shot put and discus day, with Kyle Clairmont tying for fourth and Emerson Yeakle finishing sixth to contribute meaningful points to their team total.
The discus produced a flip at the top, with Berlin’s Cole Buteau, seeded third at 113’7″, throwing 121’2″ to win the event and push top seed Plociennik to second at 111’2″. Benton added third at 105’8″ to give Berlin 28 combined points in the two throws events. Belmont’s Dustin Bell moved from the eighth seed to fourth with a throw of 98’11”, and Yeakle added a second scoring finish for Inter-Lakes with fifth place.
The javelin went to Laconia’s Logan Trefrey, who threw 129’8″ to not only win but surpass his own top seed mark of 123’8″. The biggest surprise of the event was Kingswood’s Logan Kline, seeded 10th at 97’6″, who threw 117’3″ for second. Barnstead’s Raymond Sullivan added javelin points to his 1600m result, contributing a strong individual double across disciplines that helped Barnstead into the top 12 in the team standings.
Relays
Laconia ran 48.59 to win the boys 4×100, Gilmanton was second in 50.12, and Alton Central third at 50.90. In the 4×400, Laconia again led wire to wire, running 4:12.44 to win by over five seconds. Belmont ran an outstanding 4:17.84 for second, and Profile MS took third at 4:23.12.
Boys Teams
Laconia won the boys team championship in dominant fashion with 120 points, 45 points over second-place Gilmanton at 75. Laconia’s performance was truly complete, with wins in the 100, hurdles, high jump, triple jump, long jump, javelin, and both relays. Dorval-Drown’s three individual titles and Kristofferson’s hurdles and high jump double gave the program an elite individual foundation that no other school could match. Gilmanton earned a strong second on the strength of the Boulanger twins in the sprints, Cummings winning the 400, and Rubino’s big triple jump result. Profile MS was outstanding in third at 36, built almost entirely on Brown and Reeder’s remarkable distance double. Berlin and Kingswood tied for fourth at 32. Berlin scored through the throws, while Kingswood delivered through Kline’s javelin surprise, Pelletier’s big long jump and 200m performances, and relay contributions. Congratulations to all the Top 2 finishers in each event who punched their ticket to the NH Middle School Meet of Champions on Tuesday, June 9th, 2026, in Manchester, NH.
Good luck to all!
