By Patrick O’Brien
It’s always good to be back at the start of another cross country season, and DeMerrit Hill Farm is all set to host one of the first major invitationals of the year, the Bobcat Invitational. With the season still in its early stages, the race provides an important opportunity to see how athletes are coming along after a summer of training. The course is challenging, featuring three loops of rolling hills with the biggest climb coming in the final quarter-mile of the race. Competition this year is as strong as ever, with several of the state’s top runners and teams set to toe the line. As always, given that we haven’t seen many of these teams yet, there could certainly be athletes and teams not mentioned in the preview who emerge.
Girls
I would expect Hopkinton (NH #3) and Oyster River (NH #4) to contend for the team title.
Hopkinton is led by defending champion Madeleine Lane, one of the most accomplished runners in the state. Behind her, Maisie Emerson has emerged as a very strong runner as well. It’s always helpful when you can start with two low sticks, and Hopkinton will look for Rose Afflerbach, Hannah Clarner, and Gwyneth Buelte to step up as potential key scorers.
Oyster River has won this meet for the last few years and will look to defend its title on its home course. The Bobcats have a very strong top three in Olivia Kavanagh, Maddy Cook, and Haley Bezanson. Look for Corina Sietz and Zoey Garnas to round out the scoring for the Bobcats.
Bedford (NH #9) is also ranked in the top ten and should be competitive. Grace Boll, Nora Buxton, and Julia Malnar will likely lead the way, while they look for some new varsity runners to step up as well.
On the individual side, expect Lane to separate from the field early, with a chance to break her own course record if she decides to go for it. The race for second could be much more interesting, with Oyster River’s Kavanagh, Cook, and Bezanson chasing up front alongside Hopkinton’s Emerson. Keep an eye on Bedford’s Boll, Sanborn’s Sophie Thurlow, and Hopkinton’s Afflerbach as well. Lebanon also has two freshmen in Jill Campbell and Brooke Nelson who were among the best middle school runners in the state last year.
Boys
You have to start with Pinkerton (NH #1), the top-ranked team in the state and defending champions. Senior Jason Robie leads the way, with strong support from fellow seniors Joe Gustavson and Oscar D’Amelio. Owen Boucher and Leighton Klug will look to contribute as well.
Oyster River (NH #5) will look to keep things competitive on its home course. Seniors Ollie Lehman and Levi Clapp, both top-ten finishers a year ago, lead the way. They have a strong group behind them in Brendan Banafato, Sid Sanjay, and Ryker Andersen, who will look to round out the scoring.
Hopkinton (NH #9) is the final ranked team in the field. Junior Max Goupil is their top runner and will likely mix it up near the front, while Liam Tripod, James Lavers, and Finnegan Kovar will be key runners for the Hawks.
Belmont Hill School from Massachusetts also needs to be mentioned here, as they have placed in the top four every year they have attended the meet and return defending champion William Trautz. They will need Yamin Ibrahim, Declan Woolbert, and Miles Keller to step up if they want to contend for a podium spot.
Individually, we could be in for a great battle up front. The race for the win should come down to Belmont Hill’s Trautz, who blazed a course-record 16:09 last year, and Pinkerton’s Robie, who improved significantly throughout his first XC season and only got better during track. Behind them, look for Oyster River’s Lehman and Clapp, Pinkerton’s Gustavson and D’Amelio, Hopkinton’s Goupil, and Bedford’s Luke Parker to form the chase pack.
