Manchester Invite Meet Hub
Results! Courtesy of Millennium Running
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MI51!!! The festival had everything from individual battles to team battles to surprises and confirmations to a meet record. Manchester Invitational is still the granddaddy of them all! Once again thanks to Millennium Running for putting on a first class event which truly celebrates and showcases athletes from all over New England. Great job NH on being gracious hosts and even better competitors! Congrats to all!
Leb’s Campbell Runs Away With Manchester Small School Title as Lebanon Takes Team Crown
The 2026 Manchester Invitational Small School Girls race had to be everything Lebanon was hoping for. As always the small school race brought together teams from across New England at Manchester’s challenging Derryfield Park course, and when the dust settled, Lebanon had plenty to celebrate. Freshman Jill Campbell delivered the individual performance of the race, while the Raiders used impressive depth to hold off Noble and Greenough for the team championship.
Campbell wasted little time establishing herself at the front. The Lebanon freshman hit the mile in 5:46 and continued to separate from the field, reaching two miles in 12:22 before completing the course in a dominant 18:37. She won by 53 seconds, an enormous margin on a course that rarely gives runners anything for free.
Behind Campbell, the battle for the remaining top spots was much tighter. Noble and Greenough freshman Zoe Bantham-Liverm grabbed runner-up honors in 19:30, while Hopkinton junior Maisie Emerson turned in one of the best performances by a New Hampshire runner, placing third in 19:47.
Pentucket senior Susan Wisniewski was right behind Emerson, taking fourth in 19:51, while Oyster River junior Olivia Kavanagh broke 20 minutes with a 19:55 for fifth. Lebanon freshman Brooke Nelson made it two Raiders in the top six, finishing sixth in 19:57.
The next group demonstrated just how deep the field was. Sanborn senior Sophie Thurlow ran 20:16 for seventh, only two seconds ahead of Profile eighth-grader Sylvie Brown, who also impressed with a 20:18 in eighth. Oyster River senior Haley Bezanson placed ninth in 20:26, while East Lyme junior Kathryn Wren rounded out the top 10 in 20:41.
Just outside the top 10 with team score implications, Hopkinton senior Rose Afflerbach finished 11th in 20:49, followed by St. Paul’s freshman Knowles Johnson in 20:52 and Oyster River senior Madelyn Cook in 20:56. East Lyme then showed the depth that would eventually carry it to third in the team standings, as Quinn Holsapple and Anna Konon finished 15th and 16th overall in 21:05 and 21:06.
Campbell’s victory certainly gave Lebanon a tremendous start, but the team championship required much more than a low stick. Nelson’s sixth-place overall finish gave Lebanon another runner near the front before Ollie Hanna and Carolyn Campbell came through almost together. Hanna finished 17th overall in 21:07, with Campbell 21st in 21:09. Victoria Pomeroy completed their scoring five in 22:09 good for the win with 74 points.
Noble and Greenough made a strong run at the title and finished second with 96 points. After Bantham-Liverm’s runner-up performance, the Massachusetts school packed four more scorers into a remarkably tight group. Clara Trautz ran 21:17, Phoebe Triant 21:21, Emily Fair 21:31 and Vera Zatlyn-Weiner 21:41. Only 24 seconds separated its second through fifth runners, and Noble and Greenough’s five scorers were all across the line by 29th place overall.
East Lyme CT took third with 127 points, powered by an outstanding group behind Wren. Quinn Holsapple, Anna Konon and Olivia Ibrahim finished within five seconds of one another in 21:05, 21:06 and 21:10.
Among the New Hampshire challengers, Oyster River put together a strong afternoon. Kavanagh’s fifth-place finish was followed by Bezanson in ninth and Cook in 13th overall. Jillian Williams added a 22:06, and Sadie Houle completed the scoring five in 24:18. That gave Oyster River 148 points and fourth place overall.
Hopkinton had an impressive afternoon. With Maddy Lane out in California representing the Hawks as well as NH (she WON the historical Woodbridge Classic!!), the Hopkinton squad truly stepped up to take fifth with 197 points. Emerson and Afflerbach provided an outstanding 1-2 combination, placing third and 11th overall. Hannah Clarner was next in 22:41, followed by Ellison Gregory in 23:00 and Ella Lundquist in 23:48.
Then came perhaps the closest team battle of the afternoon. Souhegan scored 202 points to take sixth, while Coe-Brown finished just five points behind with 207. Souhegan was led by sophomore Brynn Siska, who ran 21:15. Samantha Swanbon followed in 21:52, with Caroline Ridings at 22:13, Emery Trudel at 22:45 and Lucy Densmore at 23:10. The Sabers put all five scorers across the line within 1:55.
Coe-Brown countered with an even tighter pack. Hilary Wennberg led the Bears in 21:52, followed by Enahlinda Curry in 22:14, Eloise Hill in 22:23, Lily Travis in 22:27 and Riley Trested in 22:44. Just 52 seconds separated Coe-Brown’s first and fifth scorers, one of the strongest packs in the entire race.
Oyster River a Close 2nd in Boys’ Small School
The 2026 Manchester Invitational Small School Boys race delivered both a dominant individual performance and a team battle that went nearly all the way to the wire Saturday at Derryfield Park.
Noble and Greenough (MA) senior Henry McLane left little doubt about the individual title, blasting a 15:51 to win by 38 seconds. Behind him, however, the racing was exceptionally tight, with only 27 seconds separating second through 11th place. Meanwhile, McLane’s Noble and Greenough teammates did just enough behind him to edge New Hampshire’s Oyster River, 97-101, for the team championship.
McLane didn’t wait around to make his intentions known. The Noble and Greenough senior ripped through the first mile in 4:48 and reached two miles in 10:28. By that point, the race for first was essentially over. McLane crossed in 15:51, producing the fastest time of the day and providing his team with the all-important low stick.
Behind him, East Lyme junior Nico Cardello emerged from a large chase pack to take second in 16:29. BFA-St. Albans sophomore Garrett Soter was third in 16:39, giving the Vermont school an impressive top-three finish. Oyster River senior Levi Clapp was the top Granite Stater placing fourth at 16:49. Thetford Academy sophomore Peter Horan claimed 5th on the lean over both Hopkinton junior Max Goupil, and his Thetford teammate sophomore Zac Amber as all three clocked 16:51. So close and Souhegan junior Jacob Spencer was only one second behind in 16:52. St. Paul’s senior Owen Gorenc took ninth in 16:53, and Oyster River senior Oliver Lehman completed the top 10 in 16:56.
The depth continued immediately behind them. East Lyme’s Joey Papalia was 11th in 16:59 before Mascoma Valley senior Carl Russell turned in one of the day’s stronger New Hampshire performances with a 17:11. Waynflete’s Tadhg Lake also ran 17:11, as did Oyster River’s Brendan Banafato. Lebanon junior Ian Kiefer followed in 17:12 to complete the top 15.
While McLane was well clear of the field individually, the team championship couldn’t have been much closer. Four points decided the team championship.
McLane’s victory gave Noble and Greenough the ideal start, but it was the work farther down the lineup that secured the championship. Devin Reid finished 17th overall in 17:18, Jaden Huang was 20th in 17:24 and Tate Corcoran finished 24th in 17:28. The critical runner was fifth man Will Grace, who crossed in 18:23. That gave Noble and Greenough scoring places of 1-16-18-22-40 and the four-point victory.
Oyster River came incredibly close to overcoming McLane’s low stick. Clapp led the Bobcats with his 16:49, and Lehman gave Oyster River another top-10 finisher with his 16:56. Banafato made it three Bobcats near the front with his 17:11. Ryker Andersen then finished in 17:59 before Siddharth Sanjay completed Oyster River’s scoring in 18:25. The Bobcats’ scoring five went 4-10-13-32-42 for 101 points.
Behind the two leaders, Hopkinton put together another strong New Hampshire performance to claim third with 152 points. Goupil’s sixth-place finish provided the Hawks with their front-runner, but their depth was equally important. James Lavers ran 17:25, Liam Tripod 18:04, Finnegan Kovar 18:20 and Michael Crosby 18:38. Even sixth runner Jax Marshall was right behind Crosby in 18:39.That gave Hopkinton a 1:47 spread between its first and fifth scorers and put the Hawks comfortably onto the team podium and a virtual D3 pole position.
Concord’s St. Paul’s took fourth with 173 points behind Gorenc’s ninth-place finish. Charlie Harvey ran 17:38, Langston Williams 17:57, Linus Krenkel 18:30 and Jack Oates 18:47 to complete the scoring five. Thetford Academy finished fifth with 192 points, thanks largely to its outstanding front-end combination of Horan and Amber. The two sophomores both finished in 16:51, placing fifth and seventh. Ollie Emery added a 17:56, followed by Kai Slayton in 18:46 and Micah Mahood in 19:15.
Souhegan placed sixth with 249 points, giving New Hampshire three of the top six teams. Spencer’s eighth-place finish in 16:52 was followed by senior Aaron Coleman, who ran 17:26. Joel Habert, Thomas Arnoldy and Ryan Quinn then came across in rapid succession, running 18:48, 18:53 and 19:00. East Lyme CT finished seventh with 268 points despite putting Cardello second and Papalia 11th. Moses Brown RI took eighth with 287.
Lebanon was next in ninth with 289 points. Kiefer led the Raiders in 17:12, while Alistair Smith ran 18:35, Curran Pool 18:45, Brent Paige 18:48 and Oliver Trudeau 19:19. Perhaps the best pack performance of the race came from 10th-place Portsmouth Christian. Zachery McKeown led the Eagles in 18:04, but their next four scorers — Simeon Howard, James Peavey, George Stewart and Judah Howard — all finished between 18:40 and 19:03. Portsmouth Christian’s entire scoring five was separated by just 59 seconds.
Exeter’s Lexi Paterna Sets Meet Record to Claim Girls Large School Crown!
The Girls Large School Varsity race at the 2026 Manchester Invitational featured plenty of out-of-state firepower, but when the dust settled on the hills of Derryfield Park, New Hampshire had the individual champion while Massachusetts powerhouse Lexington took the team title.
Exeter senior Alexis Paterna delivered the performance of the day, breaking 18 minutes on one of New England’s most storied and demanding cross country courses setting a new meet record. Paterna wasted little time establishing herself at the front. The Exeter senior hit the mile in 5:31 and passed two miles in 11:47 before powering home in 17:57, averaging 5:47 per mile. Her victory came by a convincing 28 seconds. Mt. Mansfield junior Acadia Enman emerged as the best of the chase group. Enman was through the mile in 5:40 and two miles in 12:15 before finishing runner-up in 18:25.
Lexington junior Janie Conrad gave the eventual team champions a huge low stick by taking third in 18:34. Manchester CT’s Harper Shirley was right in the thick of the race from the beginning. Shirley actually reached the mile in 5:32, just one second behind Paterna, and eventually placed fourth in an impressive 18:44. Lexington then put its second runner across the line when Amelia Whorton finished fifth in 18:49.
Hanover senior Aria Deeb was the next New Hampshire runner under 19 minutes, taking sixth in 18:54. Essex sophomore Adrianna Bibeau grabbed seventh in 19:02, narrowly holding off Exeter’s Brianna Paterna, who placed eighth in 19:04. Essex senior Emily Dall followed in ninth at 19:23. Another pre-race favorite, Cumberland, RI then put two runners back-to-back into the top 11. Ceceila Ludwig finished tenth in 19:28, with freshman teammate Caylee Kurbec only three seconds behind in 19:31. That pairing would prove important as Cumberland mounted the strongest challenge to Lexington in the team race.
Lexington’s depth proved impossible to overcome. After Conrad and Whorton finished third and fifth overall, Ella Tyson came through in 13th at 19:34. Callie Glen followed in 19th overall at 19:49, and freshman Ophelia Charest completed the scoring five in 24th overall with a 20:07. This gave Lexington a winning score of just 62 points.
Cumberland was equally impressive through four runners. Ceceila Ludwig, Caylee Kurbec, Natalie Crawford and Gabby Stoothoff all finished among the first 21 runners overall. Anna Bianchi completed the scoring in 28th overall as Cumberland finished second with 87 points, 25 behind Lexington.
NH #1 Exeter placed third with 101 points. Along with the Paterna sisters, Izzie Bremer was 18th overall in 19:49 while Molly Kells and Austin Williams completed the scoring five in 21:00 and 21:09.
Essex VT finished fourth with 130 points. Adrianna Bibeau, Emily Dall and Ruthie Knox gave Essex three runners among the top 22 overall, with Kaelyn McNamara and Molly Fay completing the scoring.
Hanover rounded out the top five with 136 points. After Deeb’s sixth-place performance, they showed tremendous pack strength. Ari Hirschler ran 20:41, followed closely by Mia Sverrild in 20:55, Grace Stewart in 20:57 and freshman Olive Hanissian in 20:59. Hanover’s second through fifth runners were separated by only 18 seconds!
Other notable NH harriers included Concord senior Mahalie Burdette also produced a strong race, finishing 14th in 19:36, while Pinkerton’s Sookie Folsom was 17th in 19:44. Nashua North’s Rosalie Neveu finished 26th in 20:11.
Bedford showed excellent depth. The Bulldogs didn’t have a runner in the top 40, but Nora Buxton, Riley Moushegian, Kate Barwell, Julia Malnar and Grace Boll all finished between 21:16 and 22:07. That 51-second spread helped Bedford finish tenth with 294 points.
Fischer Wins Large School Thriller!
The Large School Varsity Boys race at the 2026 Manchester Invitational delivered exactly what has made the meet at Derryfield Park one of New England’s premier September measuring sticks: a fast front pack, athletes representing several states, and a team battle featuring some of the region’s strongest programs. When it was over, Bishop Guertin junior Ethan Fischer had claimed the individual championship, while Vermont powerhouse Champlain Valley used remarkable front-end depth to hold off Hanover for the team title.
The individual race was loaded with talent, and the opening mile reflected it. Hanover’s Ben Groves, Champlain Valley’s Benjamin Holoch, Fischer and several others came through the mile around 4:54, setting up what looked like a battle that might not be decided until the final climb and descent at Derryfield. Fischer, Groves and Holoch were still together at the two-mile checkpoint, all reaching it in 10:40.
Fischer pulled away over the final portion of the course to capture the championship in 15:56, the only runner in the field to break 16 minutes. Groves followed with an outstanding 16:03, while Holoch took third in 16:08. Lexington senior Trevor Stevens was fourth in 16:14, and Hanover junior Isaac McNaughton completed a terrific top five in 16:15.
New Hampshire runners were prominent throughout the top 10. Pinkerton senior Oscar D’Amelio finished sixth in 16:24, while Nashua South senior Isaiah Rodriguez ran 16:28 for eighth. Vermont’s St. Johnsbury Academy senior John Thornton-Sherm was seventh in 16:24, U-32’s Cole Page ninth in 16:37, and Champlain Valley’s Cole Hart rounded out the top 10 in 16:38.
The depth behind them was just as impressive. Salem’s Alexander St.Laurent placed 12th in 16:41, while Hanover’s Dylan Faris was 17th at 16:46. Coe-Brown sophomore Samuel Youngs placed 19th overall in 16:51 just ahead Hanover fab freshman Teddy White. This gave Hanover four runners among the first 20 finishers.
Four in the top 20 is tough to beat but VT’s Champlain Valley did just that. The Green Mountain State squad scored just 56 points, placing all five scoring runners among the first 23 finishers overall and the first 20 team scorers. Holoch led the way in third overall, followed by Cole Hart in 10th, Jack Snyder in 15th, Treson McEnaney in 16th and freshman Royal Ricklefs in 23rd. Their scoring places were 2-9-12-13-20, and the five finished within just 53 seconds of one another. Champlain Valley averaged 16:40 and posted a five-runner cumulative time of 1:23:16.
Hanover made it a legitimate battle. Groves’ runner-up finish gave Hanover the first team point, and McNaughton was fourth in the scoring. Along with Faris and White, Oliver Collins completed the scoring in 17:37. That gave Hanover 78 points, 22 behind Champlain Valley. Hanover actually averaged only three seconds slower per runner at 16:43, but Champlain Valley’s ability to get its fifth scorer across in 17:01 ultimately created the separation.
Behind the top two, Pinkerton put together an excellent race to take third with 109 points. Once again competing without Jason Robie (he will be back soon!), D’Amelio’s sixth-place overall finish led the Astros. As always, this was hardly a one-runner performance. Joseph Gustavson finished 18th overall in 16:48, sophomore Demitri Rufo was 26th in 17:09, Marcus Sowa followed in 29th at 17:11, and Leighton Klug closed the scoring in 17:34. Pinkerton’s five scorers were separated by 1:10.
Massachusetts’ Lexington was just behind with 113 points, making third place incredibly close. Stevens led the way with his fourth-place 16:14, while Patrick Noonan finished 14th in 16:44. Alden Hall, Benjamin Sbihli and Owen Ross completed Lexington’s scoring.
Coe-Brown finished fifth with 154 points, and the Bears did it with an exceptionally tight group and without one of their top runners. Sophomore Youngs led the way in 16:51, followed by senior Gus Glaser in 17:09 and sophomore Broden Cox in 17:13. Sophomore Mateo Ferguson and senior Benjamin Jobin both crossed in 17:37 to complete the scoring. That put all five Coe-Brown scorers within only 46 seconds of one another.
The depth of the race was evident throughout the team standings. U-32 finished sixth with 254 points, followed by St. Johnsbury Academy with 277 and Exeter with 288. Framingham was ninth with 347, and E.O. Smith rounded out the top 10 with 351.
New Hampshire’s next best team was Exeter. Their eighth-place performance was particularly solid. Junior Logen Poteet led the Blue Hawks in 17:21, with Colby Orleans at 17:37, Noah Melendy at 17:58, Xavier Garcia De Pare at 18:01 and Henry Willett at 18:30.
Also for the Granite State, Portsmouth finished 14th, Bedford 16th, Londonderry 17th, Dover placed 18th and Nashua South 20th. In addition to Rodriguez’s 16:28 leading South, junior Luke Parker also cracked the top 25 with a 16:59 to lead Bedford. He was followed closely by junior Patrick Ramsey who led the Lancers of Londonderry in 17:04. Portsmouth sophomore Gavin Leader ran 17:29 to lead the Clippers while Nils Anderson ran 17:39 to lead the Green Wave!
Congrats to all!
