NH JV State Championship Meet Hub
Once again, the championship season kicked off with the NH JV State Championships! For the first time in many years, all Divisions were contested at the same site! Hopkinton Fairgrounds was the championship venue for all things NH Cross Country this past weekend and for the love of the sport, JV’s kicked off the weekend on Friday!
Girls D1 Race
It was a perfection of an afternoon for the Exeter Blue Hawks at Friday’s New Hampshire Division I Junior Varsity Cross Country State Championships, as Exeter accomplished something rarely seen in championship competition — a perfect team score of 15 points. The Blue Hawks swept the first five individual places and claimed eight of the top ten spots, leaving little doubt about the depth of their program.
Leading Exeter’s impressive performance was freshman Elliana York, who captured the individual championship with a winning time of 20:19.4 over the 5K course. York began the parade of Blue Hawks as teammate Claire Wilhelm took second in 20:47.1 junior Aubrey Zaimes placing third in 20:55.2, followed by Abigail Riccio in fourth (21:11.8) and Casey Haas in fifth (21:35.5). All five Blue Hawks crossed the finish line before another school could place a runner, completing the perfect 15-point performance.
As if that weren’t impressive enough, Exeter’s depth continued with sophomore Alexa Pacelli finishing eighth in 21:50.1, junior Jade Dixon ninth in 21:52.6, and freshman Jurry Kim tenth in 22:00.2. All in all, Exeter placed an incredible 10 runners among the first 14 finishers.
Pinkerton Academy claimed the runner-up trophy behind an outstanding one-two punch from sophomores Dylan Askenazy and Julianna Doore, who finished sixth and seventh in 21:42.3 and 21:49.0, respectively. The Astros also received scoring performances from Grace Perkins (26th, 23:20.5), Bridget Johnson (33rd, 23:28.9), and Maya Millwood (34th, 23:28.9).
Bedford secured third place behind junior Abrielle Summers, who finished 11th in 22:07.6, and teammate Helena Shaheen, who placed 13th in 22:18.5. The Bulldogs’ remaining scorers included Mae Davis (30th), Keira Kelly (37th), and Anjali Aluka (38th).
Portsmouth’s fourth-place finish was led by sophomore Brianne Lynch (21st, 23:08.9) and freshman Lilly Bassett (22nd, 23:12.5). Windham was 5th and their top runner was junior Hannah Tagan, who placed 18th in 22:52.9.
Boys D1 Race
Pinkerton Academy came close to matching the Exeter girls delivering a nearly perfect performance at the Hopkinton Fairgrounds. Placing four runners across the finish line before any other team and five among the top six, Pinkerton cruised to the team championship with an incredible 16 points. Leading the Pinkerton charge was sophomore Everett Stevens, who captured the individual state championship with a winning time of 17:34.3 over the 5K course. Stevens had plenty of company from his teammates, however, as sophomore Jack Gagne finished second in 17:37.7, just over three seconds behind the winner. Junior Brody Cassidy took third-place finish in 17:38.4, while sophomore Owen Chauvette made it four straight Astros across the line, placing fourth in 17:46.4.
Exeter freshman Alex Hodsdon prevented a perfect Pinkerton score by finishing fifth in 17:49.5, but the Astros weren’t finished. Sophomore Jacob David crossed the line sixth in 17:53.8, securing the remarkable 16-point team total. The Long Red Line continued with freshman Chase Urban finishing seventh (17:54.2) and Jack Tyburski ninth (18:16.7), giving the Astros seven of the top nine finishers. The Astros averaged a blazing 17:43 per runner and boasted a scant 19.5 second spread for its scoring five.
Exeter put together a strong runner-up performance behind Hodsdon’s fifth-place finish. Junior Frankie Zagami placed eighth in 18:08.0, while Keller Johnston finished 13th (18:51.2), Jacob Houde took 16th (18:54.4), and Ryan Semesnyei rounded out the Blue Hawks’ scoring five in 31st (19:37.1).
Winnacunnet secured third place with an outstanding pack-running performance. Sophomore Mohammed O’Connor led the Warriors with an 11th-place finish in 18:41.4, followed by Connor Nicol (17th, 18:54.6), Henry Bacon (21st, 19:08.5), Brody Hamlen (22nd, 19:09.3), and Steven Hobbs (23rd, 19:10.8). Just 29.4 seconds separated Winnacunnet’s five scorers.
Portsmouth’s fourth-place finish was led by sophomore Robert Marttila, who placed 12th in 18:45.9, and Max Lefebvre, who finished 18th in 18:55.8. Bedford was paced by sophomore Ryan Libby (24th, 19:14.6), while Londonderry’s top finisher was sophomore Ethan Miller (25th, 19:14.8).
Nashua South senior Noah Lucci completed the top ten crossing in 18:36.2.
Girls D2/D3 Race
Identical to Pinkerton boys, the Hanover girls put on a dominating, near perfect performance of their own to capture the 2026 New Hampshire Division II/III Junior Varsity State Championship. They also swept the top four individual positions and placing five runners among the first six finishers to capture the team championship at the Hopkinton Fairgrounds.
Hanover finished with a remarkable 16 points and were led by freshman Cora Swenson, who covered the 5K course in 20:58.6, the only competitor to break the 21-minute barrier. Teammate Margaret Hourdequin, another freshman, finished runner-up in 21:10.3, followed by freshman Madelyn Berk (21:18.4) and senior Milan de Gijsel (21:21.4).
Hopkinton sophomore Madeline Sommers broke up the Hanover parade with a fifth-place finish in 21:29.9, while Hanover sophomore Lily Van Citters completed the Bears’ scoring in sixth (21:36.0). Hanover’s impressive depth continued with Lou Swenson placing seventh (21:49.8) and Hannah Eck ninth (22:14.6). Oyster River’s Lily Courtemanche earned eighth place in 22:08.1, while Hanover’s Aria Novosad rounded out the overall top ten in 22:25.8.
Host Hopkinton put together a strong runner-up team performance behind Sommers and Sydney Mark, who finished 12th in 22:31.8. The Hawks also received scoring contributions from Gwyneth Buelte (20th, 23:18.7), Margaret Gross (27th, 24:08.1), and Beatrice Dapice (29th, 24:15.6).
The battle for third was particularly exciting, with just two points separating Souhegan, Oyster River, and Coe-Brown. Souhegan placed 4th with 117 points and was led by Jessica Bowers, who finished 19th in 23:03.9, while Oyster River received strong performances from Courtemanche and Drew Verweij (13th, 22:36.3) to take 4th with 118 points. Coe-Brown freshman Anwen Purinton led the Bears to 5th place with an impressive 11th-place finish in 22:30.7. For good measure, 6th place Lebanon, led by Phoenix Griffiths, was only 8 points back of Coe-Brown with a tally of 127.
Boys D2/D3 Race
While not a perfect score, the team winner of the boys race was almost as dominant. By placing five runners among the top seven finishers, Coe-Brown Northwood Academy impressively captured the DII/III title scoring just 21 points. The individual championship belonged to Hanover junior Jesse Bardach, who covered the 5K course in 17:38.7. Bardach held off a strong contingent of Coe-Brown runners, led by sophomore Landis Beckman, who finished second in 17:42.9, just over four seconds behind the winner. Coe-Brown freshman Liam Newbould finished right on Beckman’s heels, taking third in 17:44.4. Junior Jack Goodridge followed in fourth (17:55.1), while freshman Aidan Potter rounded out the overall top five in 17:58.3. The Black Bears completed their scoring with sophomore Grant Sauls finishing seventh in 18:28.0.
Oyster River put together an outstanding team performance of its own, placing five runners in the top 13. Junior Simon Lamb led the Bobcats with a sixth-place finish in 18:04.3, followed by Forest Eberl in eighth (18:37.7), Elias Pratt in ninth (18:38.2), Chase Bezanson in 12th (18:42.2), and Gavin Kenoyer in 13th (18:49.4).
Hanover’s third-place team finish was highlighted by Bardach’s individual championship and four additional top-20 performances. Sophomore Miles Molina finished 10th in 18:40.4, followed by Robin Servoz in 14th (18:50.6), Rocky Bardach in 17th (18:52.8), and Ben Grady in 18th (18:56.2).
Led by freshman Brady Webb, who placed 16th in 18:52.1, Souhegan took 4th. The host Hopkinton Hawks, led by sophomore Samuel Chapin, who finished 24th in 19:09.8 placed sixth overall, just one point behind 5th place Lebanon. Leb was led by sophomore Warren Ramsay, and were two ahead of Bow, sophomore Jack Puro, in one of the closest team battles of the afternoon.
Congrats to all!
Race Videos soon!
