NH Middle School State Championships Meet Hub
On a beautiful fall October day, the Hopkinton Runner’s Society, Hopkinton Middle/High School and Lancer Timing hosted the Division 1 and Division 2 Middle School championships at the Hopkinton Fairgrounds and the weather, along with the racing, was spectacular. As the oldest middle school cross country state championships in the country, that 50 year history was enhanced by the move to the fairgrounds, which is quickly becoming the center of the NH Cross Country universe. To that point, new this year, the top 4 teams and top 20 individuals in each race qualify for this coming Friday’s Inaugural NH Middle School MEET of CHAMPS!
D2 Boys
Amherst Middle School claimed the Division 2 Boys Middle School State Cross Country Championship with an impressive team performance. Amherst’s championship effort was built around an outstanding trio of front-runners. Eighth grader Connor Tranquilli led the way with a runner-up finish in 10:34.6, followed closely by teammate Luke Emerson, who captured third in 10:41.1. Fellow eighth grader Elliott Kaplan gave Amherst three runners among the top eight, finishing in 10:56.8 while seventh grader Charles Adams (17th, 11:24.3) and eighth grader Kai Folan (22nd, 11:34.4) completed the scoring five, giving Amherst a decisive advantage over the competition.
While Amherst celebrated the team championship, Norwich’s Henry Halter stole the individual spotlight. The eighth grader covered the course in 10:22.4, finishing more than 12 seconds ahead of Tranquilli to claim the Division 2 state crown.
The battle for the remaining team podium and MOC qualifying positions was particularly exciting, as Richmond edged Lebanon by a single point for second place. Richmond was led by seventh grader Oliver Marchetti, who finished seventh overall in 10:56.5. Teammate Quincy Costa placed 11th in 11:07.2, while Oliver Michalchuk (18th, 11:24.4), Hugo Hilton (19th, 11:25.3), and Robin Hanaway (24th, 11:39.4) rounded out a remarkably consistent scoring five. Richmond’s top five finished within just 43 seconds of one another.
Lebanon certainly made Richmond work for that runner-up position. Sixth grader Carter Walsh turned in an outstanding fifth-place performance in 10:49.9, while eighth grader Ethan Trudeau finished ninth in 10:57.0. Seventh grader Aadhi Eedula added a 14th-place finish (11:14.1), with Daniel Achord (23rd, 11:36.2) and Brandon Kay (29th, 11:46.7) completing Lebanon’s scoring lineup.
Bow Memorial secured fourth place and the final MOC qualifying slot behind strong performances from Caleb Hutson (13th, 11:11.5), Bryson Huckins (15th, 11:16.3), and Killian Conner (20th, 11:31.1). The trio helped Bow hold off fifth-place Windham, which was led by Markos Vougias, who finished 10th in 11:02.2.
Other notable individual performances included Hampton Academy’s Declan O’Shaughnessy, who finished fourth in 10:49.2, and Oyster River’s Christopher Herd, who placed sixth with the identical time of 10:49.9 recorded by Lebanon’s Walsh (super close!). Laconia’s Chase Maulding also turned in a strong performance, finishing 12th in 11:09.9.
D2 Girls
The Division 2 Girls Middle School State Cross Country Championship produced one of the closest team battles as well as fastest individual time of the day as the team battle was once again decided by only 6 points. Amherst claimed the championship with 61 points, narrowly defeating Oyster River’s 67. Seventh grader Julie D’Anna led the champions with a fifth-place finish in 12:05.9, followed closely by eighth grader Ryanne Coogan, who placed sixth in 12:25.2. Fifth grader Madelyne Tuttle added a valuable 15th-place finish (13:03.9), while Maeve Westaway (18th, 13:13.2) and Kinzley Lee (21st, 13:26.0) completed Amherst’s championship-scoring five.
Oyster River certainly made things interesting, placing two runners among the top three overall. Beatrix Howey-Clark was simply outstanding, cruising to the individual state championship in 10:54.5. Her winning time was 13.5 seconds faster than runner-up Tabby Johnson of Kennett Middle School, who finished in 11:08.0. These were the 2 fastest times on the day. Oyster River teammate Kayla Kavanagh captured third in 11:57.1, giving Oyster River a tremendous one-three punch.
Despite that front-running strength, Amherst’s tighter scoring pack ultimately proved decisive. Oyster River’s Karina Williams (13th, 12:56.6), Rosalita Kritzer (27th, 13:35.6), and fifth grader Winter Parise (28th, 13:36.5) completed the team’s scoring lineup.
Richmond Middle School’s Maggie Anderson turned in another outstanding individual performance, finishing fourth overall in 12:00.2, just three seconds behind Kavanagh.
Bow Memorial’s third-place team finish was highlighted by seventh grader Roselle Hendershot, who placed 10th in 12:38.5. Teammate Viktoria Jurcins followed in 14th (12:59.0), helping Bow secure its podium position with a tightly grouped scoring five.
Lebanon’s Hannah Gray also enjoyed an excellent afternoon, finishing seventh overall in 12:31.2 to lead her team to the final MOC qualifying slot. Portsmouth’s Chrissy Coyle (12:35.9) and Laconia’s Ellysia Zuchowski (12:36.1) completed the top nine, separated by just two-tenths of a second, while Bow’s Hendershot rounded out the top ten.
D1 Boys
The Rundlett Middle School boys left little doubt about who was the strongest team in Division 1 on Saturday to capture the 2026 New Hampshire Division 1 Boys Middle School Cross Country State Championship. Meanwhile, with a decisive move over the final 1k, Londonderry eighth grader Landon Barczak claimed the individual state title.
Rundlett finished with an outstanding 30 points, placing all five scoring runners among the top ten overall. Cooperative Middle School secured second place with 86 points, followed by Londonderry Middle School (111) and McLaughlin Middle School (119). Those four teams earned qualifying spots, while Dover Middle School narrowly missed fourth place with 122 points.
Rundlett’s championship performance was a remarkable display of depth and pack running. Eighth grader Theodore Clemans led the champions with a third-place finish in 10:37.9, followed immediately by seventh grader Sean Fennessy in fourth (10:41.4) and eighth grader Joel Giordano in fifth (10:44.1). The trio crossed the finish line within just over six seconds of one another, giving Rundlett a commanding advantage early in the scoring.
The excellence continued as Caleb Wing finished eighth in 11:09.0 and Louis D’Ambruoso placed tenth in 11:12.1, completing a scoring five separated by just 34.2 seconds. Rundlett also received excellent performances from Calvin Ingram (12th, 11:14.7) and Simon Desmarais (17th, 11:25.1), putting all seven runners among the top 17 finishers.
While Rundlett controlled the team competition, Londonderry’s Landon Barczak was the class of the individual field. The eighth grader raced to victory in 10:24.1. He could never relax though as he finished eight seconds ahead of Cooperative Middle School seventh grader Reid Vardakis, who took runner-up honors in 10:32.3. Rundlett’s Clemans completed the individual podium.
Cooperative’s second-place team finish was powered by Vardakis and an impressive performance from sixth grader Cooper Passmore, who finished 11th in 11:12.9. Seventh grader Bill Courtemanche added a 16th-place finish (11:24.0), while Henry Walstad (26th, 11:49.4) and Nicholas Vadala (31st, 12:07.1) completed the team’s scoring lineup.
Londonderry rode Barczak’s individual championship to third place in the team standings. Seventh graders Charles Peterson (23rd, 11:36.5) and Jacob Gray (24th, 11:37.8) provided important support, while James Williams (29th, 11:56.4) and Danny Seichepine (34th, 12:14.1) rounded out the scoring five.
The closest team battle of the afternoon came for fourth place, where McLaughlin edged Dover by just three points. McLaughlin was led by eighth grader Gael Lugo Villeda, who finished ninth overall in 11:11.3. Teammates Sam Slater (21st, 11:33.6), Roman Cardoza (25th, 11:48.3), Christian Robles (27th, 11:54.1), and Logan Lavallee (37th, 12:18.7) secured the final MOC qualifying position.
Other outstanding individual performances included Mountain View’s Elliott Morin, who finished sixth in 10:48.3, and Dover’s Hendrick Stender, who captured seventh in 11:07.0. Hudson Memorial’s
D1 Girls
Dover Middle School delivered one of the most impressive team performances of the afternoon Saturday capturing the 2026 New Hampshire Division 1 Girls Middle School Cross Country State Championship. Led by their 1-2 individual performance as champion Morgan Sanderson and and Selah Moll led Dover to placing five runners among the top 11 finishers to claim the team title over a talented Londonderry squad. Sanderson raced to the individual state championship in 11:28.6 over the 3-kilometer course, finishing nearly 29 seconds ahead of Moll, who captured runner-up honors in 11:57.4. Eighth grader Summer Kelley finished eighth overall in 12:42.6, followed by seventh grader Ellie Moore in ninth (12:56.0). Fifth grader Ellie Wagner completed Dover’s championship-scoring five with an outstanding 11th-place finish in 13:01.0.
Londonderry certainly made things interesting, placing three runners among the top six overall. Eighth grader Kendell Cimeno led the way with a third-place finish in 12:08.8, followed by seventh grader Kaitlyn Ramsey, who captured fourth in 12:17.3. Eighth grader Juliana Quinlan added a sixth-place finish (12:25.8), giving Londonderry a formidable trio at the front of the race. Sixth grader Sydney Barczak finished 12th in 13:06.3, while fellow sixth grader Monroe Hayes rounded out Londonderry’s scoring five in 18th (13:26.7).
Rundlett Middle School completed the team podium with a strong third-place performance. Sixth grader Carmel Yemo led the squad with a fifth-place finish in 12:24.3, followed by Ellis Tufts (13th, 13:09.9) and Evlin Landry (14th, 13:14.0). Jane Lesser (21st, 13:37.9) and Eliza Warden (23rd, 13:42.8) completed Rundlett’s scoring lineup.
Cooperative Middle School secured the coveted fourth place and final MOC qualifying slot behind eighth grader Sofia Fetzer, who finished 15th overall in 13:15.3. Sixth grader Clara Charity placed 22nd in 13:38.3, while Emerson Pennington (25th, 13:49.1), Leah Rowe (28th, 14:06.3), and Coraline Hitchmotch (29th, 14:06.4) completed a closely grouped scoring five.
Other notable individual performances included Hudson Memorial’s Samantha Ramboer, who finished seventh in 12:26.6, and teammate Kylee Fuentes, who placed tenth in 12:58.2.
Congrats to all!
Race Videos soon!
