By Erik Travis
Four divisions. One starting line.
New Hampshire’s qualifying middle school teams and individuals return to Hopkinton Fairgrounds on Friday, October 30, for the inaugural Cross Country Meet of Champions. Saturday crowned boys’ and girls’ champions in four divisions; Friday gives them the opportunity to race head-to-head.
The divisional merge offers us a starting point, but Saturday’s races unfolded throughout the day, each with its own strategies and challenges. Those who know cross country know that bringing everyone together can change the race—and the finishing order!
Girls Race
D1 champion Dover enters as the team favorite, leading the qualifying-team merge with 70 points. Morgan Sanderson and Selah Moll provide a 1-2 punch up front, while Summer Kelley, Ellie Moore, and fifth grader Ellie Wagner complete a formidable scoring five.
Londonderry follows at 90 points, led by Kendell Cimeno, Kaitlyn Ramsey, and Juliana Quinlan. All three ran under 12:26 Saturday. Keeping that trio ahead of Dover’s third runner would give Londonderry a strong opening, but the championship depends on all five scorers.
D2 champion Amherst, led by Julie D’Anna and Ryanne Coogan, sits third at 111 points. Oyster River follows at 128, with Beatrix Howey-Clark and Kayla Kavanagh giving the Bobcats two strong finisher up front. Amherst beat Oyster River 61–67 Saturday; the larger field gives the Bobcats another opportunity.
Bow, Rundlett, and Newmarket are separated by just 11 points in the merge. D3 champion Newmarket brings an especially tight pack: Caroline Ganly, Ella Ganly, Eliza Kersnowski, Nora Seavey, and Eliza Cote finished within 24.1 seconds of one another. Moving that group forward together could shake up the standings. D4 champion Heronfield and D3 runner-up Barrington follow closely behind.
Individually, Oyster River’s Howey-Clark leads the field on time after winning D2 in 10:54.5, Saturday’s only sub-11 performance. Kennett’s Tabitha Johnson was next at 11:08.0, followed across the divisions by D4 champion Sylvie Brown of Profile at 11:18.6 and D1 champion Sanderson of Dover at 11:28.6.
Leading the contenders behind those four starts with D3 champion Adeline Lundquist of Hopkinton and runner-up Georgia Sweeney of Newfound, both seventh graders, who ran 11:43.4 and 11:50.0 respectively. Nottingham’s Carli Anzelmo, Kavanagh, Moll, and Richmond’s Maggie Anderson should also be in the mix.
Boys Race
Rundlett’s depth makes it the boys’ favorite. The D1 champions lead the qualifying-team merge with 58 points and a first five spread of just 34.2 seconds. Theodore Clemans, Sean Fennessy, Joel Giordano, Caleb Wing, and Louis D’Ambruoso form that scoring pack. Behind them, Rundlett’s seventh runner, Simon Desmarais, ran 11:25.1—faster than every other qualifying team’s fifth.
D2 champion Amherst leads the challengers at 91 points. Connor Tranquilli and Luke Emerson give Amherst a strong opening pair, backed by Elliott Kaplan, Charles Adams, and Kai Folan.
Lebanon and Richmond follow at 129 and 134. Richmond edged Lebanon by one point Saturday, but the merge reverses their order. Sixth grader Carter Walsh leads Lebanon, while Oliver Marchetti and Quincy Costa head Richmond’s tightly grouped scoring five.
Cooperative occupies fifth, followed by Bow, Londonderry, and McLaughlin. D3 champion Hopkinton and D4 champion Deerfield will look to carry their divisional success into Friday’s statewide field.
The individual race brings together all four division winners, but the two fastest performances Saturday came from D4. Saint Patrick’s Ryan Feeney won in 9:55.7, with World Academy’s Jake Shepard close behind in 9:59.1.
Three Rivers’ Myles Bilodeau, the D3 champion, ran 10:15.5. D2 winner Henry Halter of Norwich followed at 10:22.4, while Londonderry’s Landon Barczak claimed D1 in 10:24.1.
Also in that group on time is South Meadow sixth grader Pierce Adams, whose 10:23.5 ranked fifth across all four divisions. Cooperative’s Reid Vardakis, Amherst’s Tranquilli and Emerson, and Rundlett’s Clemans add further depth to a compelling matchup.
Good luck to every team and runner making history at New Hampshire’s first Middle School XC Meet of Champions!
