By Patrick O’Brien
This weekend was the Divisional State Championship meets, and there was tons of great action to highlight. It was tough to keep the list to 10, as just about every event from any of the 3 meets could be featured on here. Please feel free to drop a shout out in the comments for any other great performances we missed from this weekend.
Nick Reynolds unleashes a mind-blowing State Record in Javelin
I’m sure many of us have seen the video of this throw. On Saturday, Concord’s Nick Reynolds produced one of the most jarring highlights of the season as he threw the Javelin over the entire field and straight into the woods. After the officials figured out how they were going to measure that, it read 205’ 10”, a new state record by over 5 feet.
Josh Gentchos wins the 100 and 200 at D3s in blazing fast times
Bishop Brady’s Josh Gentchos showed that he is a force to be reckoned with, as he started off his day by running 10.65 to win the 100. This is faster than the State Record, but the wind was unfortunately not legal. He has shown that he could take a crack at this record regardless, and at MOCs, in a stacked field, this record has a chance to go down. Gentchos also ran 22.23 to win the 200, and anchored Bishop Brady’s winning 4×100.
Aida Wheat & Samuel Bruneau set new Division 2 records
The D2 100 meter prelims were certainly entertaining, as we saw both the boys and girls Divisional Records go down. Hollis Brookline’s Samuel Bruneau ran hard through the line to a 10.77, while Kennett’s Aida Wheat pulled away from her heat to run 12.27. They did not stop there, as both Wheat and Bruneau were also able to seal the deal and take the win in the final.
Jamie Lano and Lucian Gleiser each take one race, providing exciting racing
After a memorable battle during indoor, it was intriguing to see Jamie Lano and Lucian Gleiser matching up in multiple events at states. Both guys were focused on scoring points for the team, so we saw some tactical racing on display. Gleiser set himself up well in the 1600, and was able to hold off Lano through the line. In the 800, after going out extremely slow, Lano was able to pull ahead in the final moments for the win. Both guys closed the 1600 in sub-60, and both closed in sub 55.1 in the 800.
Annika Scott and Jacob Redman have huge days in Bedford wins
Bedford’s Annika Scott and Jacob Redman have been consistently dominant all season, and this was on full display at the D1 State Meet. For Scott, the biggest highlight was in the 100 hurdles, where she set a new State Record of 14.19. She added wins in the 300 hurdles and Long Jump. Redman set the Division 1 Record in the 800 at 1:53.09, and also won the 1600 before that. He came back to grind out a 4th place in the 3200 and then rallied to anchor Bedford’s 2nd place 4×4. Both were crucial to Bedford’s wins on both sides.
Wyatt Patterson wins a Pole Vault state title in dramatic fashion
Winnacunnet’s Wyatt Patterson was the slight favorite coming into the meet, and he needed his best jump of the season to win it. Concord’s Colby Nyhan had a phenomenal day, and both guys were able to get over 14’ 6”. Nyhan had done it with one fewer miss, meaning that Patterson would need to clear 15’ in order to win. He did it on his first attempt, and claimed his title in a very competitive Pole Vault field.
Colby Crear breaks the D3 110 and 300 Hurdles Records
Pelham’s Colby Crear broke his first record in the 110 hurdle prelim, running 14.72. He ran 14.37 to win the final, but unfortunately the wind was not legal on that one. He then came back in the 300 hurdles and crushed that record as well. The previous record was 39.6 and Crear ran 38.3. Crear also anchored Pelham’s winning 4×400 in a come from behind victory while setting a D3 record!
Erin Carty & Haley Kavanagh each win 2 events on a great day for Oyster River
Oyster River got a lot of points from a lot of places, with Erin Carty and Haley Kavanagh each winning 2 events in impressive fashion. Carty set a new Division 2 State Record in the 100 hurdles and then came back to win the 300h later in the meet. Kavanagh won both the 1600 and 800 in solo efforts, running very strong times of 4:58 and 2:15.
Both of Pinkerton’s 4x100s make history at D1s
We knew it was a possibility that the Pinkerton girls could break their own State Record at D1s. They did that, and became the first team to ever go under 48, running 47.88. This may have motivated the Pinkerton boys 4×100 team, as they went on to break the Divisional Record, and come within 3 hundredths of the State Record, in 42.54. Shout out to Nashua South for also going under the old Division 1 Record.
Freshman Maddy Lane helps Hopkinton girls win D3
Maddy Lane showed very impressive poise for a Freshman, taking on a big workload and performing well for the team. She started her day by running on Hopkinton’s winning 4×800 team. She then went on to win the 1600 and the 3200, controlling both races from the front and winning comfortably. In the end, she scored 22.5 of her team’s 55 points.
