The Nashua North Invitational delivered fast times, team battles, and breakout performances on a warm September afternoon at Mine Falls Park. Both varsity races had some surprises, certainly confirmations and some incredible racing! Annually this meet is a mix of powerhouse Division I programs and small-school standouts, and the races did not disappoint.
Girls Race
In the preview we felt as if a pack of 4 would develop immediately and it did. Right from the gun, Madeleine Lane (Hopkinton, junior), Alexis Paterna (Exeter, junior), Mikita Barry (Bedford, senior), and Zoe Carroll (York, ME, senior) stamped their authority on the field and attacking Mines Falls. These four stayed somewhat together through the first half and when they emerged through 2 miles, coming back over the bridge it seemed as the NH three were inseparable. Lane then surged to a lead splintering the lead pack and opening up a modest gap on Paterna, who opened up a similar gap on Barry. At one point it looked as if Paterna was going to close back up on Lane, but Lane never let up, crossing the line in a blistering 17:45.12. Her time not only secured the individual win but also gave Hopkinton the low stick they needed to contend in the team standings.
Never really letting up, Paterna crossed looking strong and confient clocking 17:54.67 to take runner-up honors. Paterna’s strong showing led Exeter to what would become the winning team effort. Behind her, and never truly giving in, Carroll caught Barry on the final stretch to finish in 18:09.86, to Barry’s 18:10.77. Great racing and results for September!
Rolling solo for much of the race Exeter’s Brianna Paterna (junior) took fifth in 18:56.47, while a Pinkerton pack started to form just behind with Sookie Folsom (junior, 19:08.51) crossing in sixth. BG freshman Zoe Coler impressed with a seventh-place finish in 19:27.23, just steps ahead of Pinkerton’s 2-5 trio of Kalisan Marzolf (senior, 19:33.92), Gabrielle Bedard (senior, 19:35.07), and freshman Naomi Ebhaleme (19:49).
The team battle came down to two familiar Division I rivals: Exeter and Pinkerton. Exeter emerged victorious with 44 points, relying on tight pack running. After the Paterna sisters, the Blue Hawks closed out their scoring quickly placing all 5 in the top 15 with Molly Kells (11th, 20:07), Izzie Bremer (12th, 20:11), and Ashleigh MacEachern (14th, 20:17). Keep in mind this is without Eli Cross. Once she is added to the mix…wow!
Pinkerton kept it close with 55 points. The Trail Blazers had the aforementioned powerful pack of relied on depth, with Folsom, Marzolf, Bedard, and Ebhaleme all inside the top 10. Their fifth scorer, Parker Knowlton (22nd), helped solidify the runner-up finish. Expect Knowlton to keep moving up this season. Pinkerton will still be quite dangerous by the end of things.
New look Bishop Guertin certainly made some noise claiming third with 115 points, led by Coler’s seventh and Jaylyn Paul’s 16th place. They displayed some nice pack running with their scorers finishing in the top 35. Look for them to move up in the rankings this week. D3 powerhouse Hopkinton did not disappoint as they finished a strong fourth with 126 points, buoyed by Lane’s individual win and supporting efforts from Rose Afflerbach (17th) and Maisie Emerson (19th). Bedford rounded out the top five with 148 points, featuring Barry’s feisty performance and steady support from Kloeigh O’Neil (27th) and Grace Boll (37th).
Other notable team finishes included York, ME (6th, 160 points), with Carroll’s third-place finish and Nell McAllister’s top-25 run, and Hollis-Brookline (7th, 204 points), paced by senior Edith Butler (15th, 20:18).
The meet also highlighted emerging depth across the state. Londonderry’s Anna Laufersweiler (10th grade) cracked the top 15 with a 20:12.50 performance, while Alvirne freshman Makenna Simpson placed 31st in 21:26.54, giving the Broncos optimism for the future.
Nashua athletes made noise as well, with Rosalie Neveu (North, 24th, 20:52) and Ariana Marengo (South, 29th, 21:16) both leading their teams.
Boys Race
The boys race got after it right away as the boys from Bishop Guertin, Sam Prescott, Ethan Fischer, and Michael Studer decided to attack from the gun towing the field around the first field loop. The Pinkerton pack was prevalent in the chase pack. By the time the field hit the bridge for the woods loop, Fischer assumed the lead with Pinkerton’s Trainor Mailloux (Pinkerton, senior) on his shoulder. Also by this time, Pinkerton was controlling the team race.
The top 2 remained the same as they rolled through the 2 mile mark around 10:00, but Carson Fitzgerald (Londonderry, senior) employing the same 2nd half strategy as last week, was closing the gap quickly. The final 1k saw Mailloux open up a slight gap and never relinquishing control to clock 15:37.66 for the win. He gave the Astros a low stick and set the stage for their comfortable team win. Behind him, Fitzgerald delivered a strong runner-up finish in 15:45.04, keeping the Lancers in the hunt for runner up. Fischer showed poise beyond his years, taking third in 15:48.30. Remember he is only a sophomore.
The top 10 was packed with Pinkerton athletes demonstrating the Lon Red Line. Oscar D’Amelio (junior, 15:52.53) claimed fourth, Jason Robie (junior, 15:58.84) finished sixth, and Sean Hayes (senior, 16:15.36) crossed in ninth. Adding depth, Joseph Gustavson (junior, 16:19.98) and Austin Cipriano (senior, 16:31.00) both landed in the top 15, with Owen Boucher (junior, 16:55.47) also inside the scoring top 20.
Other notable finishers included Lucas Gomez (Salem, senior) in 5th, Josh Twomey (Londonderry, senior) in seventh at 16:07.78, and Studer (Bishop Guertin, freshman) finished in a gutsy eighth with a breakout 16:11.59. Matthew Motherway (Nashua South, senior) kept his team competitive with a strong 11th-place run in 16:18.49.
Pinkerton stormed to the title with a mere 28 points, placing their first five scorers all in the top 12. Their average time of 16:01 left no doubt they are the team to beat in New Hampshire this fall. Londonderry finished runner-up with 70 points, led by Fitzgerald’s second and Twomey’s seventh. The Lancers’ scoring five all broke 17:30, with Patrick Ramsey (13th, 16:25) and Jack DiBuono (22nd, 17:07) giving them a solid supporting cast.
Bishop Guertin took third with 122 points. Fischer’s third and Studer’s eighth highlighted the Cardinals’ day, while senior Prescott (18th, 16:51) and junior Braden Phemester (32nd, 17:27) rounded out their scoring. Exeter solidified their ranking as one of the top teams in the state grabbing fourth with 130 points, led by Logen Poteet (19th, 16:51) and steady pack finishes from Ian Cottrill (24th, 17:08) and Marcus Clark (26th, 17:08). Nashua North claimed fifth with 155 points, paced by Cole Burns (21st, 16:55) and Nate D’Silva (27th, 17:12). Their tight scoring spread of just 52 seconds showcased their depth.
Other strong team performances included Nashua South (6th, 192 points), boosted by Motherway’s 11th, and Hopkinton (7th, 198 points), led by sophomore Max Goupil (17th, 16:44).
Several younger athletes made big impressions. Studer (Bishop Guertin, freshman) was lights out, but also watch Henry Willett (Exeter, freshman, 32nd in 17:27) as they both showed that the future of NH cross country is bright.
As always, hats off to the Nashua XC Community for putting on a well organized event. Lancer Timing as always deserves a shout out as well as all the officials and volunteers! Congrats to all! See you all at Manchester next week!
