Divisional State Championships Meet Hub
Division 1 was the anchor leg of the NH Divisional State Championships and mirrored D2 races as the girls race was expected to be decided by single digits while the boys race promised 1 dominant team. Both pretty much played out that way. Regardless, one of the other competitions was against the monster of the course that is Derryfield! Hats off to organizers, xc committee, City of Manchester Parks and Rec and the NHIAA for the work they put in to once again stage a first rate championship.
D1 Girls
Results Courtesy of Lancer Timing
The front of the race belonged to Alexis Paterna from about 1k on. She simply powered away the entire course posting the day’s best time of 18:40 reaffirming her place as the potential queen of NHCC for 2025. This time was almost 20 second’s faster than D3’s Lane who also won rather comfortably on the day’s first race. Regardless, these 2 will battle next week at Alvirne. To her credit defending champ Bedford’s Mikita Barry gave chase and secured 2nd in 19:36. Exeter’s Brianna Paterna’s third-place finish was exactly what the Blue Hawks wanted after 3 scorers.
But after hanging back the first 1k, defending champ, Pinkerton began to stride to potentially another title as Sookie Folsom, Kalisan Marzolf and Gabrielle Bedard were moving through the field. Bishop Guertin’s Zoe Coler would hang on to the Trail Blazers as did Keene’s Abigail Pinegar, Concord’s Abigail Pinegar, and North’s Rosalie Neveu.
Pinkerton (55 points) edged Exeter (58) in one of the tightest Division I finishes in recent memorydiv1-g. The Astros showcased exceptional depth, placing five runners in the top 22. In the end Pinkerton would counter with Marzolf 4th (20:04), Folsom 6th (20:07), and Gabrielle Bedard 7th (20:22). Exeter would punch back with Molly Kells (11th) and Izzie Bremer (14th), but it was Pinkerton’s Parker Knowlton (16th) and Naomi Ebhaleme (22nd) who sealed the 3 point win for Pinkerton. Their pack running and 1:10 five-runner gap proved decisive. Ashleigh MacEachern (29th) kept the Blue Hawks close, while Exeter once again gave an incredible effort behind their 1-2 sister punch. They will certainly be back next week ready to battle again. Rest assured this friendly war is not over yet.
Bedford (110 points) secured third behind a consistent group led by Barry and Raissa Caridade (12th). Grace Boll, Kloeigh O’Neil, and Nora Buxton rounded out their scorers.
Rounding out the top six teams were Bishop Guertin (4th, 152), Concord (5th, 153), and Keene (6th, 158) — all separated by just six points. Coler (5th) led BG, Burdette (9th) paced Concord, and Pinegar (8th) was strong up front for Keene. While BG and Concord got the auto qualifiers for MOCs, Keene claimed one of the three at large bids (based on team total time) along with Windham and Winnacunnet.
Boys Race
Results Courtesy of Lancer Timing
Right to the point, congratulations to the Long Red Line for another demonstration as to why they are the top team in the Granite State. Pinkerton’s five scorers all placed in the top 13, powering the Astros to a dominant victory by nearly 60 points. Led by Trainor Mailloux (4th, 16:30), Jason Robie (5th, 16:33), and Sean Hayes (7th, 16:47), Pinkerton showed the kind of front-end strength and depth that defines a championship squad. Joseph Gustavson (8th) and Austin Cipriano (13th) sealed the team win, as their five-man average of 16:47 was unmatched by any team on the day. This, is especially impressive on the even more challenging Derryfield course (perhaps 30 seconds slower than the previous version?).
Keene’s veteran-led group once again rose to the occasion, claiming a somewhat surprising runner-up with 96 points. Sullivan Sturtz (2nd, 16:14) set the tone near the front, while Tristan Woodbury (6th) and Gavin Morton (16th) backed him up with clutch efforts. Aiden O’Donnell (33rd) and Cooper Tiani (39th) completed the Blackbirds’ scoring spread. Londonderry took third with 114 points behind a solid trio of Patrick Ramsey (10th), Josh Twomey (12th), and Carson Fitzgerald (22nd).
Behind the top three, the Gate City schools were next as Nashua North was 4th (164 points) and Nashua South was 5th (173 points). North was led by Cole Burns (18th) and Tom White (20th) while South was led by Matthew Motherway (18th) and Isaiah Rodriguez (24th). Bishop Guertin (6th) claimed the first at large spot while Salem and Concord earned the final 2 slots for next week’s MOCs.
Individually, the spotlight definitely belonged to super soph Ethan Fischer of Bishop Guertin, who ran a fearless race from the gun but especially on the descent from the 2 mile mark opening up some daylight. He never truly was threatened and grabbed his first NH D1 State Champion in cross country with 16:01, the day’s fastest time. Behind him, defending champ senior Sullivan Sturtz of Keene (16:14) took runner-up honors, while Josiah Conley of Concord (16:25), also a senior, rounded out the top 3.
Congrats to all!
