New Hampshire Indoor Track League Hub
Welcome to our first season preview of 2026! NH Indoor Track and Field started last week and teams are already preparing for the first week of the NH Indoor Track League Meets this coming weekend. Reminder to all, NHITL Hub contains schedules, rules, notes to coaches, qualifying standards, facility maps and more! Kudos to Mike Lyford, Amy Sanborn and crew for all the preseason work to continue the most user friendly season on the calendar! Seriously, yes they take care of the traditional league meets, but lets not overlook the JV meets as well on the schedule. They do it all!!!
Girls
The last 2 years we asked the question, can anyone compete with Oyster River?? And the answer has been a definitive, “NO!” as they have won the team title by 64 points in 2024 and by 50 points last year. They enter this season with a new look as Haley Kavanagh and Mackenzie Cook have matriculated. Counting relays, Cook and Kavanagh were involved in 50 of the 80 points the Bobcats amassed in 2025. However, have they just reloaded? They will be counting on names like Avery Baumgardt, Elizabeth Carty, Maddy Cook, Olivia Kavanagh, Neely Roy and Haley Bezanson, along with a host of younger talented athletes, to continue their streak.
Once again, the real team competition may be for the runner-up plaque. Teams with seemingly the most returning points and key new additions include Hanover, Coe-Brown, Hollis/Brookline, and Souhegan.
Sprints & Hurdles
While these events have lost names like Rapoza and Lovely to graduation, they return a healthy number of state champion caliber athletes to be consider ultra-competitive! Look at the returning names and it is a who’s who of NH sprinting and hurdling. Names like Gilford’s Macy Sawyer, Belmont’s Ava Lacasse, Oyster River’s Elizabeth Carty and Avery Baumgardt, Hollis/Brookline’s Grace Dow, Coe-Brown’s Bristol Shirland will be contenders across the shorter events. Throw in indoor newcomer CBNA’s Lilah Fitzpatrick, who displayed state class 100-400 meter range outdoors last year, and we already have full fields of experienced gamers. Watch for youngsters like Souhegan’s Oriannah Dart, who is one of the top returners in both the Dash and 300.
Breaking the events down, Lacasse seems to be the preseason favorite in the Dash, while Sawyer is a stronger favorite in the 300. 55m Hurdles? Dow is the returning champ for sure, so give the slight nod to the Cavalier, but with Baumgardt and Shirland, 2 of the more experienced hurdlers in the state, we are calling this one a toss up.
Middle Distance & Distance
Middle Distance events will have some new names to watch! With the graduation of Piper Lopashanski and Hannah Pawlowski, the 600 is now wide open. Hanover’s Alice Bell is the top returner based on D2 Champ results, but that was on a lean over Con-Val’s Whitney Adair. Expect some new names to populate the results of this event over the season; perhaps 1-2 of the aforementioned Oyster River athletes. The event is historically won in 1:40 or better.
As the runner up in 2025, Mascenic’s Kaitlin O’Shea could be a favorite in the 1000 meters when she ran 3:08. Coming off yet another strong XC season, she will be ready. HB’s Molly Reardon is the next top returner at 3:11, but expect the race to be won in the low 3’s or better depending on who decides to race this one at states. Again look for an Oyster River athlete or 2 from their stable to be entered here for sure. They have the depth and will certainly utilize it in the 1k.
The distance events are where the Bobcats have dominated in recent memory and with Olivia Kavanagh, Maddy Cook, Neely Roy, and Haley Bezanson, they have 4 potential big point scorers to throw in the 3k, 1500 and 1k. This flexibility can once again determine the meet unless others step in to break this xc pack up. Souhegan’s Samantha Swanbon returns to the boards this year and could be one of those names to break up the Bobcat pack. Mascenic’s Erin O’Shea doubled last year in the 3k and 1500 picking up 3rd and 4th places. Expect her to do similarly this year. With all that said, we still should see some new names in scoring contention as well. Names like Hanover’s Aria Deeb, Grace Stewart, HB’s Mae Butler, Coe-Brown’s Annabelle Lovett and Eloise Hill, and Souhegan’s Madelyn Mooney will also be names you will see towards the top of the results.
Field Events
Regarding the jumps, yes 2025 jumps queen, West’s Eshaya Lauder has matriculated but OR’s Avery Baumgardt is ready to step in and should be considered the strong favorite in the Long Jump. Baumgardt is a senior, so look for glimpses into the future with Trinity’s Autumn Martin, Kennett’s Autumn Silliman, Kingswood’s Autumn Bureau and Caterina Hutt of PCA as they all have potential. The High Jump is wide open, but Camden Wilson of Bow is the top returner. Look for new names here as well. Newport’s Callie Dixon is the top returner from last year’s D2 Shot Put state meet, but right with her is Coe-Brown’s Isabelle Grenier. This will be a battle between 2 seniors for sure. Raymond’s Madelyn Donohue should also be in the mix in the shot as well.
One note about relays. They are so difficult to forecast preseason. They will obviously play a huge factor and we usually look at historical data to figure which schools typically have the best impact with them. So, look for Oyster River, Hollis/Brookline, Hanover, Coe-Brown, Belmont, and Kennett to have great relays.
Boys
Last year, Milford won the D2 title by scoring 26 points in the relays and having point scorers sprinkled across the running events. They have lost sprinter Avery Wilson to graduation but also unfortunately both Logan Korthals and Will Whitley moved out of state. And now, D2 supremacy is up for grabs again with several teams looking to position themselves for a run at the crown. Led by John Ketsel and Brody Smith Souhegan is one of those schools as well as could be the Peyton Joslyn-led Monadnock. Look for Seacoast schools Oyster River and Coe-Brown to also make a run. Oyster River returns experience with Levi Clapp and Micah Gedney, but also adds Oliver Lehman from the water. Coe-Brown will be spraying points all over the board and perhaps may be the most complete team. They have a hurdler, sprinters, middle/long distance as well as potential in the field events. They are young and experienced. If they can congeal, look for the Bears to be in the middle of everything!
Sprints & Hurdles
With the graduation of 5 of the top 7 finishers from last year’s depth along with Anthony DiGiantommaso of Trinity is not returning this season, the 55m Dash is wide open! Top returners include HB’s Andrew Desmarais and Con-Val’s Ross Stephens. Look for an improved OR’s Gedney as well as CBNA’s Ethan Newick to be in the mix as well.
With a personal record of 35.68, Stephens enters as the favorite in the 300. Expect St Thomas’s Shane McKeen, Souhegan’s Brody Smith and Desmarais to be scoring threats. Coe-Brown soph Jackson Doran has left the hardwood for the oval and could be a factor in the 300 as well. The High Hurdles also saw heavy matriculation as the top 4 finishers all graduated. Look for CBNA’s Brogan Gryzbowski, Lebanon’s Oscar Gulledge, Belmont’s Cullen Decato and HB’s Devin Gomes to frequent the top positions over the season.
Middle Distance & Distance
When thinking of indoor middle distance and distance events in 2026, it will have to begin with Monadnock’s Peyton Joslyn. The senior is coming off his best XC season yet, a true breakout where he ascended to one of the best in the region. He now enters 6 months of track and field, which probably is more comfortable for him. Last year, he was a threat from 600 to 3000 meters, so expect more of the same from Joslyn. Then you have to look to teams with historically strong distance squads over the indoor season and you have to consider Oyster River and Coe-Brown. Both squads are coming off another successful cross country season. The Bobcats return Levi Clapp who is a top returner in the 3k and 1500, but they also add the aforementioned former swimmer Lehman who proved last spring track season to be one of the best distance runners in the entire state. Throw in Garrett Sellers, Jace Dinnan, Brendan Banafato, and Siddharth Sanjay and they can be in business. Then consider Coe-Brown, who have top returners in Patrick Youngs and Ben Larson. Throw in much of their XC squad with names like Ben Jobin, Broden Cox, Samuel Youngs, Gus Glaser and they have potential. They are young, so it may depend on how quickly the young ones adjust to the boards.
Regarding events, beginning with the 600, HB’s Jacob Hoesch is the top returner from the state meet, but expect a slew of other new names to be towards the top 6 of many results over the season. This event in particular is always tough to predict. The 1k is similar in degree of difficulty, but Joslyn is certainly the head of the class here. Expect CBNA and OR runners to begin here as well as St Thomas’s Oliver Shartner and Plymouth’s George Sutherland.
The distance events have names like Clapp, Lehman, Youngs, Larson, Jobin but do not sleep on Plymouth’s Tate Hayman who is the top returner in the 1500. He has the experience and will look to take a title home. As does PCA’s Christian Barnes, who is coming off his best XC season and could do either the 1500 or 3k (or both). Don’t overlook Hanover’s Alexander and Oliver Collins, Milford’s Grant Skorupan or Mascoma’s Carl Russell either. Bottom line, last year there were 3-4 majordomos dominating the top of the distance events while this year, Joslyn is the one. The others are a part of a new era of distance racing in the NHITL. Exciting time!
Field Events
It is a new era in the jumps as names like Rio Calle, Rere Edkopolo, and Nicholas Oglesby have graduated. In the high jump, MV’s Owen Turner made it exciting finishing and excruciating second to Calle last year. Look for Brody Smith of Souhegan to be right there as well. The Long Jump should see another Saber towards the top with John Katsel, but Trinity’s Davey Durepo and Turner will also be in the mix. CBNA’s Doran, a 20+ foot long jumper in outdoors last year will factor in here as well. Mascoma’s Barnaby Diehn is the heavy favorite in the shot put, with his teammate Colin Myers the next best returner. Yes we will not be shocked if Macoma Valley takes the top 2 positions. Belmont’s Ethan Rivera will be looking to split that up as will John stark’s Owen Dion and Grant Spooner.
Relays, as always, could truly determine the outcome of this meet team wise. As Milford proved last year, if a team has the depth to field 3 competitive relays, it is a demonstration of a complete track team. Right now based on returners and what we know about newcomers, teams which could potentially accomplish this include Souhegan, Coe-Brown, Oyster River and Hollis/Brookline.
As the schedule indicates, meets begin this weekend! Good luck to all!
