Hopkinton XC Festival Meet Hub
If you are a follower of NCAA XC, then you know about Pre-Nationals where teams have a chance to preview the current year’s national championship course by racing against some of the best in the country. Well, no doubt this year’s Hopkinton Cross Country Festival is NH’s version with respect to the Meet of Champions. After several years of being held at Alvirne’s Hill House course (thank you sooooo much Alvirne!), the MOCs have settled at Hopkinton Fairgrounds thanks to the folks at the Hopkinton Runners Society and Hopkinton High School. NH has responded as most of the Granite State is taking part in 2026.
Certainly a first rate championship course, the Fairgrounds have hosted both the NCAA Regionals for multiple divisions with names as big as then Harvard’s Graham Blanks taking part. Franklin Pierce has used the fairgrounds for its home course for years, with Zach Emerson the linchpin in that as formerly the FPU coach and a long time Hopkinton resident. Emerson is the president of the Hopkinton Runner’s Society and a strong reason all the NCAA East Regional meets were hosted at the fairgrounds last year along with the arrival of the Hopkinton Cross Country Festival.
This year the Hopkinton running community will be hosting the aforementioned Meet of Champions, but prior to that they will also host the JV State Championships as well as the NH Middle School State Championships. Special thanks to the folks at Lancer Timing for this as well!
So onto the racing. For collegiate racing, these events will happen on Friday, October 9th, beginning at 2pm. For the MS and HS events, they begin at 10am with the girls HS varsity race.
Girls Race
While we usually begin with team competition, for this meet we have to begin with the individuals as everything starts with 2 of the best harriers in NH history.
Madeleine Lane and Alexis Paterna were separated by less than one second at this meet last year and that was a foreshadowing of things which came to for in 2025 when they battled at the MOCs and their legendary duel over the hills and trails at the New England Championships in Vermont. These 2 have been somewhat inseparable over the past year and with both firing on all cylinders, we certainly expect some incredible racing and fireworks. Lane comes to her home course after running 16:51 at Battle of the Border and winning the prestigious Woodbridge Invite in California in 15:47 (3 miles) while Paterna arrives having run 17:34 on the considerably more demanding Black Bear course as well as winning Manchester Invitational in a blazing time of 17:57. Last year they had 3 epic battles. Now they get another chance. I guess we can consider this round 1 of a multi-round match with Meet of Champions and New Englands as the next head to head match ups.
Phillips Exeter’s Harper Peters was third here last fall in 18:19.2. This season she has taken another significant step forward. Peters broke the old Black Bear course record herself with that 18:01.1 runner-up performance and has already established herself as one of New England’s elite runners. She also isn’t alone. There is also a loaded chase pack! Behind the likely front group, Saturday’s top ten could be exceptionally difficult to crack.
Exeter’s Brianna Paterna is the obvious candidate to challenge for a podium position after running 18:19.9 at Black Bear. Concord’s Mahalie Burdette, who has basically been Ms. Consistency across all her races this season, is also entered as part of a huge Crimson Tide contingent. Hopkinton’s Maisie Emerson continues to rise as evidence of her 18:32 at last week’s Battle of the Border.
NH#3 Lebanon High School has had a breakout season with an influx of super talented and experienced freshmen led by Jill Campbell. Expect her and teammate Brooke Nelson to give chase as well. Campbell is coming off a big win at Thetford’s Woods Trail Run which saw Nelson place 7th.
Oyster River brings another group loaded with top-ten possibilities. Olivia Kavanagh, Madelyn Cook, and Haley Bezanson led the charge at last week’s Moonlight Madness where they, along with their teammates, looked great and walked away with the big win. Joining them from the Seacoast should be Winnacunnet’s Sofia Parisi who has also been super consistent. Others we expect to see towards the front pack include Alvirne’s Saleena Ramboer, Olivia Cartagena, Pinkerton’s Sookie Folsom, Bishop Guertin’s Jaylyn Paul, Londonderry’s Anna Laufersweiler, Raymond’s Leah Unger, PEA’s Norah Pratt, Hopkinton’s Rose Afflerbach, and Nashua North’s Rosalie Neveu. With a few out-of-state schools, watch for the unfamiliar uniform in the front pack.
Team Race
This could be one of the better team races of the season. As mentioned in the introduction, 9 of the top 10 ranked NH schools are competing, so expect a big battle for placing even in the top 10! Exeter is NH’s top ranked team and are considered the favorites this Saturday. They arguably have the most devastating 1-2 combination in the race. If Alexis Paterna and Brianna Paterna both finish among the first five, the Blue Hawks immediately put enormous pressure on everyone else. Along with Izzie Bremer, Molly Kells, Austin Williams and company, Exeter won the Black Bear Invitational most recently and seem to just be getting warmed up.
They will have their first look at the new kids on the block. As mentioned, Lebanon is now #3 in NH and they do not look like they are going anywhere. This past weekend, they may have placed 4th against the best of Vermont, but the score tallied by Jill Campbell, Nelson, Carolyn Campbell, Ollie Hanna, and Victoria Pomeroy were just 3 points from 2nd!
Our friends from Interscholastics, Phillips Exeter will also be in the podium mix as they finished 2nd at Black Bear within 17 points of Exeter and has a great combination of front-running and depth. While Peters provides the low number, Norah Pratt finished fifth at Black Bear in 19:21.7 is another potential low stick in a huge field. The rest of their top 7, runners 3-7, are within 30 seconds of each other led by freshmen Stella Gray and Lackshmi Baugart.
Then comes Hopkinton and Oyster River currently tied for 4th on the state rankings.
Hopkinton should get one of the 2 lowest of sticks from Lane and another strong, single digit number from Emerson. Afflerbach assuredly will be in the top 15-20 giving them another proven scorer, while Ellison Gregory and Hannah Clarner have experience on this course. They also have great momentum coming off their win at Battle of the Border.
Oyster River should also have momentum on their side by the aforementioned win at Moonlight last week and be right in the middle of the podium conversation. Led by their big three, the Bobcats are a force once again thanks to the emergence of Corina Sietz and Jillian Williams.
Looks like NH#6 Pinkerton is beginning to find their stride as evidenced by their strong performance at Battle last week. The Trail Blazers placed a strong 3rd led by Folsom, Naomi Ebhaleme, and Meghan Mullaney. In that same meet NH#8 Bedford also had a great race placing a close 4th by virtue of their strong pack racing led by Kate Barwell, Nora Buxton and Julia Malnar. NH#10 Alvirne placed 5th led by Ramboer.
Don’t sleep on NH#7 Bishop Guertin or NH#9 Concord. Both teams have depth and a great sense of pack running. In a meet this size the edge may be with Concord as they have a pretty low score with Burdette. Other teams looking to perhaps be ranked after this weekend by beating one or more of the aforementioned ranked teams include Winnacunnet, Coe-Brown, Windham, Keene and Portsmouth. Also watch for a few of the out of state teams.
Boys Race
With defending champion Phillips Exeter’s Bocelli Howland-Vlahakis, Bishop Guertin’s Ethan Fischer, Pinkerton’s Jason Robie, Fall Mountain’s Elijah Bodanza, and several others scheduled to compete, this could easily produce one of the deepest individual races of the regular season. Any discussion of the individual win has to begin with Howland-Vlahakis. The Phillips Exeter junior has been rolling so far this season. At the Black Bear Invitational two weeks ago, Howland-Vlahakis simply ran away from a quality field, winning in 15:30.0 by more than 48 seconds. The biggest question Saturday may be just how aggressive Howland-Vlahakis chooses to be. He ran 15:17 here last year and has always been perfectly comfortable with taking a race over early. If he presses from the gun, Fischer may be the runner most willing to follow.
Speaking of Bishop Guertin sophomore Ethan Fischer, he obviously has the credentials with an XC 5K best at 15:18.10 as well as a 8:58.28 for 3200 meters and a 14:40.15 track 5K. He is coming off a great experience at the Great American XC Festival down in NC, so consider his engine primed for a fast one on Saturday.
Then there is Pinkerton’s Jason Robie. He owns a 15:18.71 cross-country best. As a 4:10 miler, Robie possesses considerably more finishing speed than the typical elite cross-country runner, making him particularly dangerous if the leaders remain together late. The question is how hard will he be allowed to push himself in just his 2nd race of the season.
Pinkerton doesn’t stop with Robie. The Astros have Joseph Gustavson and Oscar D’Amelio, two more runners capable of finishing very high. D’Amelio won the Bobcat Invitational in 16:28, with Gustavson fourth in 16:54, and the pair have been central to Pinkerton’s success throughout the fall. As demonstrated at Battle of the Border last week, the rest of the Long Red Line, Demitri Rufo, Marcus Sowa, Leighton Klug and Owen Boucher will be not too far behind.
Fall Mountain’s Elijah Bodanza is another major threat. He has been one of the best harriers in the Granite State the past several years and made Hanover’s Ben Groves work the entire race at Moonlight last week. He is fearless and will not back down to anyone. Newfound’s Colin Foster had the big meet breakthrough we have been waiting for last week at Moonlight Madness. Expect him to be in the thick of the lead chase pack. 2026 Battle of the Border champ South’s Isaiah Rodriguez will certainly be there. A win at a major invite can do wonders for the confidence!
Last week, Coe-Brown was led by Patrick Youngs, who may be running as well as anyone in the field right now. Youngs clocked 15:52.8 at last weekend’s Moonlight Madness after running 16:41.5 on Coe-Brown’s difficult Black Bear course. Youngs should be joined by his younger brother Samuel Youngs, as well as Gus Glaser and Broden Cox potentially in the front chase pack.
Oyster River brings a formidable one-two punch with Oliver Lehman and Levi Clapp. Lehman was second at the Bobcat Invitational in 16:38, while Clapp has subsequently dropped his season best all the way to 16:13.4. Keene brings Tristan Woodbury and Sawyer Kress, who produced eye-opening performances at Moonlight Madness.
Throw in St. Johnsbury VT’s John Thornton-Sherman, Bedford’s Luke Parker, Hopkinton’s Max Goupil, Phillips Exeter’s Marcus Kiehl, Salem’s Alex St. Laurent and Keene’s improving supporting cast, and simply cracking the top ten is going to be an accomplishment.
Team Race
The Pre-Meet of Champions! The current New Hampshire Cross Country rankings have Pinkerton No. 2, Coe-Brown No. 3, Oyster River No. 4, Exeter No. 5, Hopkinton No. 6, Keene No. 7, Bedford No. 8, Souhegan No. 9 and Dover No. 10.
That puts Pinkerton and Coe-Brown squarely in the spotlight.
Pinkerton’s strength is obvious. If their top 3, Robie, Gustavson and D’Amelio all race to their capabilities, the Astros could put three runners very high in the field. Rufo, Sowa, Klug, and Boucher then become the key. The tighter that second group stays to Pinkerton’s big three, the harder the Astros will be to beat.
Coe-Brown attacks the race differently. The Bears might not place three ahead of Pinkerton’s three, but they can seemingly send runner after runner across the line. Youngs, Youngs, Glaser, Cox, Mateo Ferguson, Ben Larson and Ben Jobin give Coe-Brown seven legitimate varsity scorers. When the Black Bears are on, that order seems to constantly change and they usually have a scoring spread of 60 seconds or better.
Howland-Vlahakis gives PEA the potential single point at the front. Kiehl has already demonstrated that he can run with the best NHIAA athletes, and William Miller, Owen Cosgrove, James Travis, Ved Reddy and others provide plenty of depth.
Oyster River is capable of crashing the podium battle. Lehman and Clapp provide two strong low sticks, while Brendan Banafato gives the Bobcats another potential high finisher as demonstrated by his blistering kick last week to place 13th at Moonlight. Expecting Siddharth Sanjay and Ryker Anderson to continue to improve and they are a team to not overlook.
NH#5 Exeter will also be racing for the first time in 2 weeks. Led by Logen Poteet and Colby Orleans, the Blue Hawks placed 3rd at Black Bear. They finished just in front of Hopkinton. The Hawks are currently No. 6 in New Hampshire and have consistently demonstrated impressive pack strength led by Max Goupil and James Lavers. On their home course, they are a dangerous team.
Ranked #7, Keene is another team worth watching closely. Woodbury, Kress and now Aiden O’Donnell and Cooper Tiani give the Blackbirds a potentially devastating one-four combination! If Keene’s fifth runner can stay close enough, the Blackbirds could surprise some higher-ranked teams. Led by Parker, #8 Bedford had a nice meet at Battle last week placing 5th. Look for Myles Cole and Hobie Matulis to continue to improve as will the Bulldogs.
Souhegan raced at Thetford’s Woods Trail Run last week and placed 9th in a very competitive field. Led by Jacob Spencer and Aaron Coleman, the Sabers will be looking to move up the rankings. Perhaps the surprise of last week, Dover is now ranked #10 in NH. This was by virtue of the Battle of the Borde performance where they were led by Zach LeFebvre and Nils Anderson who both had the races of their lives. Expect more of the same this week!
Do not over look St. Johnsbury VT on the entries list as they are ranked #4 in VT and will assuredly be a factor at Hopkinton come Saturday.
Good luck to all!
