Divisional State Championships Meet Hub
The 2026 NHIAA Division I Cross Country State Championships took center stage Saturday, October 31st, at Manchester’s historic Derryfield Park, where two powerhouse programs delivered impressive performances. Division 1 was the lead-off leg for the day which aside from a pesty wind at times, presented good conditions for some great championship racing. Both races pretty much played out as expected regarding the top of the podiums. 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
Per usual, pre race favorite and All American, Exeter senior Alexis Paterna separated herself from the field at the sound of the gun to simply cruise to the win in 18:21.5. Making the victory even sweeter was her sister Brianna Paterna, who finished runner-up in 19:11.1, giving Exeter the remarkable 1-2 Paterna finish. Both took off from the outset uncontested, so the real race for individual honors was for the remaining top 10!
Concord senior Mahalie Burdette led the rest of the field powering to third in 19:40.3, followed by Pinkerton’s Sookie Folsom, who finished fourth in 19:54.9. Bishop Guertin junior Jaylyn Paul rounded out the top five with a time of 20:06.9. The remainder of the top ten featured Dover’s Janelle Poulin (20:20.4) in sixth, Nashua North’s Rosalie Neveu (20:20.5) in seventh, Alvirne freshman Saleena Ramboer (20:23.4) in eighth, Bishop Guertin’s Zoe Coler (20:33.5) in ninth, and Pinkerton’s Naomi Ebhaleme (20:36.5) in tenth.
Following the Paterna sisters’ lead, the Exeter girls left little doubt about who was the best team in Division I, rolling to the state championship with just 41 points. While the Paterna sisters grabbed the headlines, Exeter’s championship was built on outstanding depth. Molly Kells finished 11th in 20:40.1, Ashleigh MacEachern placed 13th in 20:49.8, and Austin Williams completed the scoring in 14th at 20:59.1. With all five scorers among the top 14 finishers, Exeter demonstrated why it was the class of Division I.
Bishop Guertin secured second place scoring 99 points with a strong effort led by Paul and Coler. Freshman Angelina Rodriguez added a 24th-place finish, while Annabelle Mason (28th) and Shannon Forsyth (33rd) completed the Cardinals’ scoring five.
The battle for third was considerably closer, with Concord edging Pinkerton by just four points. In addition to Burdette’s third-place finish, the Crimson Tide received important performances from Quinn Doherty (12th), Corinne Conley (26th), Maeve Durmer (36th), and Grace Henry (44th) to total 121 points. Pinkerton was led by Folsom and Ebhaleme, with freshman Meghan Mullaney adding a strong 17th-place performance to accrue 125 points. Bedford rounded out the top five teams with 153 points edging Windham (166), Keene (196), Nashua North (207), Alvirne (222), and Winnacunnet (227).
Boys Race
Results Courtesy of Lancer Timing
If Exeter’s girls were impressive, Pinkerton’s boys were equally dominant. The Long Red Line continued as they put together one of the day’s most commanding team performances, scoring just 24 points to capture the Division I championship. Pinkerton’s dominance was remarkable, placing five runners among the first eight finishers and leaving little opportunity for anyone to challenge its team title.
However, the individual championship belonged to Bishop Guertin junior Ethan Fischer, who delivered the fastest performance of the day, winning in 15:52.4. Fischer was the only runner to break 16 minutes in this one and looked quite comfortable in doing so, finishing nearly 17 seconds ahead of his closest challenger.
That challenger was Pinkerton senior Jason Robie, who continues his comeback from an early season injury crossing the line second in 16:09.0 to lead an incredible wave of Astro runners. Teammates Oscar D’Amelio (16:32.0) and Joseph Gustavson (16:46.1) followed in third and fourth, giving Pinkerton three of the first four finishers.
Londonderry junior Patrick Ramsey interrupted the Red Line with a fifth-place finish in 16:50.7, while Exeter junior Logen Poteet claimed sixth in 16:53.8. Pinkerton sophomore Demitri Rufo finished seventh in 17:02.7, and senior Marcus Sowa completed the Astros’ scoring in eighth at 17:05.8. With just 57 seconds separating their first and fifth runners, Pinkerton demonstrated an exceptional combination of front-running talent and team depth.
It was great to see Bishop Guertin sophomore Michael Studer return to state championship competition to finish ninth in 17:06.8, while Portsmouth sophomore Gavin Leader rounded out the top ten in 17:07.8.
Behind Pinkerton, Keene delivered an outstanding team performance to secure the runner-up trophy. The Blackbirds showcased remarkable pack running, placing all five scorers within an insane 14 seconds of one another to score 79 points. Cooper Tiani led Keene in 11th place with a time of 17:07.8, followed by Gus Cusimano (15th, 17:14.9), Sawyer Kress (16th, 17:17.6), Aiden O’Donnell (17th, 17:19.5), and Tristan Woodbury (20th, 17:20.9). That tightly packed group helped Keene comfortably secure second place.
Exeter placed 3rd with 130 points, led by Poteet’s sixth-place finish and Colby Orleans, who placed 14th in 17:14.0. Xavier Garcia de Paredes (34th), Noah Melendy (35th), and Henry Willett (41st) rounded out the Blue Hawks’ scoring five.
The competition behind the top three was especially tight. Dover finished fourth with 201 points, led by Zach LeFebvre (21st) and Nils Anderson (23rd). Bedford took fifth with 216 points, just ahead of Portsmouth (219), Londonderry (220), and Bishop Guertin (221). Remarkably, only five points separated fifth through eighth place, illustrating just how competitive the Division I boys field was beyond the podium positions. Nashua North finished ninth with 229 points, while Nashua South completed the top ten with 237.
Congrats to all! Onto the MOCs in Hopkinton next week!
