Division I state track and field: Relay win gives Exeter girls the title
May 28—SALEM — Exeter High School girls track and field co-coach Nate Leveille gave his 4-by-400 relay runners a matter-of-fact pre-race talk at the NHIAA Division I championship meet Friday night.
"I said, 'You need to win this and we might need some help,'" Leveille said. "And they said, 'OK.'"
The team of Ainsley Grant, Meadow Gregory, Sydney Lavelle and Clara Knab won the 4-by-400 relay — the last girls event of the meet — in 4 minutes, 7.08 seconds to clinch the Blue Hawks' first Division I championship since 2019 and 14th overall state title. "That was our fastest time of the season by a lot," Leveille said.
Exeter finished with 75 points, edging runner-up Concord (74.5 points). Nashua North (70 points), Pinkerton Academy (66 points) and Merrimack (42 points) rounded out the top five girls finishers.
Portsmouth won the boys' portion of the meet, held at Salem High.
The Blue Hawks girls posted 10 top-five finishes.
Lavelle also won the 300-meter hurdles and placed second in the 100-meter hurdles. Knab (second) and Gregory (fifth) both placed in the top five of the 400 run.
Exeter senior Erin Eastwood won the pole vault with a distance of 10 feet. Classmate Grace Kunysz landed awkwardly while competing in the long jump but rebounded by placing sixth in the 200 dash and helping Exeter take third in the 4-by-100 relay. Blue Hawks sophomore Rachel Poulin finished third in the long jump with a personal-best distance of 17 feet, 2 3/4 inches and fourth in the javelin (106 feet, 8 inches).
"I think the kids, they're watching what's happening throughout the day and they feed off each other's energy and we had some really great performances," Exeter co-coach Laura Smith said.
"We were telling the girls all week, 'Listen, every point is going to really matter in this meet,' and it certainly did," Leveille said.
Nashua South's 4-by-100 relay team of Iyana Braswell, Emily Ostrowski, Mia Cruz and Soraya Ross won the event in a meet-record time of 49.29 seconds. Ross also won both the 100 and 200 dash.
Fiona Lee, a sophomore, helped Bedford finish tied with Nashua South for seventh place (32 points) by winning the 800 run in a personal-best time of 2:18.24. She was also part of Bedford's fourth-place 4-by-400 relay team and fifth-place 4-by-800 relay team.
For the 800, Lee said she switched from her usual strategy and decided to lead the whole race.
"I've never really done that before against these girls but it was good to just kind of go at my own pace and set up myself because usually I am pacing behind other people," Lee said.
Bishop Guertin of Nashua senior Fiona Doherty achieved her career-long goal to win a state title by taking the 1,600 run crown in 5:12.62. She finished exactly four seconds ahead of runner-up Isabel McIntyre, a sophomore from Dover.
Doherty, who also helped BG take second in the 4-by-800 relay, said she made her move with two laps left because she is also an 800 runner. "I knew I wanted to take it out fast so I could be strong at the end," she said.
The Portsmouth boys made sure there were no late theatrics for the other Division I title.
In their second season in Division I, the Clippers cruised to a first-place finish with 97.5 points, well ahead of runner-up and 2021 champion Nashua North (59 points). Londonderry (57 points) rounded out the top three while Concord and Keene tied for fourth with 53 points.
Portsmouth, which won the D-II title in 2018, had five individual champions and 14 top-five finishers. Senior Nate Fletcher powered the Clippers, winning the 300 hurdles, the 200 dash and helping its 4-by-100 and 4-by-400 relay teams both take first.
"Nate doing the 300 hurdles and the 200, that's not a double most people can do feasibly well and I was just taking a chance on it," Portsmouth coach Mike Lyford said. "The fact that he won both and ran that fast in both is shocking."
Fletcher's times in the 300 hurdles (38.74) and 200 dash (21.99) were both school and personal records. This was his first season competing in both events.
"I started out (the season) strong in the 300," Fletcher said. "(The) 200 was kind of 50-50 at the start and then once I developed it throughout the year, it kind of just hit me that I need to run this."
Fletcher's classmate, Ahmed Nada, won the 100 dash in a personal-best time of 11.01 seconds.
"These guys love each other, these guys are friends — this atmosphere got us to where we need to be," Lyford said. "We also have elite coaches in the specialty events. We have everything covered and I'm not certain there's a team in the state that has what we have and that level of support and it shows."
Div. I Track and Field Championships
At Salem High School, Friday
Girls team results
1. Exeter, 75; 2. Concord, 74.5; 3. Nashua North, 70; 4. Pinkerton, 66; 5. Merrimack, 42; 6. Portsmouth, 33; 7. Bedford, 32; 7. Nashua South, 32; 9. Alvirne, 26; 10. Bishop Guertin, 24; 11. Manchester Central, 22; 12. Salem, 16; 13. Winnacunnet, 14; 14. Londonderry, 12.5; 15. Dover, 10; 16. Keene, 9.
Girls individual results
100: 1. Soraya Ross, Nashua South, 12.19; 2. Alexis Best, Merrimack, 12.37; 3. Grace Kunysz, Exeter, 12.42; 4. Jhanelle Thomas, Nashua North, 12.5; 5. Iyana Braswell, Nashua South, 12.68. 200: 1. Soraya Ross, Nashua South, 25.79; 2. Harriet Barber, Manchester Central, 25.92; 3. Alexis Best, Merrimack, 25.95; 4. Lily Jenkins, Portsmouth, 26.07; 5. Jhanelle Thomas, Nashua North, 26.12: 400: 1. Harriet Barber, Manchester Central, 59.32; 2. Clara Knab, Exeter, 1:00.97; 3. Samantha Ducharme, Bedford, 1:01.09; 4. Jhanelle Thomas, Nashua North, 1:01.2; 5. Meadow Gregory, Exeter, 1:01.39. 800: 1. Fiona Lee, Bedford, 2:18.24; 2. Kylee Quinlan, Winnacunnet, 2:21.3; 3. Dantia Braccio, Nashua North, 2:23.96; 4. Paige Boudreau, Alvirne, 2:25.29; 5. Isabel McIntyre, Dover, 2:26.69.
1,600: 1. Fiona Doherty, Bishop Guertin, 5:12.62; 2. Isabel McIntyre, Dover, 5:16.62; 3. Hannah Shepard, Keene, 5:16.93; 4. Dantia Braccio, Nashua North, 5:21.19; 5. Alison McFarland, Exeter, 5:22.02; 3,200: 1. Shelly Smith, Concord, 11:36.91; 2. Katherine Kennedy, Concord, 11:45.96; 3. Contessa Silva, Pinkerton, 11:51.61; 4. Mary Kate Finn, Bishop Guertin, 11:52.04; 5. Isabelle Groulx, Pinkerton, 11:57.86. 100 Hurdles: 1. Jordan Wheaton, Pinkerton, 14.84; 2. Sydney Lavelle, Exeter, 14.93; 3. Emily Plante, Salem, 15.7; 4. Anika Scott, Bedford, 16.18; 5. Petrina Ofori, Alvirne, 16.29. 300 Hurdles: 1. Sydney Lavelle, Exeter, 44.96; 2. Kailey Dillon, Merrimack, 46.43; 3. Jordan Wheaton, Pinkerton, 47.45; 4. Isabella Di Vernieri, Nashua North, 48.43; 5. Morgan Doherty, Concord, 48.48.
4-by-100 Relay: 1. Nashua South, 49.29; 2. Merrimack, 49.65; 3. Exeter, 50.23; 4. Manchester Central, 50.66; 5. Portsmouth, 51.5. 4-by-400 Relay: 1. Exeter, 4:07.08; 2. Pinkerton, 4:08.23; 3. Concord, 4:08.8; 4. Bedford, 4:13.18; 5. Portsmouth, 4:15.63. 4-by-800 Relay: 1. Concord, 9:49.72; 2. Bishop Guertin, 9:49.74; 3. Winnacunnet, 9:51.13; 4. Alvirne, 9:58.1; 5. Bedford, 9:59.77. High Jump: 1. Olivia Mazerolle, Nashua North, 5-2; 2. Jordan Wheaton, Pinkerton, 5-2; 3. Molly O'Donnell, Alvirne, 5-2; 4. Kelley Mikelson, Concord, 5; 4. Zoe Arakelian, Portsmouth, 5.
Pole Vault: 1. Erin Eastwood, Exeter, 10; 2. Kendall Barton, Concord, 9-6; 3. Marline Fitzgerald, Londonderry, 8-6; 4. Jillian Severance, Pinkerton, 8-6; 5. Ava Ruppel, Londonderry, 8. Long Jump: 1. Molly O'Donnell, Alvirne, 17-8 1/4 ; 2. Mariam Nada, Portsmouth, 17-7; 3. Rachel Poulin, Exeter, 17-2 3/4 ; 4. Ayva Mullen, Concord, 17 2 1/4 ; 5. Kailey Dillon, Merrimack, 16-10 1/4 . Triple Jump: 1. Ayva Mullen, Concord, 36-0 1/2 ; 2. Alexis Best, Merrimack, 33-11 3/4 ; 3. Ella Goulas, Concord, 33-9 3/4 ; 4. Kelley Mikelson, Concord, 33-8 3/4 ; 5. Madison Connors, Pinkerton, 33-7 1/2 .
Shot Put: 1. Madelyn Novak, Nashua North, 36-3 3/4 ; 2. Bella Colizzi, Salem, 36-0 1/4 ; 3. Briana Danis, Pinkerton, 35-6; 4. Natalie Burgess, Nashua North, 34-10 1/4 ; 5. Abigail Ahlers, Salem, 32-0 1/2 . Discus: 1. Briana Danis, Pinkerton, 134-8; 2. Madelyn Novak, Nashua North, 124-10; 3. Maria Akalonu, Portsmouth, 99-4; 4. Phoebe Bartlett, Londonderry, 98-1; 5. Natalie Burgess, Nashua North, 97-7. Javelin: 1. Madelyn Novak, Nashua North, 119-8; 2. Margaret Montplaisir, Portsmouth, 108-6; 3. Jezelle Josef, Bedford, 107-11; 4. Rachel Poulin, 106-8; 5. Marissa Parshley, Bishop Guertin, 102-10.
Boys team results
1. Portsmouth, 97.5; 2. Nashua North, 59; 3. Londonderry, 57; 4. Concord, 53; 4. Keene, 53; 6. Alvirne, 34; 6. Nashua South, 34; 8. Dover, 27; 9. Pinkerton, 24; 10. Salem, 23. 10. Bedford, 23. 12. Manchester Memorial, 15.5; 13. Winnacunnet, 13.5; 14. Exeter, 10; 14. Merrimack, 10; 14. Bishop Guertin, 10; 17. Spaulding, 7.5; 18. Manchester Central, 7.
Boys individual results
100: 1. Ahmed Nada, Portsmouth, 11.01; 2. Jacob Spezzaferri, Pinkerton, 11.06; 3. Aidan McDonald, Salem, 11.08; 4. Chris Stevens, Keene, 11.1; 5. AJ Sebastien, Manchester Memorial, 11.22; 200: 1. Nate Fletcher, Portsmouth, 21.99; 2. Aidan McDonald, Salem, 22.32; 3. Jacob Spezzaferri, Pinkerton, 22.35; 4. Chris Stevens, Keene, 22.71; 5. Jack Ashworth, Alvirne, 22.94. 400: 1. Sean Clegg, Londonderry, 50.24; 2. Jake Haley, Portsmouth, 51.48; 3. Erik Nolan, Keene, 51.78; 4. Michael Schoff, Portsmouth, 51.95; 5. Peyton Saltmarsh, Winnacunnet, 52.21. 800: 1. Torin Kindopp, Keene, 1:55.68; 2. Jeremiah Payeur, Dover, 1:55.69; 3. John Murphy, Concord, 1:57.46; 4. Jacob Redman, Bedford, 1:58.81; 5. John Crawford, Alvirne, 2:00.87.
1,600: 1. Torin Kindopp, Keene, 4:16.74; 2. Sam Hilts, Concord, 4:18.67; 3. John Murphy, Concord, 4:24.53; 4. Luke Brennan, Pinkerton, 4:34.59; 5. Nicholas Marcotte, Alvirne, 4:35.73. 3,200: 1. Tyler Sheedy, Dover, 9:24.36; 2. Sam Hilts, Concord, 9:27.14; 3. Jonathan Hills, Keene, 9:32.89; 4. Nate Fondakowski, Bishop Guertin, 9:39.14; 5. Zachary Hooper, Concord, 9:39.9. 110 Hurdles: 1. Bryce Foster, Manchester Memorial, 15.41; 2. Ian Ripperger, Portsmouth, 15.52; 3. Christopher Chong, Bedford, 15.54; 4. Calvin Duffy, Winnacunnet, 15.94; 5. Colby Ramshaw, Londonderry, 16.03. 300 Hurdles: 1. Nate Fletcher, Portsmouth, 38.74; 2. Jack Ashworth, Alvirne, 40.23; 3. Rory Olsen, Nashua South, 40.4; 4. Ian Ripperger, Portsmouth, 41.12; 5. Liam Glodgertt, Keene, 41.66.
4-by-100 Relay: 1. Portsmouth, 43.83; 2. Londonderry, 43.98; 3. Concord, 44.06; 4. Pinkerton, 44.37; Keene, 44.96. 4-by-400 Relay: 1. Portsmouth, 3:27.95; 2. Keene, 3:28.46; 3. Alvirne, 3:33.62; 4. Nashua South, 3:35.86; 5. Bedford, 3:36.73. 4-by-800 Relay: 1. Londonderry, 8:11.71; 2. Exeter, 8:14.01; 3. Bishop Guertin, 8:23.39; 4. Bedford, 8:29.3; 5. Nashua South, 8:31.55. High Jump: 1. Andrew Kullman, Londonderry, 6-2; 2. Sami Witta, Nashua South, 6-2; 3. Paul Butler, Spaulding, 6-2; 4. Adam Lacroix, Bedford, 6; 5. Calvin Duffy, Winnacunnet, 5-8; 5. Bryce Foster, Manchester Memorial, 5-8. Pole Vault: 1. Samuel Epstein, Merrimack, 12-0; 2. Nicholas Rushton, Salem, 11; 3. Wyatt Patterson, Winnacunnet, 10-6; 4. Aedan Pickett, Nashua North, 10; 5. Michael Lee, Spaulding, 9-6; 5. Cole McLaughlin, Portsmouth, 9-6. Long Jump: 1. Jack Sullivan, Nashua North, 21-5 1/2 ; 2. Brady McInnes, Dover, 21-2 1/2 ; 3. Colby Ramshaw, Londonderry, 20-9 1/4 ; 4. Sami Witta, Nashua South, 20-9 1/4 ; 5. Luke Champney, Concord, 20-0 3/4 . Triple Jump: 1. Jack Sullivan, Nashua North, 41-6; 2. Luke Champney, Concord, 40-6 1/4 ; 3. Donovan Gannon, Londonderry, 40-6; 4. Preston Thompson, Nashua North, 40-1; 5. Ethan Preston-Teixeira, Nashua North, 39-3 1/2 . Shot Put: 1. Toby Brown, Nashua North, 52-0 1/4 ; 2. Dylan Palermo, Portsmouth, 47-0 3/4 ; 3. Jack Washam, Nashua North, 45-1; 4. Alvin Thumi, Alvirne, 45-0 1/4 ; 5. Matthew Cronin, Exeter, 43-11. Discus: 1. Alvin Thumi, Alvirne, 138-10; 2. Jack Washam, Nashua North, 138-6; 3. Sam Foulds, Concord, 132-9; 4. Toby Brown, Nashua North, 131-8; 5. Noah Donovan, Portsmouth, 127-1. Javelin: 1. Eden Damis, Nashua South, 149-8; 2. Ben McFarland, Portsmouth, 147-11; 3. Aiden Kelley, Manchester Central, 146-5; 4. Jason Yeaton, Portsmouth, 143-7; 5. Alex Grudinskas, Bedford, 141-3.
