Concord High School’s track and field history is very long, and some of the program’s records have stood the test of time despite advancements in preparation and athletic technology, so it’s not every day that one is broken.

However, Crimson Tide athletes broke an unprecedented eight school records last spring, and the school honored them with the opportunity to place their new record plaques on the track and field board outside the gym.

A few record-breakers are now alumni who returned for the ceremony, while some remain and continue to compete for the Tide. One by one they received their plaques from head coach Hayden Daly and climbed the ladder to put their mark on CHS history on the board, and they were all given a poster with their record and action photos to commemorate their performances.

“I was just so happy for them and I think they kind of bought into our process, and their hard work came through and their dedication and we have a lot of hope for the future,” Daly said. “Sometimes people get caught up on the attitudes of kids. But these kids are incredible people, and they’re gonna do incredible in life, and you can just tell how hard they work and how dedicated they are and how good of leaders they are.”

Starting with the oldest record broken, then-senior and current University of Vermont track and field athlete Morgan Doherty broke the girls’ 33-inch 100-meter hurdles record set by Kelly Kimball in 1988. She bested the mark by 0.8 seconds, and her record will probably stay for a long time as only two other Concord girls besides Doherty and Kimball have recorded a time under 16 seconds since 2006.

Probably the biggest record broken was by alumnus and current University of Tennessee javelin thrower Nick Reynolds, who set the school and state record at the NHIAA D-I Outdoor Championship. He posted a distance of 205 feet, 10 inches to smash the previous school record set by Nate Putnam in 2003 (178-7) and the previous state record set by Manchester Central High School’s Jacob Stanko in 2016 (200-9).

“I just wanted to get faster for soccer, so I picked up a javelin, and I remember at the first invitational it just felt really nice off the ham and I thought it went a little bit further, but wasn’t too sure. It ended (at) 183 (feet), and then going into later in the season, I got a 193 and then 197,” Reynolds said. “Then it was at states where I hit the 203 and then 205 back-to-back, which felt really nice.”

Reynolds added that he has already been able to improve his javelin throwing at Tennessee and hopes to compete in the under-20 championship and maybe even the world championship one day.

Senior pole vaulter Colby Nyhan tied Concord High’s previous record set in 2005 by Mark Westover, which is very impressive considering his prowess on the football field for the Crimson Tide as a quarterback, kicker and defensive back, which earned him a spot on the All-State first-team and the Monitor’s Football Player of the Season.

Alain Twite, who is now on the University of New Hampshire track and field team, broke two records in the long and triple jump at the New England championships. He smashed the triple jump by nearly two feet and just beat the long jump record by a half-inch. He has already topped his long jump personal best and the school record at UNH and looks to continue improving.

“I broke my long jump record by a whole foot and 4 inches, which is very exciting; first-ever college meet. So now I’m just waiting for my second meet (Jan. 14), and I’m trying to see if I can get a better mark there, too,” said Twite.

The Tide’s girls’ 4x100 relay team of junior Chelsea Toenah, senior Ella Goulas, senior Ballay Conteh and junior Grace Saysaw also broke the school record by recording a fantastic 49.19-second time at the NHIAA Meet of Champions in UNH’s Wildcat Stadium. They broke the former record of 49.99 seconds early in the season and kept challenging themselves to set the bar as high as possible.

“Our times were definitely getting up there, and our main goal was to break the record,” said Goulas. “We definitely felt it when we did it, like when we finished. We knew that we ran super fast.”

Of those four, Saysaw also bested the Concord’s girls’ 100-meter time by 0.9 seconds (12.38) at the NHIAA Meet of Champions in June, and Goulas broke the girls’ triple jump record with a 37-3 in Londonderry last May.

New records:

Girls’ 100-meter dash: Now-junior Grace Saysaw recorded 12.38 seconds at the NHIAA Meet of Champions on June 2. The previous record was held by Grace Devanny who ran it in 12.47 seconds in 2016.

Boys’ pole vault: Current senior Colby Nyhan tied the previous record set by Mark Westover in 2005 of 14-6 at the NHIAA D-I Outdoor Championship on May 25.

Boys’ javelin (800g): Alumnus Nick Reynolds set the school record with a distance of 205-10 to smash the previous school record set by Nate Putnam in 2003 (178-7).

Boys’ triple jump: Alumnus Alain Twite jumped 46-8.25 at the New England High School Outdoor Track Championship on June 8 to beat Ralph Conley’s 1980 mark (44-3).

Girls’ triple jump: Current senior Ella Goulas broke Ayva Mullen’s 2021 record distance (36’1.25) with a 37-3 mark at the Londonderry R.E.A.L Invitational on May 18.

Boys’ long jump: Twite broke Andrew Westover’s (22-4) distance in 2005 with a 22-4.5 at the New Englands on June 8.

Women’s 100 hurdles: Alumna Morgan Doherty narrowly bested Kelly Kimball’s 1988 record (15 seconds) with a 14.92 at Londonderry on May 18.

Girls’ 4x100 relay: Chelsea Toenah, Ella Goulas, Ballay Conteh and Grace Saysaw set the new school record (49.19). The previous record (49.99) was set by Samantha Ossoff, Grace Devanny, Kaitlin Jelley and Sarah Waite in 2018.

Alexander Rapp can be reached at arapp@cmonitor.com.