Concord High’s 2024 track and field season was one for the record books – literally and figuratively. Last year’s team, boys’ and girls’ combined, broke eight school records, won two individual titles and five runner-up medals in Division I and graduated six NCAA Division I track and field athletes. 

One of those athletes, Nick Reynolds, competed in track for the first time in his life last spring – and set a state record and won a New England title.

A team title has proved elusive, but the girls’ program has come close, finishing third last season, fourth in 2023 and second in 2022. The girls’ indoor track team was projected to finish fifth heading into the state championship, but overperformed to finish second, just 11 points away from a championship crown.

There’s a lot of excitement surrounding the track and field program at CHS, whose roster is 120 student-athletes. Typically, the season starts with a little over 100 and slims down to the 80s over the course of the preseason, according to assistant coach Zach Procek, but that hasn’t been the case this spring.

“We’ve returned a lot of kids and brought out a lot of new talent,” said Procek, who is the head coach of the Concord indoor track team and the Crimson Tide boys’ cross country team. “We’re going into the season very well balanced. In the past we’ve had strong sections, but not a lot of strength in every single discipline.”

Despite graduating four athletes who are now competing at the Division I level collegiately (pole vaulter Kendall Barton at Stonehill, hurdler Morgan Doherty at the University of Vermont, and jumpers Kelley Mikelson and Ayva Mullen at the University of New Hampshire), the Tide return more than half of the 65 points the team scored at last year’s D-I championship.

Senior Ella Goulas is the defending D-I triple jump champion and won the long jump title this past indoor season. She also finished third in both the high jump and long jump last spring.

Fellow senior Ballay Conteh finished second to Goulas in the long jump this winter in her first season training and competing in that event and is also one of the Tide’s best sprinters.

Junior Grace Saysaw (fourth 100 and triple jump last year) is coming off a breakout indoor season where she finished second in D-I in the 55-meter dash and qualified for the New Balance Indoor Nationals.

Junior Chelsea Toenah joined Goulas, Conteh and Saysaw on the school record-setting 4x100-meter relay last spring and the same quartet won the D-I 4x200 championship indoors.

Sophomore thrower Consuelo Borico also had a breakout indoor season, finishing second in the shot put in D-I after not even qualifying for the D-I meet last spring. Senior Deb Nishimwe is also quickly improving in the throwing and jumping events. 

Seniors Shelly Smith (third 3,200, indoor 3,000 runner-up) and Maddie Muller (fifth pole vault) are also returning point scorers from last season and lead Concord in their respective disciplines, while a whole slew of state meet qualifiers from last season - seniors Nabah Yahya (400) and Makayla Root (javelin), juniors Elliana Wing (distance) and Bakela Massaquoi (hurdles); and sophomores Gianna Gualtieri (mid-distance), Mahalie Burdette (distance), Quinn Doherty (distance) and Laura Vitaria (hurdles) - also returning.

Procek also highlighted that many newcomers to the team could make an immediate impact in the 4x400 and 4x800 relays, giving the Tide a lot even more depth and options moving forward.

“We’re looking to see what the new talent brings,” Procek said. “The girls’ cross country team had a very strong season this past fall and they’re returning almost all of their varsity lineup to the track team.”

The list of returning athletes from last year’s D-I championship is much shorter on the boys’ side. Senior Colby Nyhan (runner-up in the pole vault) and junior Tim Fahnbulleh (member of last year’s fifth-place 4x100) are the only returning athletes with state meet experience.

With Reynolds (javelin champion, third high jump and triple jump) now competing at the University of Tennessee and Alain Twite (runner-up in the high jump, long jump and triple jump) now competing for UNH, the Concord boys only return 8.5 of the 56 points they scored at last year’s D-I championship.

“They’ve been trying to find their footing the last few years and I think this will be a breakthrough year for this side of the program,” Procek said.

Junior returner Deagan Hines and sophomore newcomer Colin Savard will be strong in the sprints, as is freshman Thomas Saysaw, who has also shown potential in the high jump.

Senior Connor McGahan (hurdles and javelin) and Sam Pfitzenmayer (throws) are experienced track athletes who are capable of scoring points.

Freshmen Spencer Clemans and Max Jimenez-Calderon were the top two runners on the Tide’s cross country team and lead the distance crew, while fellow freshman Suyog Nepal is exploring events and could be “strong across all disciplines,” according to Procek. 

Last year Hayden Daly, now in his 23rd year as Concord track’s head coach, lauded his senior leadership. This year’s team remembers the qualities of last year’s leaders, not just on the track, but also off of it, and are eager to keep that positive team culture and hard-working attitude moving forward.

“I hear the kids talking and they’re saying that ‘I want to do what Morgan (Doherty) did’” Procek said, highlighting Goulas, Conteh, McGahan and junior Matt Roussos as those who have stood out in leadership so far.

NHIAA track and field competition officially begins on Monday. Merrimack Valley, Pembroke and Kearsarge will compete in a meet at Souhegan, but Concord’s season-opening meet won’t be until Wednesday when the Tide and Dover compete in a tri-meet at Manchester Central.

BOW

Division: II

Coach: Ed King (2nd year as head coach)

Last year: Boys 11th; Girls 5th

Top returners: Boys: Kody McCranie, sr., sprints; Miles Miller, jr., sprints; Thomas Sargent, sr., distance; Chase Flagg, jr., sprints; Gavin Buxton, jr., sprints; Jonathan Gancarz, sr., sprints/hurdles; Wyatt Worcester, jr., distance; Zach Ingram, sr., distance; Liam Miller, sr., pole vault/hurdles; Jack Noce, sr., distance; Charlie Garland, so., jumps. Girls: Hannah Pawlowski, sr., distance; Emily Fauteux, sr., hurdles/jumps/sprints; Julia Hou, jr., pole vault/distance; Charlotte Larochelle, jr., jumps/sprints; Madison Pfister, so., distance/jumps; Camden Wilson, so., jumps/sprints; Madelynn Winch, sr., distance; Maya Owen, jr., distance; Madelyn Fish, so., distance; Mackenzie Szczepanik, sr., pole vault; Sarah Franklin, sr., pole vault; Charlotte Weiss, so., throws.

Outlook: The Falcons return many qualifiers from last season’s championship meet, especially on the girls’ side. The Bow girls only graduated three seniors and return 33 of the 39 points the Falcons scored in their fifth-place finish. Pawlowski (two-time 600-meter indoor champion), Hou (D-II runner-up in pole vault) and Wilson (high jump) all qualified for New Englands in the past year, while McCranie (fourth 200) is coming off a strong indoor season where he finished runner-up in D-II, seventh in New England and competed nationally in the 300. Both teams are looking to continue to build depth for strong relays and get qualifiers across more events while building a championship culture.

Teams to beat: Boys: Coe-Brown, Oyster River, Merrimack Valley, Hanover, Milford, John Stark; Girls: Oyster River, Coe-Brown, Hollis-Brookline, Hanover.

COE-BROWN

Division: II

Coaches: Lucas Fisher (4th year) and Pete Larson (3rd year)

Last year: Boys: D-II runner-up; Girls: D-II runner-up

Top returners: Boys: Alex Conner, sr., pole vault; Brogan Grzybowski, so., hurdles; Luc Kerouac, sr., distance; Cameron Lee, sr., sprints/hurdles; Ethan Newick, jr., sprints; Bryce Sartin, sr., jumps; Blake Spina, jr., sprints; Anthony Szatko, jr., sprints. Girls: Brooke Bachhuber, jr., pole vault/sprints/jumps; Bianca Brouillard-Smith, so., jumps; Shannon Elizabeth, sr., pole vault/sprints/jumps; Isabelle Grenier, jr., throws; Riley Hawkes, so., sprints; Tessa Kouchoukos, so., sprints; Annabelle Lovett, so., distance; Brooke Main, so., pole vault/sprints/jumps; Delaney Manning, sr., hurdles/sprints/jumps; Paige Murdough, sr., distance; Bristol Shirland, so., hurdles

Top newcomers: Boys: Jackson Doran, fr., sprints/jumps; Ben Larson, fr., distance; Shea Raymond, jr., throws; Patrick Youngs, fr., distance. Girls: Jazzlyn Curry, so., jumps; Lilah Fitzpatrick, fr., sprints/jumps; Eloise Hill, fr., distance; Elizabeth Joy, fr., sprints/throws/jumps.

Outlook: Boys: Although the Bears graduated an All-State thrower (Elias Warner) and distance runner (Jamie Lano) who combined for two state titles and two second-place finishes from last year’s runner-up title, Coe-Brown should be in the mix for the D-II title. Sartin, Conner, Lee, Newick, Szatko and Kerouac all competed at states last year, with many of them scoring points.

“We are also strengthened by the emergence of talented underclassmen (Gryzbowski), including several freshmen who are ready to compete at the state level in the sprints/jumps (Doran) and distance events (Larson and Youngs),” Fisher said. “With this mix of talent from different classes we feel we can compete for the D-II state championship in what should be a very competitive season.”

Girls: The Bears returner Grenier, a the defending champion in both the shot put and discus, and have several athletes across multiple disciplines who can make an immediate impact in their respective events – Murdough, Lovett, Hill, Elizabeth, Bachhuber, Shirland and Manning. 

“Our girls’ team this year is very young, but very talented,” Fisher said. “With only four seniors on our roster, we will be looking for our younger athletes to step up and contribute as much as possible, but with the talent available in this group we feel we can not only compete at the state level this year, but that we will only get better in the years to come.”

Teams to beat: Boys: Hanover, Oyster River, Merrimack Valley, Milford, John Stark, Con-Val. Girls: 

Oyster River, Hanover, Hollis-Brookline, Bow.

JOHN STARK

Division: II

Coach: Joel Kress (4th year)

Last year: Boys 4th; Girls 18th

Top returners: Boys: Rio Calle, sr., jumps; Joel Douzanis, sr., throws; Sam Kinsey-Turner, sr., jumps; Owen Dion, jr., throws; Grant Spooner, jr., throws; Alex Descoteau, sr., throws; Ethan Veilleux, sr., sprints; Austin Patenaude, jr., distance. Girls: Anna Chasse, so., distance; Jenna Sinclair, jr., throws/jumps/sprints; McKenna Whittier, jr., throws; Ayris Beliveau, sr., hurdles; Rylee Barnard, jr., distance; Kayla Barriere, jr., distance; Elsa Winther, jr., distance.

Outlook: The Stark boys finished fourth last spring, and third and second over the past two indoor  seasons thanks to an outstanding group of athletes in the field events, led by individual champions Calle (indoor high jump, indoor runner-up long jump, outdoor runner-up long jump), Douzanis (outdoor shot put, indoor runner-up shot put) and Kinsey-Turner (outdoor high jump). The Generals are led by a strong distance squad on the girls’ side. 

With a combined total of 64 athletes and lots of potential incoming talent, the Generals are hoping to “get more D-II qualifiers, D-II points and (advance) in the D-II standings,” according to coach Kress.  “The Stark team numbers have ticked up with a whole cabal of (freshman) newbies chomping at the bit for action in all of the track and field disciplines.”

Teams to beat: “The usual suspects,” according to Kress.

MERRIMACK VALLEY

Division: II

Coaches: Bob Mullen (34th year) and Dyrace Maxfield (3rd year)

Last year: Boys 5th; Girls 14th

Top returners: Boys: Nic Oglesby, sr.; Aiden Paquette, sr.; Mychal Reynolds, sr.; Beckett Rose, sr.; Davian Loiselle, jr.; Chris Bode, jr.; Ben Newton, jr.; Ben Geoffroy, so.; Aiden Whitman, jr. Girls: Maddy Geddes, sr.; Bailey Burdick, sr.; Kendra Davidson, sr.; Lily Moser, jr.; Sydney Spack, jr.; Jada Lucas, jr.; Gianna Panza, jr.; Reagan Jefferson, so.; Keira Cote, jr.; Sophie Porter, so.; Hannah Barrington, so.

Top newcomers: Boys: Owen Turner, jr.; Brady Smith, jr.; Jed Duquette, sr.; Jayce Tucker, sr.; Rutger Gilliland, jr. Girls: Izzy Navoy, jr.; Bella Dunlop, fr.; Deborah Leak, fr.

Outlook: Boys: The Pride returns a strong core group from last year’s top-five finish. MV was especially strong in the field events with Paquette (D-II runner-up in triple jump) and Oglesby (third long jump, third triple jump, fifth high jump) leading a strong contingent that includes newcomers Turner, Smith and Duquette. On the track, Reynolds returns as the defending champion in the 300 hurdles (he was also the 600-meter champion indoors) and placed third in the 110-meter hurdles. Rose and Vong lead a strong group in the middle distances, while Bode, Loiselle, Whitman and Tucker are good depth for relays. Newton, Geoffroy, Jon Degges and Nate Bain lead the distance runners, which is bolstered by the addition of Gilliland and Milo Weed. Girls: MV is eager to improve on last year’s finish and are led by a strong group of middle distance runners – Moser, Geddes and Spack – while Jefferson and Davidson will contribute to the longer relays. Burdick, Cote, Barrington, Lucas, Porter and Navoy lead the sprinters and jumpers. Panza and Dunlop qualified for the D-II state meet in the shot put this past indoor track season, while Annie DeWitte and Leak will also contribute to the throws.

Teams to beat: Hanover, Coe-Brown, Oyster River, John Stark

PEMBROKE

Division: II

Coach: Jared Williams (3rd year)

Last year: Boys 16th; Girls tied 16th

Top returners: Boys: Dylan Hawkins, jr.; Zachery Heichlinger, jr.; Brandon Lurvey, jr.; Adam Elmokaddem, so.; Hayden Petersons, jr.; Caleb Saturley, jr. Girls: Jasmine Blake, jr.; Alexis Brown, jr.; Avery Kelly, so.; Teagan Nyhan, so.

Top newcomers: Boys: William LeCain, fr. Girls: Caitrin Bergeron, fr.; 

Outlook: The Spartans are looking to improve on last year’s finishes. The boys’ team returns many state meet qualifiers in the field events, while the girls were strong in the sprints, hurdles and jumps last season.

BELMONT

Division: III

Coaches: Scott Clark (10th year) and Craig Wilkins (2nd year)

Last year: Boys tied 22nd; Girls tied 7th

Top returners: Boys: Brady Filteau, jr.; David Tripp, sr.; Ethan Rivera, jr. Girls: Girls: Adeline Takantjas, sr.; Ava Lacasse, jr.; Rebekah Edgren, sr.; Jaelyn Nialetz, sr.; Talie Watson, sr.; Hannah Young, jr.

Outlook: The girls return nearly all of their points from last year’s D-III championship and are coming off a strong indoor season where the Raiders finished third in D-II against strong competition. Lacasse (runner-up 200 last year, sixth triple jump) had a breakout winter season, winning the state title in the 55-meter dash, and anchoring the champion 4x200 and runner-up 4x400 relays. Takantjas (defending D-III triple jump champion, fourth 100 hurdles, fifth 300 hurdles) also contributed a significant amount of points at last year’s state meet. Filteau (third discus) is returning after scoring all of Belmont’s points on the boys’ side at last year’s championship.

BISHOP BRADY

Division: III

Coach: Diane Morey (15th year)

Last year: Boys 6th; Girls DNS

Top returners: Boys: Jorge Guerra, sr., distance; Ryan Casey, jr., hurdles. Girls: Sarah Allen, sr., sprints/jumps.

Top newcomers: Boys: David Cameron, so., sprints. Girls: Eloise Burns, fr., distance.

Outlook: While the Giants return some strong individual talent, most of their roster is made up of rookies this season. The girls’ team, which has lacked depth in recent years, has enough runners to field a relay this season. The boys’ will rebuild after graduating Josh Gentchos, the 100-meter state record holder and New England runner-up who won the 100, 200 and 4x100 at the D-III championships last year.

CONCORD CHRISTIAN

Division: III

Coach: Amanda Taylor (1st year)

Last year: Boys tied 13th; Girls DNS

Top returners: Boys: Jamison Banks, sr.; Girls: Kristina Baglio, sr.; Brianna Slavik, sr.

Top newcomers: Ryder Rose, Colby Storman, Tristan Honeman

Outlook: “We are a small team, but growing strong,” coach Taylor said. “Our athletes are eager to work hard and perform well. They put their hearts into their workouts and strive to have big results. We have a young team (heavy on freshmen) and are putting in the time to build great habits and learn foundational skills upon which to grow.”

FRANKLIN

Division: III

Coach: Jen Schongalla (5th year)

Last year: Boys DNS; Girls DNS

Top returners: Boys: Cole Johnson, sr., sprints/javelin/jumps; David Ranlet, jr., sprints/hurdles; George Sarkis, jr., sprints/hurdles; Cael Stockbridge, jr., sprints/hurdles; Cam Carleton, jr., throws; Kaiden McDonald, jr., throws; Dominick Comcheck, jr., throws. Girls: Keira Michaels, sr., throws; Payton Cloutier, jr., hurdles/sprints; 

Top newcomers: Boys: Nathan Holmes, jr., multi; Trevon Sneed, jr., multi; Cody Williams, jr.; Torian Bennett, fr., sprints/high jump; Chase Hatcher, fr., sprints/high jump; Gabe Marland, fr., sprints/high jump; Nik Prue, fr., mid-distance. Girls: Zayla Virgin, fr., sprints/javelin.

Outlook: “We have a small team with overflowing enthusiasm and determination,” Schongalla said.

HILLSBORO-DEERING

Division: III

Coach: Makayla Savoy (4th year)

Last year: Boys 20th; Girls DNS

Top returners: Boys: Tony Harris, jr.; Robert King, jr.; Rihoque Guzman, sr.; Braden Savoy, so.; Kolton Lefebvre, sr.

Top newcomers: Boys: Nolan Gaffey, fr.; Noah Welch, fr.; David Rushford, fr. Girls: Nathalie Proulx, so.

Outlook: The Hillcats broke three school records last season and now have 42 athletes on the roster – the most H-D has seen in the track program in over 13 years. King (fifth 110-meter hurdles) is a returning scorer from last year’s D-III state meet.

“This year, we are looking to be just as competitive and we look forward to having the numbers to be able to compete in all events during meets,” coach Savoy said. “We are very excited for this season and the success it will bring to HDHS.”

Teams to beat: Sanborn, Monadnock, Bishop Brady

HOPKINTON

Division: III

Coaches : George Sabol (1st year as head coach, 5th overall) and Peter Najem (1st year)

Last year: Boys 8th; Girls D-III champions

Top returners: Boys: Kristof Cauley, jr.; Deacon Tanuvasa, sr.; Roman Finlayson, sr.; Girls: Maddy Lane, so.; Shaylee Murdough, sr.; Reese Bove, sr.; Amelia Walsh, sr.; Dee Johnson, sr.; Crissy Johnson, sr.; Annie Daniels, sr.; Evie Hooper, sr.; Maddie Cerillo, sr.; Leah Branham, sr.; Sofia Upton, jr.; Aisling Madden, jr.; Zoe Bishop, jr.; Paige Prisco-Nelson, jr.

Top newcomers: Boys: Max Goupil, fr.; Finn Kovar, fr.; Michael Crosby, fr.; Lennon Eckner-Naylor, fr.; Mason Gilman, fr. Girls: Maisie Emerson, fr.

Outlook: The girls’ team only graduated one senior from last season’s championship team and are reloaded – especially in the distance events – with the return of Lane (1,600 and 3,200 champion), Murdough (800 runner-up) and a whole slew of returners who qualified for states and scored points last season. The Hawk boys are a much less experienced group with freshman comprising more than half of the roster. 

KEARSARGE

Division: III

Coaches: MaryAnne Morcom (4th year) and Justin Garzia (2nd year)

Last year: Boys DNS; Girls 5th

Top returners: Boys: Daniel Dalbec, sr.; Jacob Dunn, jr.; Mason Christensen, jr.; Jack Cicoria, sr.; Noah Clark, jr. Girls: Juliet Faria, jr.; Ainsley Frenkiiewich, jr.; Gabrielle Lamb, sr.; Riley Raynes, so.; Ellie Wimer, sr.

Top newcomers: Boys: Kelby Frenkiewich, fr. Girls: Javiera Eliessetch, fr.; Daphne Henrichsen, fr.; Jenna Burkett, so.; Jersey Vedova, fr.

Outlook: Faria, Frenkiewich and Lamb all return with experience competing at the D-III championship to the girls’ squad, while Christensen and Dunn qualified last year for the boys. Dalbec claimed the 1,500-meter title this past indoor season against competition from D-II teams, but outside of the aforementioned athletes, “I believe it is more of a rebuilding year,” according to coach Morcom. “We have also added a strength and conditioning coach who is working with the team on a consistent basis during the season. We have a nice balance of athletes who are in the field events. Though young, I feel that we can look ahead to their development in the coming years.”

Teams to beat: Pelham, Sanborn, Hopkinton

WINNISQUAM

Division: III

Coach: Patti Malone (5th year)

Last year: Boys tied 13th; Girls 6th

Top returners: Boys: Brendan Goodwin, sr.; mid-distance; Dylan Griffin, jr., sprints/throws/pole vault; Taber Haggett, jr., multi; Victor Pham, sr., sprints/triple jump. Girls: Denessa Williams, jr., sprints; Emily Tripple, jr., sprints; Kaiden Robb, jr., mid-distance; Zariah Moore, jr., sprints.

Top newcomers: Boys: Colby Blackburn, sr., sprints/mid-distance; Louis Soyk, sr., throws; Nolan Abbott, fr., mid-distance.

Outlook: Goodwin (third 400, third 4x800, fifth 4x400) anchored two scoring relays and scored most of the boys’ points at states last year, while the Winnisquam girls return many of their relay members, but graduated their top individual competitors from last year.

“We have a pretty well-rounded team this year and I’m excited to see just about every event filled with a competitor,” coach Malone said. “There are a lot of young, talented freshmen and sophomores in the mix, so their development will be fun to watch.”

Teams to beat: Inter-Lakes, Hopkinton, Belmont, Gilford.