HANOVER — The Winnacunnet High School girls track team had just two top-five finishes and placed 12th at Sunday’s Division I state championship meet at Dartmouth College.
“I kind of thought we would be 10th, but the one event we didn’t really place as well as I thought was the high jump,” Winnacunnet girls coach Richard Osborne said. “We didn’t place two and I thought we could be a third and a sixth, or a fourth and a sixth; that would have put us up with Central and kind of where I thought we would be. Overall, I think some kids ran really well.”
Pinkerton won the 14-team meet with 86 points and was followed by Exeter (59), Nashua South (55), Bishop Guertin (40), Bedford (38), Nashua North (33), Merrimack (24), Alvirne (16), Concord (16), Manchester Central (12), Dover (10), Winnacunnet (6), Keene (4) and Spaulding (4).
“Pinkerton has so many athletes, they are just loaded with distance runners who can run any race,” Osborne said. “They can pick and choose gwhat races their girls can run in; it’s almost like a factory.”
Junior Tess Rodgers placed fifth in the 600 (1 minute, 43.19 seconds) and senior Sophie Winnes was fifth in the high jump (4 feet, 8 inches).
“Of all the people who competed that day — and we had some nice efforts don’t get me wrong; the state of New Hampshire in girls track has four or five very good teams — but (Rodgers) had a great day,” Osborne said. “We played around with her during the season putting her in the 4x200, 300, 600 and 4x800. I really think she is a middle distance runner; that time is very fast in the 600.
“She really has come into her own with track. She’s a talented kid; she’s one of those kids where she doesn’t want to disappoint you so she works extremely hard. She stays late and makes sure she finishes her entire workout, and then comes and finds me before she leaves; she’s a great kid.”
Junior Molly Maynard was ninth in the shot put (28-6.5) and 10th in the long jump (14-8.5).
Senior Rori Reed was sixth in the 55 hurdles (9.48), while classmate Caitlin Capezzuto was 13th (10.18).
Reed’s time was a personal best, with her previous low being a 9.54.
“(Reed) is an interesting kid,” Osborne said. “She doesn’t have a whole lot of a track background. She doesn’t look as fast as she is; her weakest point is her start, then she gains on kids, passes them, gains on the next kid and passes them. She can run. She could run collegiately if she wanted to do it. She got better and better as the year went on.”
Sophomore Sydney Powers was 10th in the high jump (4-6), while both the Winnacunnet 4x400 (4:25.55) and 4x800 (10:29.32) teams placed sixth, and the 4x200 team placed 10th (1:56.97).
The 4x800 team consisted of Caitlin Trott, Alexis Quinlan, Brooke Gousie and Mills Waddell.
“Not one of them are seniors,” Osborne said. “It bodes well for the future.”
The 4x400 team consisted of Trott, Haley Blaisdell, Taylor Nydam and Rodgers; and the 4x200 team was comprised of Michaela Maloney, Sam LiPetri, Reed and Waddell.