The Coe-Brown Northwood Academy boys’ indoor track team has held plenty of hardware since NHIAA resumed winter competition in 2022. The Bears have won three out of four Division II team titles in the post-COVID era, but each one has been uniquely defined.
Coe-Brown only had one individual champion, senior Brogan Grzybowski in the 55-meter hurdles (7.96 seconds), but the Bears scored points in seven of the 10 running events and in all three relays, tallying 61 total points to best Souhegan (50) for another championship on Sunday at Plymouth State University’s George E. Davis Track.
Similarly, the Coe-Brown girls also claimed just one event victory, junior Bristol Shirland in the 55-meter hurdles (8.50 seconds), but the Bears also scored in all three relays and took advantage of points in 10 of 13 events to claim the runner-up plaque. Oyster River won its third consecutive title with 68 points, but Coe-Brown put up a much stiffer challenge than anticipated, scoring 51.
“I don’t know that any of our other championship teams have been able to place all six relays,” said Coe-Brown head coach Dave Zink-Mailloux, who has been with the indoor team for 18 years. “I don’t think we had as well-rounded a group of kids as we did this year. I think that speaks to their dedication and their willingness to step in when needed.”
The Bears didn’t load up on individual wins, but picked up points with gusty performances in third- through sixth-place finishes, often outperforming their seeds, in addition to impressive relays.
The boys’ 4×800-meter relay of senior Blake Spina, sophomore Ben Larson, freshman Samuel Youngs and sophomore Patrick Youngs, and the 4×200 of Grzybowski, senior Ethan Newick, junior Tommy Maskwa and sophomore Jackson Doran both finished second.
The 4×400 of Grzybowski, Spina, freshman Jameson Neal and senior Anthony Szatko placed third.
The Bear boys scored the rest of their points in the distance events. Samuel Youngs finished second in the 3,000 and also took sixth in the 1,500 later in the meet, while Larson (third 1,500), freshman Broden Cox (third 3,000), senior Anthony Szatko (third 600) and junior Gus Glaser (fifth 3,000)
For the Coe-Brown girls, the 4×200 of Shirland, junior Tessa Kouchoukos, junior Riley Hawkes (sixth 55 dash) and sophomore Lilah Fitzpatrick (third 55 dash, third 300), and the 4×800 of freshmen Lily Travis and Riley Trested (fourth 600), sophomore Eloise Hill (sixth 3,000) and junior Annabelle Lovett (third 1,000) both took fourth place.
The 4×400 of sophomore Joy, seniors Meredith Kerivan and Brooke Bachhuber, and Trested came in sixth.
“We had a couple alternates (in the relays) who didn’t know if they were going to race today, but literally took the baton and ran,” Zink-Mailloux said. “Those alternates played such a key role. (A league official) told me I set a record for the most kids who puked in a trash can after the race. That just shows what they’re made out of. They’re willing to put everything on the line. That’s their hard work and dedication.”
Junior Jazzlyn Curry (fourth long jump) and senior Isabelle Gernier (fourth shot put) scored in the field events for the Bear girls.
“It shows the team depth that we have,” Zink-Mailloux said. “It’s a great group of kids who compete hard. They trust their training. They’re wanting to put it out there.”
Other teams produced D-II champions as well. Bow junior Camden Wilson tied the division record to claim the girls’ high jump crown with a clearance of 5 feet, 4 inches.
On the boys’ side, Bow senior Gavin Buxton completed an undefeated season in the 55 dash with a winning time 6.52 seconds. Belmont senior Brady Filteau won the shot put title with a toss of 49 feet, 7.25 inches and the Pembroke boys’ 4×400 of seniors Hayden Petersons, Caleb Saturley, Brandon Lurvey and sophomore William LeCain won with a time of 3 minutes, 37.02 seconds.
Outside of Coe-Brown, the Bow girls were the next-best local team, finishing sixth with 25 points. Most of those points came in the high jump, which was contested at the University of New Hampshire on Feb. 1 (the high jump and 4×800 were held in a separate session to accommodate time restrictions at venues). Madison Pfister (tied third), and Keegan O’Meara (tied fifth) and Emma Bryant (tied fifth) all scored in the high jump.
O’Meara was fifth in the 600 and also ran on the fourth-place 4×400 with Jolee Trudel, Pfister and Julia Hou, while Charlotte Larochelle placed fifth in the long jump.
Belmont was seventh with 18 points. Senior Ava Lacasse was second in both the 55 dash and the 300, and anchored the fifth-place 4×200 with teammates Hannah Young, Sadie Sturgeon and Mia Ellis.
Juliet Faria (fourth 55 fash, fourth 300) scored for Kearsarge (tied 13th with 8 points) and Nora Smith (fourth 1,000) scored for John Stark (tied 20th, 4).
The Pembroke boys finished eighth (18 points) behind their champion 4×400 and fourth-place 4×800 of LeCain, Alexander Craigue, Saturley and Petersons, and Dylan Hawkins’ fourth-place finish in the 55 hurdles.
Belmont (tied 10th, 14) was led by Filteau and Brock Smith (fourth long jump), and Bow (12th, 12) was led by Buxton and Andrew Clough (fifth 55 hurdles).
Merrimack Valley (tied 14th, 9) had points from Owen Turner (second high jump), who also anchored the sixth-place 4×200 with Kelvin Amonor, Ben Geoffrey and Christopher Bode.
John Stark tied for 17th, with all six points coming in the shot put from Owen Dion (fourth) and Grant Spooner (fifth).
Division I
Concord had one champion in the afternoon session at Plymouth State with junior Consuelo Borico taking the girls’ shot put title with a toss of 39-0.25. Borico accounted for all 10 of Concord’s points, good for a tie at ninth place.
Senior Josiah Conley (second 1,500, fourth 3,000) scored all 12 points for the Concord boys, leading the Tide to 13th.
Exeter cruised to the girls’ team title with 126, more than doubling runner-up Pinkerton (54), while the Pinkerton boys won their third consecutive championship with 131 points, nearly a century more than runner-up Alvirne (33).