Seth Baylus wasn’t as happy with his performance at last weekend’s Division II championships as he could have been. So at Saturday’s Meet of Champions at Sanborn Regional High School, he did the only thing he could do. Run faster.
For the Merrimack Valley senior star sprinter – who already holds two D-II records and one state record and is already the top sprinter in the Granite State – that isn’t an easy feat, yet Baylus found a way.
Baylus ran a 10.81 second 100 meters in the trials and a 10.85 in the finals – bettering an already blistering mark of 10.92 seconds he ran last weekend – to defend his MOC title in the 100 meters.
Baylus also defended his 200 crown, running the half lap in 21.82 seconds, nearly matching the 21.81 he ran to set the D-II record last weekend.
Baylus – who is headed to Butler Community College in Kansas, regarded as one of the top sprinting programs in the country – already owns the state record in the 100 (10.77 seconds) and has come closer to setting the 200 record (20.92 seconds) than anyone else has in the past few years.
By finishing in the top six in both of his events, Baylus is headed to New Englands, which will be held Saturday at Willow Brook Park in New Britain, Conn.
Several other area athletes hoisted MOC champion hardware as well.
Concord seniors Sam Hilts and John Murphy went 2-3 in the boys’ 1,600 – with Hilts finishing just 0.89 seconds behind winner Pierce Seigne of Hanover – but Hilts came back to win the 3,200 in 9:15.60.
Merrimack Valley senior Sophia Reynolds won the girls’ 1,600 in 5:13.05, Coe-Brown Northwood Academy senior Makena Lee won the girls’ pole vault by clearing 11 feet, 0 inches, and Hopkinton sophomore Grace Hall won the triple jump with a school-record mark of 36 feet, 6.25 inches.
After leading the CBNA boys to their third straight D-II title, senior Anders Larson qualified in three events (second pole vault, third long jump, fifth triple jump), leading a large contingent of Bear boys – Zachary Blades (fourth pole vault), Gavin Demas (fifth 400), Jacob Cowan (sixth triple jump), Zachary Bistany (sixth discus) and the third-place 4×400 (Demas, Matthew Corriveau, Benjamin Robinson and Carl Peters).
Natalie Riley (third discus, sixth shot put), Josephine Malloy (fourth long jump, fifth triple jump), Olivia Buzzell (tied fourth pole vault), Anushka Chavda (fourth 200, fifth 100), Sheldyn Fisher (fourth 3,200) and the girls’ fifth-place 4×100 (Malloy, Alexis Cowan, Chavda and Lee) also qualified for Coe-Brown.
The D-I runner-up Concord girls’ team is sending a young contingent – sophomores Kendall Barton (second pole vault), Ayva Mullen (second long jump, second triple jump), Kelley Mikelson (tied fourth high jump); freshmen Ella Goulas (third triple jump) and Shelly Smith (fifth 3,200); junior Katherine Muller (sixth 300 hurdles); and senior Katherine Kennedy (sixth 3,200).
The Tide’s third-place 4×800 (Alina Pincoske, Abby Goulas, Molly Nyhan and Whitney Vaillant) also qualified.
Hilts, Murphy (fourth 800) and the runner-up 4×100 (Nate Mullen, Quinn Marino, Jacque Tunguru and Ben Hughes) will represent the Concord boys.
Other area girls heading to New Englands are Bow’s Susanna Zahn (second 3,200), Maya Brochu (third 3,200) and Sarah Guerrette (third pole vault), MV’s Victoria Leak (fourth discus) and Pembroke’s Lillian Corbitt (fourth javelin, breaking a 22 year-old school record).
Other area boys heading to New Englands are Hopkinton’s Max Bishop – who tossed a school-record 162-1 to finish second in the javelin – and Winnisquam’s Aidan Donahue (tied fourth high jump).