Exeter High School Track Teams Achieve Seacoast Championship Sweep

Exeter High School celebrated a significant victory on Friday, May 22, as both its boys' and girls' track and field teams captured the Seacoast Championship title. Competing at home in front of a supportive crowd, the Eagles left no doubt about their dominance in the league, according to a report by Yahoo Sports.

Girls' Division Dominance

The Exeter girls' team secured a commanding victory in the 13-team field, accumulating an impressive 156.5 points. This performance comfortably placed them ahead of second-place Oyster River, which scored 94 points. Portsmouth followed in third with 88.5 points, with Coe-Brown (63 points), Timberlane (44 points), Dover (32 points), Spaulding (20 points), Winnacunnet (20 points), Sanborn (18 points), Somersworth (8 points), Portsmouth Christian (4 points), St. Thomas Aquinas (2 points), and Raymond (1 point) rounding out the field.

The team's strength was evident in multiple events. A highlight of the meet was the Exeter 4×400-meter relay team, composed of Emma Roeder, Madie Poteet, Lexi Paterna, and Izzie Bremer, setting a new meet record with a winning time of 4 minutes and 01 second.

Individual triumphs also contributed significantly to Exeter's success. Lexi Paterna claimed first place in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:12.17. Martelle McBride won the long jump event, reaching 16 feet and 03.5 inches, while Autumn Fabiano took first in the shot put with a throw of 34-04.25. McBride also earned a third-place finish in the 400-meter dash with a time of 59.92 seconds.

Other notable performances from the Exeter girls included the 4×800-meter relay team (Abby Riccio, Kendall McBride, Lena McRae, and Aubrey Zaimes) securing second place in 10:31.72. Lucille Beem placed second in the discus (104-06) and third in the shot put (33-05.5). Bri Paterna finished second in the 800 meters (2:15.46), Izzie Bremer was second in the 400 meters (59.8), and Molly Kells took second in the 3,200 meters (12:17.81). Danica Caron and Aubrey Zaimes contributed with strong third-place finishes in the 800 meters (2:22.13) and 3,200 meters (12:30.34) respectively, while Lexy Rogers also secured a third-place finish in the triple jump (34-09).

Boys' Division Narrow Victory

In the closely contested boys' division, which featured 14 teams, Exeter narrowly edged out rival Portsmouth with a score of 87-83 to claim the championship. Spaulding finished a strong third with 76.5 points, followed by Oyster River (66 points), Dover (61 points), Coe-Brown (57.5 points), Somersworth (35 points), Winnacunnet (35 points), Sanborn (19 points), Raymond (16 points), Newmarket (7 points), St. Thomas Aquinas (7 points), Portsmouth Christian (5 points), and Timberlane (3 points).

Logen Poteet led the Exeter boys with a victory in the 3,200-meter run, clocking in at 10:07.96. Colby Orleans won the shot put with a throw of 40-0 and also secured fourth place in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 44.48 seconds.

Colton Ray delivered a series of strong performances, placing second in the long jump (20-0.5), third in the 100-meter dash (11.63), and fourth in the pole vault (11-01). Eli Smith took second place in the triple jump (39-6.5), and Jack Thibodeau was second in the shot put (40-0.25). Thomas Eastwood tied for third in the pole vault at 11-01. Avery Bourgeault finished fourth in the 400 meters (52.75), and Wally Dangora was fifth in the 800 meters (2:00.46).

Both the Exeter 4×100 and 4×400 relay teams secured fourth-place finishes. The 4×100 team, consisting of Caleb Callaway, Gavyn Daley, Lucas Scott, and Colton Ray, finished in 45.44 seconds. The 4×400 team of Avery Bourgeault, Tyler Ream, Wally Dangora, and Agee Griffith completed their race in 3:32.48.

Key Competitors and Performances Across Schools

The Seacoast Championship saw notable performances from athletes across various schools, showcasing the depth of talent in New Hampshire high school track and field.

In the girls' meet, Oyster River's Avery Baumgardt won both the 100-meter hurdles (15.85) and the triple jump (35-08.5). Teammate Mollie Sexton won the javelin with a throw of 113-01. Portsmouth's Leiana Cory was the fastest in the 100-meter dash (12.72), while Molly Flynn of Portsmouth won the 300-meter hurdles (49.24). Winnacunnet's Sofia Parisi took first place in the 3,200 meters (11:59.69). Other top performers included Lela Takekoshi (8-07) and Olivia Huang (8-01) of Exeter, who placed second and third respectively in the pole vault, and Sara Boudreau, also of Exeter, who was fourth in the triple jump (34-07).

For the boys, Spaulding's Aaron Geldart won the 200-meter dash (23.64), placed fourth in the 100-meter dash (11.64), and was part of the winning 4×100 relay (43.96) and the second-place 4×400 relay (3:30.05). Teammate Quincee Lewis was second in the 200 meters (23.93) and competed on the winning 4×100 and 4×800 (8:52.58) relays, as well as the second-place 4×400 relay. Caleb Plante of Spaulding won the long jump (21-10) and was second in the 100 meters (11.52). Spaulding also saw Maverick Hope place third in the javelin (141-04) and Brody Chaisson run in the 4×100 relay. Troy DeAngelis Poland, Anton Broyles, and Nate Pederson joined Lewis on the 4×800 relay.

Somersworth's Ray Labelle dominated the throwing events, winning both the javelin (161-06) and the shot put (41-02.5). Portsmouth's Deondre McAllister won the 100-meter dash (11.29), and Ben Bloom won the high jump (5-11). Winnacunnet's Ryan Jamison won the 300-meter hurdles (39.51). Dover's Melo Berdecia won the 800 meters (1:56.14), and Connor Lazarz won the discus (141-06). Oyster River's Oliver Lehman was victorious in the 1,600-meter run (4:23.67).

This sweep by Exeter's track teams highlights the school's athletic prowess and the dedication of its student-athletes, setting a strong precedent for future competitions and demonstrating their strong position within the Seacoast athletic community.

Championship Overview

• Girls' Team Championship: Exeter | 5 points
• Boys' Team Championship: Exeter | 87 points
• Girls' 4×400 Relay: Exeter | 4:01 (Meet Record)
• Boys' 3,200m Run: Logen Poteet | 10:07.96
• Girls' 800m Run: Lexi Paterna | 2:12.17

Source: Yahoo Sports – https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/n-h-track-exeter-boys-050207016.html