By Chris Paul
The Londonderry High School Boys’ and Girls’ Track and Field Teams competed in the NHIAA Division I State Championship last week with the boys’ team placing fourth, out of 18 teams, and the girls finished in 13th.
The Lancer boys had a 52-point total behind first place winner, Bedford High School with 88-points; Pinkerton Academy scored 60, for second; and Keene took third place with 54-points.
Two LHS boys placed first in three events at the state meet held on Thursday, May 25. Senior Andrew Kullman took the top spot in the Long Jump and the High Jump, while standout runner Sean Clegg was able to retain his title for the second straight year in the 400-Meter Dash.
Clegg’s time of 49.8 was nearly a second faster than his nearest competitor and was less than a second behind the state record of 48.24. His time of 50.24 last year was good for the 2022 title.
In the High Jump, Kullman repeated as state champ with his height of 6’4″, two inches higher than his 2022 finish and two inches higher that Paul Butler of Spaulding, who took second last week.
Kullman also took home a first-place medal in the Long Jump with his effort of 22′.75″. The finish was just five-inches shy of the DI record of 22’07”, which was established back in 2006 by Londonderry’s Freddie Willis.
The Lancers also had three third-place finishers at the event.
Senior Ryan Fortin was third in the 3,200-Meter Run with his time of 9:36.75. The winner, BG’s Mat Giardina, had a time of 9:24.11.
Senior Donovan Gannon finished his day with two, third-place finishes.
Gannon reached 11’6″ in the Pole Vault for third, and in the Triple Jump, Gannon landed at 40’11.5″ for his third place finish.
In the 1,600-Meter Run, Fortin finished in fourth with a time of 4:29.4. The winner came in at 4:22.33.
In the Javelin, senior Michael Sampson had a distance of 142’11” and finished in seventh-place.
GIRLS
The girls’ team’s highest finishers were in the Pole Vault, where Londonderry had four competitors in the top seven.
Junior Amanda Robinson had a second-place finish in the Pole Vault, reaching 9’6″ in her first attempt.
Seniors Marline Fitzgerald and Ava Ruppel finished at 9-feet, with Fitzgerald taking fifth and Ruppel getting sixth.
Junior Lilly Haggett was just out of scoring with her seventh-place vault of 8’6″.
Robinson finished in seventh at the Triple Jump with her 33’7″ result.
Mary Croteau also had a seventh-place result in the Javelin with a throw of 97’5″.
In the High Jump, sophomore Linsey Gregoire had a ninth-place finish at 4’8″.
Sophomore Nkechi Wambu had a Discus Throw of 83’2″ and finished in ninth.
In the 4×100 Relay, the team of Jaylin Galeaz, Ruppel, Fitzgerald and Emma Nadeau finished in tenth (51.84).