Competing on their home track, the Londonderry High School boys and girls track and field teams turned in a strong overall performance at the NHIAA Division I State Championships on Saturday, May 30, with the boys finishing ninth in the team standings with 26 points in very wet and windy conditions.
The highlight of the day for the Lancers boys came in the distance relays, where Londonderry captured a state title in the 4×800-meter relay. The team of Finn McDonald, Jack DiBuono, Josh Twomey, and Carson Fitzgerald posted a winning time of 8:08.67, edging out Portsmouth and Pinkerton in one of the most competitive races of the meet.
Londonderry also showed its strength in middle-distance events.
Josh Twomey delivered a standout performance in the 800 meters, finishing second overall in 1:54.60. Teammate Jack DiBuono placed seventh, at 2:00.16, while Finn McDonald added a ninth-place finish (2:01.49), giving the Lancers multiple scorers in the event.
In the 1,600 meters, Carson Fitzgerald turned in another strong effort, placing third with a time of 4:25.45. Teammate Jack Mortimer added a sixth-place finish in 4:31.61, further contributing to Londonderry’s point total.
The Lancers also picked up points in the 3,200 meters, where Patrick Ramsey placed ninth in 10:01.55.
In the sprints and relays, Londonderry’s 4×100 team of John Vaccaro, Nate Twomey, Gavin MacLean, and Devin VanAvery finished 12th overall, while the 4×400 relay squad placed outside the scoring positions against a deep field.
In the field events, Ike Leeper recorded a 14th-place finish in the shot put with a throw of 36 feet, two inches.
Behind a strong showing in the distance events and a state championship relay performance, Londonderry proved competitive against the top programs in Division I, using its depth to secure a top-10 finish on its home track.
GIRLS
The Londonderry girls team also had a top finisher despite the tough conditions.
Leading the way was the multi-sport senior athlete Eres DeLorey, who captured the state title in the high jump. DeLorey cleared 5 feet, 4 inches to secure first place and deliver Londonderry’s top performance of the meet.
In the distance events, Drewanne Sherman posted a solid effort in the 1,600 meters, finishing in 5:46.60, while Anna Laufersweiler competed in a deep 3,200-meter field, crossing in 12:10.38. Londonderry also saw representation in the 4×800 relay, where the team of Ella DiBuono, Stella Dutton, and teammates battled to an eighth-place finish.
On the sprint side, Eva Boutwell competed in the 100-meter dash, clocking a time of 13.56 in the preliminaries, while Lillian Paris added a 18.47 showing in the 100-meter hurdles.
In the field events, Alex Pena recorded a jump of 14 feet, 6 inches in the long jump, placing among the top competitors, while Sharon Jackson turned in a strong performance in the javelin with a throw of 85 feet.
The Lancers also showed depth in the relays, competing in both the 4×100 and 4×400 events against some of the state’s top programs.
As a team, the Londonderry girls finished 10th overall with 14 points, a result bolstered by DeLorey’s championship performance and contributions across multiple disciplines.