Conway, n.h.
The Raiders didn’t disappoint, getting two PRs each from jumpers Ryan Sullivan and Sophia Miller, receiving a two-foot PR in the boys shot put by winner Marcus Roper and improving on their school record in the boys 4×100 relay.
Both Lebanon teams placed third as Trinity earned its first-ever boys title and Portsmouth captured the girls crown for the first time since 1977.
The Cornell University-bound Kennedy, who entered the day with 14 career event victories and 22 podium finishes (indoor and outdoor combined), was limited to three non-specialty events while recovering from a hip flexor injury that has lingered since April. She won the 800-meter run easily in 2 minutes, 13.18 seconds and contributed to Lebanon’s sixth-place showing in the 4×400, but was absent from the hurdles and sprints she had dominated since 2015.
After placing second to Milford by 7.5 points last season, a healthy Kennedy likely would have given the Raiders a strong chance at their first title since 2014. Lebanon instead finished eight points behind the runner-up Spartans and 18 back of the champion Clippers.
“It’s a huge hit, because she’s such a powerhouse,” Lebanon coach Kevin Lozeau said. “You’re taking at least 30 points off the board for us (when she doesn’t compete in sprints), but it really just isn’t worth it for her long-term health.”
Kath Merchant swept all three throwing events for the second straight year, breaking former Raider Moriah Morton’s five-year-old divisional javelin record by 3 feet, 3 inches with a heave of 128-04. Her shot put throw of 38-05 was a season best, and she won the discus in 121-06. Both marks surpassed last year’s winning throws.
“No PRs today, but you have to be happy with the wins,” Merchant said. “I had a lot of fun today.”
So did Sullivan, a sophomore whose high jump of 6-04 and long jump of 21-09 were both wins. The high jump was eight inches higher than last year’s fourth-place showing for Sullivan, and his long jump was nearly 1½ feet farther than his 2016 runner up finish.
“I never did high jump before last year, so I’ve just been focusing on keeping my hips up,” said Sullivan, who also was part of the Raiders’ winning 4×100 team. “I’d say I like it just as much as the long jump now.”
Roper, a junior, entered seeded behind Goffstown’s Oliver Gunski, but managed to outperform the burly senior. Roper’s throw of 51-07.75 was the best in the field by 1-05.
An early-season elbow injury forced Roper, who is right-handed, to throw using his left arm for a period. It led to technical adjustments he utilized to improve once the right arm healed.
“I realized I wasn’t really doing anything with my non-throwing arm, and it was a balance issue,” Roper said. “I figured out it’s really important to pull that arm to help pop the throws.”
Miller’s runner-up in the triple jump (34-10.25) and fourth-place finish in the long jump (15-07.75) were both PRs, while Sullivan joined Cole Davis, Ryan Milliken and Zach Petrin for a winning 4×100 time of 43.55 that set the Raiders’ team record by 0.1 seconds.
“We’ve been shuffling the 4×1 lineup around all season, and I believe this is the first meet where all four of those guys were (available),” Lozeau said. “Obviously, it was the right combination.”
Milliken placed second to Trinity rival Sebastian Eaton in the 100 and was third to Eaton and Hanover freshman Kyle Doucette in the 200.
Doucette also was fourth in the 100 and the 4×400 team placed fifth for Hanover, which finished 15th overall.
The Marauder girls were 11th, led by senior Hannah Wittmann’s win in the pole vault (9-06) for the second straight year.
Leila Trummel (fourth in the 1,600; 5:08.75) and Elisabeth Nordstrom (sixth in the 800; 2:24.83) also aided Hanover.
“We had 10 individual girls here and 10 individual boys, and including relays, we brought 29. That’s about half of our roster,” said Marauder coach Steve McConnell, a former Dartmouth College decathlete. “Aside from the weather conditions for a lot of the early season, for the most part we’ve had a pretty good year.”
Raider senior Emily Ball was fifth in the 200 dash (27.47) and led off Lebanon’s sixth-place 4×400 relay team for three crucial points. The Raiders tied Souhegan for third and were only two points ahead of Oyster River.
Off the Blocks: Kennedy hurt her hip last month while practicing the high jump prior to a meet at Merrimack Valley. She also threw the shot put Saturday, placing ninth. … Kath Merchant’s twin sister, Kim, placed fifth in the discus (100-07) and 10th in the shot put despite being forced to throw from a stationary position due to a knee condition related to blood flow. … Many Raider athletes had “For Coach Stone” scrawled in marker on their shoulders in honor of 15th-year assistant coach Chris Stone, who has been undergoing cancer treatment, but hasn’t missed much time with the team. … Trinity’s girls performed on the opposite spectrum of its boys, placing last. … It’s the third time in four years that neither Hanover’s boys nor girls team placed in the top 10.
Jared Pendak can be reached at jpendak@vnews.com or 603-727-3225.