By DAN BARILE
Eagle Times Correspon5dent
PLYMOUTH, N.H. — A couple of local athletes were crowned state champions at the NHIAA Division 2 Indoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday, Feb. 8 at Plymouth State University.
Kearsarge senior Daniel Dalbec raced to victory in the 1,500-meter run and Newport junior Callie Dixon took the top spot in shot put.
Dalbec ran his fastest time of the season (4:10.94) to hold off Hanover’s Andrew Valentino by more than four seconds.
Dixon also had a breakthrough performance, increasing her personal record (PR) by more than a foot to defeat Coe Brown’s Isabelle Grenier by less than three inches.
“Callie is one of the most dedicated and hardworking individuals I have coached,” Newport Assistant Coach Ethan Houde said. “She is extremely driven both in throwing practice and the weight room. Her big throw at the state meet is the culmination of months of hard work and dedication. Callie has already begun working in the weight room to prepare for New England’s and has her eyes set on another big PR.”
Dalbec and Dixon will compete in the New England Championships on Saturday, March 1 at Reggie Lewis Track in Boston, Massachusetts.
Dalbec was the only competitor for the Kearsarge boys, but Dixon was joined by senior standout Maddox Lovely.
“Maddox, who has been injured for the majority of the season, had a breakout day at the state meet where she broke her PR and school record in the 55-meter dash (7.58) by nearly 0.2 seconds and finished in fourth place overall in Division 2,” Houde said. “Maddox also broke her PR and school record in the 300-meter dash (43.57) and finished in fifth place in Division 2. Maddox is looking to build on this great performance with a great spring season.”
Lovely was also selected to the Division 2 All-State team, despite not being able to compete in her top events due to a hip injury.
Kearsarge had several girls compete, including Javiera Eliessetch (seventh in high jump), Gabrielle Lamb (eighth in shot put), Riley Raynes (11th in high jump), and a 4 x 200-meter relay team of Alexi Shaughnessy, Raynes, Eliessetch and Juliet Faria which finished 11th.
Cayden Forand was the lone individual competitor for the Newport boys, finishing eighth in the 600-meter run while breaking his own school record with a time of 1:29.36.
“Cayden, who has been trying to break 1:30 all year, finally met his goal and is preparing for a huge outdoor season,” said Houde.
Forand was also joined by Bryce Palmer, John Wilkinson and Michael Bohn on the Tigers’ 4 x 400-meter relay team, which placed 12th in 3:57.57.
The Newport girls finished 12th, and the Kearsarge boys placed 15th out of the 42 schools represented.
