Jaz Blanchette
Special to The Rochester Voice
EXETER - Eight middle school teams gathered on Wednesday at Philips Exeter Academy for the Coastal Middle School Track & Field Championship. Competing schools included Rochester Middle School, Barrington Middle School, Deerfield Community School, Dover Middle School, Northwood School, Nottingham School, Oyster River Middle School, and Somersworth Middle School.
Oyster River Middle School Girls Track & Field team dominated the event, earning 1st place with a total of 102 points. Rochester Middle School followed in 2nd place with 77 points, and Nottingham School secured 3rd with 66 points.
Rochester Middle School’s standout athletes, Graycee Brown and Madison Jones—best friends and friendly rivals—stood out as the meet’s top performers, tying for MVP honors. Brown swept her events, clinching 1st in the 100m Dash (13.69), Long Jump (15 ½ ft), and 4x100m Relay (55.15). Jones took 1st in the 200m Dash (29.2), 4x100m Relay (55.15), 2nd in the 100m Dash (13.79), and 5th in the High Jump (4 ft, 2 in).
Both athletes will compete at the NH Meet of Champions at Manchester Memorial High School on Tuesday, representing Rochester alongside other qualified middle school athletes from across New Hampshire.
Additional standout performances contributed to Rochester’s 2nd place finish. Julianna Gilbert claimed 3rd in High Jump with a leap of 4 feet 6 inches. Layla Reilly won the 400m run in 1:02.01 and finished 2nd in the 800m run with a time of 2:35.80. Joseline Prunes placed 5th in the Girls Discus Throw, tossing 53-05 feet. The Girls 4x100m Relay team (Layla Reilly, Madison Jones, Alexa Niven, and Graycee Brown) finished 1st with a time of 55.15. The Girls 4x200m Relay team (Chloe Plaisted, Sachi Andres, Alejandra Hernandez Parsell, and Zoey Brown) finished 6th in 2:18.47.
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