Merrimack track teams ready to run

Friday, February 1, 2013

It’s an unofficial national holiday, a day when most Americans plant themselves in front of a television to watch football and debate the best commercials.

But in New Hampshire, Super Bowl Sunday has traditionally meant something else. It’s the day indoor track and field championships are decided at Dartmouth College.

In Division I, the Bishop Guertin girls will be looking to make it 11 straight indoor titles, an ongoing record. Londonderry and Winnacunnet of Hampton are two schools with their eyes on ending the streak.

The Division I boys meet could very well come down to the final relays, with defending champion Pinkerton Academy and Nashua North battling it out for the title.

The Bishop Guertin girls aren’t as deep as they’ve been in the past, but the quality is still there, beginning with senior points machine Betsy Garnick.

Garnick comes in as the top seed in the 55 hurdles, her best event, and at or near the top in the long jump, 55 dash and 300. She’ll likely figure in between 30-40 points.

The Cardinals will have to decide how best to deploy senior Sarah Burke and junior Molly McCabe in any race from 55-1,500 meters, not to mention the relays.

In boys Division I, it looks like a two-horse race between Pinkerton and North. The Titan have one of the top sprinters in sophomore Zakari Jenkins, one of the top distance runners in senior Craig Hammond and two of the top three in the shot put with seniors Mike Lynch and Deric Wagner.

A key to North’s chances will be relay teams, sure to include junior William Goulding.

Merrimack will get points from sprinter Adam Floyd, while Alvirne’s Aaron Bellomo is the top seed in the 1,500. Alvirne has another high seed in high jumper Phil Skinner.