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Salem's Higgins defends state title

Friday, May, 27 By Jeff Hamrick

MERRIMACK — Melissa Higgins needed some help coordinating her day, but the Salem senior ended up doing all the hard work herself.

Running from one event to another, Higgins defended her New Hampshire Division 1 300-meter hurdle title and also placed in three other events yesterday afternoon at Merrimack High School. Her 22-point effort helped Salem finish fifth with 45 points, far behind girls winner Bishop Guertin’s 94. Londonderry was third with 62 and Pinkerton was fourth with 58.

Moments after winning the 300 hurdles in a time of 45.06, Higgins was making her first of three final leaps in the long jump, finishing fifth with a 16-9. Higgins, who will attend Fordham University next year, also finished third in the triple jump (35-1) and fourth in the 110 hurldes (15.91).

“My ultimate goal was I’ve been striving for the (300 hurdle) state record (43.63),” Higgins said. “But my goal today was a 44, so I just missed it. My coaches are a big help when I have to be in two places at the same time. They negotiate with the referees, but they’re always looking out for me.”

Salem junior Victoria Rozumek won the high jump (5-4). Pinkerton’s Abbey Smith had a strong meet finishing second in the 100 and third in the 100 hurdles. Pinkerton also won the the 4x100 and 4x800 relays.

Winslow overcomes nemesis

Lyssa Winslow of Londonderry has spent her career looking up at defending state discus champ Amy Desrosiers of Salem. Winslow, however, not only had the best day of her career, but also set an area record in the process.

The Lancer senior won the discus with a throw of 133-8, eclipsing the area mark of 133-4 set by Julia O’Hern of Phillips in 2000. Winslow also finished third in the shot put.

“I prepared all season for this, and today is the climax of everything,” said Winslow, who will be attending Principia College in southern Illinois. “Coming into today, I felt very focused and very prepared.”
Desrosiers finished second with a throw of 127-11.

“This is my first time beating Amy,” said Winslow, who struggled in the preliminaries with a best throw of 101-4. “But she’s a great competitor and she’s become a close friend over the last three years. She was a great support for me today as I’ve been for her on other days.”

Tahtamoni outduels rival

Salem’s Eric Tahtamoni was out to prove something in the boys 400, and just winning wasn’t going to satisfy the Blue Devil junior.

“For the last two weeks, I’ve been No. 1 (in the state),” Tahtamoni said. “On Tuesday, I checked the standings and I was No. 2 (behind Bishop Guertin’s Andrew Perez). When I woke up (yesterday morning), I said ‘I want it back.’ “

Tahtamoni outdueled the Guertin senior, finishing in a personal best 50.59 — .02 ahead of Perez.

“(Perez) had run a 50.7, and if I had won (yesterday) but didn’t beat that 50.7, I was going to give the medal to him,” Tahtamoni said. “I did not want that medal unless I beat that time. I might have just given it to him and said, ‘You’re still No. 1.’ “

Other local boys

Salem, which finished sixth with 40 points — one behind Pinkerton and far behind Nashua North’s title-winning 85 — also got victories from Mike Lorenz in the javelin, and in the long jump by Max Jacques, who also finished second in the triple jump despite behing hampered in recent weeks with ankle problems.

The only other area winner on the boys side was Timberlane’s Matt Dionne, who won the high jump in 6-2.