Reading Track Aims High in the Division 3 State Championships
This article was written by resident Tom Grant, a parent of a student-athlete.
(6-7 minute read)
The Reading girls’ and boys’ track teams have reached the penultimate meet of the season, the Division 3 State Championships held at Merrimack College in North Andover. The meet happens over two days, the 28th and the 30th. In 2025, the girls finished third, and the boys finished fifth. Both teams are aiming higher in 2026, and the team’s top performers are geared up for this meet after strong showings in the Middlesex League Championships last week. While many Rockets will hope to qualify for and compete in the Meet of Champions on June 4th and June 6th, the Division 3 State Championships is the biggest meet of the season.
Below is a rundown of the events and how Reading potentially stacks up against the competition. The rankings list Reading’s athletes who are in the top eight among Division 3 in that event this season. Reading does not have a top-eight athlete in every event. Indeed, Reading may not have had an athlete qualified for state championships in every event, given the stiff qualifying standards. Some athletes are mentioned below, even if their times or distances did not place them in the top eight, because they are close to making it.
Girls Division 3 State Championships Preview.
100m
Kamryn Encarnacao has been putting up faster times as the season wears on, including a personal best of 12.32 at the Middlesex League Championships, which currently puts her third in D3. The top two runners in this event have run 12.02 and 12.10, but Encarnacao is right in the mix after those two. With the eighth-best time in D3 coming in at 12.64, Encarnacao looks likely to medal in this event.
200m
In a similar story to the 100m, Kamryn Encarnacao has posted improving times all season long in the 200m, with her 25.54 at the Middlesex League Championships ranking her third in D3. In the 200m, however, Encarnacao’s time is only nine-hundredths behind the second-best time this year. With the eighth-best time in D3 at 26.02, Encarnacao again looks likely to medal.
Hannah Kenton (right) and Tessa Rock (left) go 1-2 in the 400m. Photo by Tom Grant.
400m
Tessa Rock and Hannah Kenton will give it their best, but with the top six times in D3 all under 61 seconds, the 400m will be a tough event for the Rockets to score.
800m, 1-mile, and 2-mile
There was something in the air this spring…was it cold temperatures and rain…that led to very fast distance times? Whatever the cause, the distance events in D3 look to be extremely competitive this season. In the 800, the top eight times are all 2:20 and below, in the mile, they are all below 5:20, and in the two-mile, they are all below 11:50. Stella McLean (800 - 2:30.16), Eva Kirkwood (1-mile - 5:40.18), and Bridget Branson (1-mile - 5:56.34) will have their work cut out for them.
100H
Isabelle Lightbody looks to continue her impressive season in the hurdles, where she currently ranks fifth with a time of 15.58. The fourth-fastest time is well ahead of her, but the sixth-fastest time is well behind her. Lightbody looks like she has a solid chance to score in the 100H.
400H
The top seven times in the 400H in D3 are all faster than the winning time in the Middlesex League Championships last week, so this will be a fast event.
4x100
Reading’s sprinters are coming off a fourth-place finish in the 4x100 in the Middlesex League Championships and are ranked third in D3 with a time of 50.59. This event plays into Reading’s strengths as the sprints team is deep and talented this year. Sophomore Annabelle Repucci, freshman Aryanna Neth, junior Rachel Grady, and Encarnacao appear to be the Rockets’ team for this meet, but any of junior Samantha Lake, senior Katherine Savio, or senior Danielle Bowers could step in if needed.
4x400
Two members of the winning girls 4x400 team. Photo by Tom Grant.
Reading’s 4x400 squad of Hannah Kenton, Stella McLean, Samantha Lake, and Tessa Rock put up the tenth-best time in D3 this year at 4:19.24, only a couple of seconds out of eighth place. This team has the depth and consistency required to make a push onto the podium.
4x800
Reading placed 17th in the Division 3 Relays in early May with a time of 11:20.53. Pushing that into the top eight is a tough ask. Branson, junior Allison Juffre, junior Drew Goodwin, and senior Tess Weaver are ready for the task. Reading also has Kirkwood, McLean, and sophomore Anna Stepler ready to step in as alternates.
Shot Put, Discus, and Javelin
Reading’s throwers will have a tough time competing against the top throwers in D3, who are clearing 34 feet in the shot put, and 100 feet in both the discus and the javelin.
High Jump
While no jumpers from Reading are listed in the top ten, the eighth-place jump is 5’0”, which Anabelle Repucci has cleared this year. She is definitely in the running for the top eight.
Long Jump
Repucci and Lightbody have both had strong seasons in the long jump, with Repucci ranking fourth in D3 at 18’0.5” and Lightbody fifth at 17’11.5”. This is the Rockets’ best chance to have two scorers in an event.
Triple Jump
It is a similar story in the triple jump as in the long jump for Reading. Lightbody has the top jump in all of D3 this year at 37’1.5” and senior Danielle Bowers (35-04.25*) is ranked ninth, giving the Rockets a shot at getting two scorers.
Boys Division 3 State Championships Preview
100m
Reading’s school record-holder Ryan Pulpi (10.71) has the top time in all of D3 this year, but there are seven other sprinters who have also run under 11 seconds this year, so this will be a mighty test for Pulpi. On the other hand, watch out for rapidly improving junior Zalen Puff, who just ran a personal best of 11.10 at the Middlesex League Championship meet. If he continues his trajectory, Reading could have two scorers in the 100m.
200m
Pulpi (21.76) again brings the best time into the Championships, and in this case, he is the only sprinter to go under 22 seconds. Since this event happens entirely on Thursday, while the other sprints are on Saturday, Pulpi will not have to save any energy. Watch for him to potentially break the school record in this event.
400m
Pulpi, for the third time, is again the top sprinter in D3, this time with an incredible time of 47.31. His time is almost two seconds faster than the next best time in D3. If he runs both the 400 and the 100, which are both held on Saturday, he will have quite the challenge to win them both, much less put up the kind of times he has earlier in the season.
800m
Juniors Finn Johnson-Houlihan (1:58.60) and Sebastian Orsini (1:59.39) have the seventh- and eighth-fastest times in D3 this year. While the top five times are all 1:57 or faster, if both these runners compete, they both have a good chance of finishing anywhere from sixth to eighth.
1-mile
Johnson-Houlihan (4:23.60) has the second-fastest time in D3 this year by a mere 62 hundredths of a second, so if he runs, watch for him to fight for first. Junior Max King (4:32.22) has been incredibly consistent this year and, on a good day, could break into the top eight.
2-mile
Karmani Mirville leads the Rockets to a 6th place finish in the shuttle hurdles. Photo by Tom Grant.
Johnson-Houlihan (9:25.07) has the best time for the Rockets this season and ranks third in D3. It is unlikely he will run all three distance events, and given his ranks, it seems more likely he will run the mile and the two-mile. The top time in D3 in the two-mile is 9:12.00 and was run by the cross-country state champion, Landon Sarney of Oliver Ames. This race will be a difficult test for Johnson-Houlihan, as the top five runners have all run under 9:32.
110H
Reading senior Karmani Mirville (15.52) has improved his times by over a second this year and now ranks eighth in D3. If he can continue his improvement, he is only hundredths of a second out of seventh place.
400H
The top eight times this year are all under 58 seconds, making this a difficult event for the Rockets in which to score. Senior Jamison Bentley (59.65 - 19th in D3) has the best shot, but it will take a new personal best to make the top eight.
4x100
Reading has the fastest time in D3 this year at 42.96, but that was with Pulpi. He is focusing on the individual events at this meet and will not run the relay. Even without Pulpi, however, Reading still has a strong team of junior Matthew Dougherty, freshman Brady LaMontagne, junior Domenic Pate, and Puff.
4x400
Reading has the third-fastest time in D3 with a run of 3:27.79. Look for the Rockets to stay in that range, as the teams above them have run notably faster, while the teams behind them have run notably slower. Reading’s foursome of Pate, senior Owen Sinclair, senior Cameron Gigler, and junior Jack Millerick are poised to finish in the top half of this race.
4x800
Reading’s time of 8:26.60 ranks sixth in D3, but was run on a cold, windy, rainy day in early May. This team will be aiming to finish higher on Saturday. The top times in D3 are all right around 8:21. The team of Orsini, King, sophomore Declan Grant, and Johnson-Houlihan have their sights set on the top half of the podium.
Shot Put and Discus
The top throwers in D3 are throwing over 47’ in the shot put and 140’ in the discus, making these challenging events for Reading to place in. Jamie Dudley (shot put - 43-9.25) is out for a new personal best and hopefully a top-eight finish.
Javelin
Reading’s Luke Rogerson (201-5.00) has the top throw in D3 by 12 feet, but this will be the deepest field he has faced this year. Rogerson remains the favorite by quite a large margin, but he might have another thrower push him for once in this meet.
Ryan Audley gives it his all in the triple jump. Photo by Tom Grant.
High Jump
Senior Levi Emmanuel’s (6-4.00) first season on the track team continues to impress, as he has the second-highest jump in D3 this season. Emmanuel looks ready for a top-eight finish, and on a good day, he can compete for the win.
Long Jump
With multiple jumpers over 22’, this will be a tough event for Reading to place in the top eight. However, sophomore Ryan Audley continues to improve in this event, jumping 21-00.50 at the Middlesex League Championships. If he has a big day, the top eight is at least in reach.
Triple Jump
Audley (43-02.50) has the tenth-best jump in D3 this year, ten inches out of eighth. He will be in the mix and on a good day can find his way into the top eight.
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