Repeat after Sawyer: Conant sophomore wins Decathlon again
NASHUA – This time, he left no doubt.
A year ago, Conant High School’s Ben Sawyer was perusing through the results a couple of days after the 2022 New Hamsphire Decathlon had been completed and he had apparently finished second behind local favorite Nashua North’s Jack Sullivan.
But he noticed something was wrong. He was scored at the pole vault at nine feet even, instead of the 9-6 he had been told he had finsished. When he contact event officials, they did the math and realized those six inches made him pass Sullivan and win the event by nine points.
Fast forward to Sunday, and Sawyer doesn’t have to read any fine print. The Oriole sophomore was in complete control the entire two days of the 2023 Decathlon, and came away as a repeat champion.
“I was looking to repeat, and I definitely did better in all the events,” Sawyer said. “It feels good. If Jack was competing, it would have felt better.”
Sawyer said he was hoping Sullivan would be present to “push me along.” But the now North graduate suffered a foot injury at some point during the spring season and did not compete in any postseason events, including the Division I championships.
Sawyer totaled 5,825 points, easily outdistancing Lebanon senior Tanner Ames, who was second at 5,123. Plymouth’s Cole Ahern, who finished fifth last year,, was third at 5,099, just ahead of Nashua South graduate Sami Witta, fourth at 4,946. Winnacunnet junior Oliver Duffy rounded out the top five at 4,893.
The only other locals in the top 20 were Souhegan sophomore Dallen Noorda (4,298) in 14th, just ahead of Saber teammate Cole Henderson (4,227, 15th). Souhegan’s Finley Raudelunas was 22nd and Nashua North’s Darius Smith 24th.
Sawyer was third in the 110 hurdles (16.54 seconds), seventh in the discus (31.96 meters) which was won by Ames (47.12), and eighth in the pole vault (3.05 meters). But he bounced back with a third in the javelin (40.72) that really cemented his spot as he finished 19th in the 1500 meters (4:59.33).But it was the first day that really carried him as he won the long jump and 400 and was second in the 100. Sprints and jumps were his thing at Conant, and he admitted he really didn’t sacrifice anything in the spring season to focus on the events that he normally didn’t compete in.
“I only focused on the events I was good at during the season, because we were trying to go back-to-back at states (Division III),” he said, noting he won the long jump and hurdles in that meet.
South’s Witta was 12th in the hurdles, 23rd in discus, 15th in pole vault and javelin, and 14th in the 1500 meters. Thus consistency got him his top five finish, along with the fact the was fifth the day before in both the long jump and shot put, and tied for fourth in the high jump on Saturday as well.
North thrower Darius Smith, as one would expect, was second in the discus (40.11 meters) and javelin (45.68 meters).
Is there a threepeat in the works? Can he be a four-time Decathlon champion, as he has two more years he can compete? One wonders, but Sawyer for now was happy with the present.
“It feels really good to be on top,” he said.
With no fine print.
(Complete results can be found at northstartiming.com)