Laconia Middle relay team places 1st in state

LACONIA — The Laconia Middle School’s boys track and field relay team ranked first at the state championship on June 9, at Manchester Memorial High School. The boys team ended the season undefeated.

Eighth graders Dante Vlk, Marcello Ruley, Ian Kristoffersen and Luke Dorval-Drown won first place overall in the 4x100 relay, with a time of 48.12 seconds.

Vlk and Ruley have been running track for two years, while Kristoffersen and Dorval-Drown have been running for three. The boys began practicing together at the beginning of April.

“We practiced daily,” Kristoffersen said. “It was intense, and competitive at times.”

“Each of us improved,” Ruley said. “It took dedication.”

Coaches Sami Hicks and Elise Commons regularly saw the four students putting in extra effort outside of their regular practice schedule to cut down their running time.

“They would come practice on days we didn’t have school,” Commons said. “They put in a lot of time. They deserved it.”

The entire boys track team also won the Lakes Region Regional Championship, where the team has snagged the top prize three years in a row.

All four boys plan to continue their track and field careers at Laconia High School.

“If they keep running, they’ll be breaking records,” Hicks said.