Pair of Titans hoping to lead North girls in D1 track championship

The Nashua High School North girls track team is a long shot to be considered a contender for the Division I indoor track title.

That doesn’t mean the Titans don’t have some athletes who could make some noise during Sunday’s meet at Dartmouth College.

Two in particular have a shot at returning home with an individual championship – Jen Gagnon in the shot put and Tatiana Escellante in the 55-meter dash.

Gagnon is seeded third in the shot put going into the meet, but is only a little more than two feet behind the top seeded thrower.

“It gives me more incentive because they’re so close,” Gagnon said. “It makes me want to push myself so I can get up to that mark. I think I can. I just have to focus and buckle down.”

The senior’s top throw this season is 35-6 ½,  but Gagnon and her coach, Michelle Marquis, both admit she sometimes doesn’t get the best arch on her attempts.

“She throws the 35-plus in a straight line,” Marquis said. “She can throw 38, but she just needs to put it all together. It’s totally in reach.”

To prepare for the meet, Gagnon has constructed an obstacle course to throw through with the hopes that enough repetition will get her to throw the same way when it’s not there.

“We’re putting mats in front of the circle and hoola-hoops up where we want to get it,” she said. “Once you get comfortable, you have to train your body a different way. I’m really focusing on getting my shot up instead of a straight bullet.”

Gagnon has experience on her side, having qualified for the meet last season. She also got to watch a champion first hand a year ago, as North’s Kevin Rosenberg finished first in the shot put during last indoor season.

Getting to see how he worked every day in practice helped Gagnon realize what it takes to be at that level.

“It definitely motivated me seeing Kevin Rosenberg,” she said. “It makes things more challenge because you see him and he doesn’t give up. He gives a hundred percent all the time. It made me strive. I’m so close and it’s my last year, so I’m really going for it.”

Escellante will also be going for a title in the 55, entering the event in a three-way tie for the top seed with a time of 7.3 seconds. The junior was able to achieve that despite not being able to compete with the team for more than half the season because she wasn’t eligible.

“She worked real hard for the second half of the semester to get her grades up so she could participate,” Marquis said. “She really turned it around. She has just worked so hard, understanding that people were on her side. I think she really accepted the challenge and needed to step up a little bit.”

Escellante attributes her successful return to the support she got from Marquis along with her teammates.

“Without them, I don’t think I could be where I am now,” she said. “There were times I had to practice by myself and I had to push myself. When it comes to track, I really give it my all.”

In order to win, Escellante will have to do that. The field of 13 is separated by just two-tenths of a second.

“It’s all I’ve been thinking about,” she said. “I just keep thinking about being on that line with all those other girls and see how it’s going to happen. It’s going to be one tough race.”

Marquis is expecting to get points from Gagnon and Escellante along with high jumper Keilah Ireland. The Titans have a team in all three relays, and they’re seeded eighth in the 4x160.

“We have so many young kids, so I’m glad they’re getting the experience of Sunday,” Marquis said. “It can go either way when you have such young athletes.”

The Division I meet is scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. Sunday at Dartmouth College.