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Timberlane juniors Matthew Dionne (10th, 4,679) and Jason Mulhall (12th, 4,529) were the top local athletes at the 54th annual New Hampshire Decathlon. Bow senior Dylan Lucas won with 5,919 points.

It was a momentous day for some top local tracksters highlighted by a national title by Andover’s Moira Cronin. The junior has gone higher a few times but she won a pressure-packed jump-off to claim the championship at the New Balance Nationals yesterday in Greensboro, N.C. Her winning height was 5-8 3/4 to edge Chelsea Utley of Virginia, who cleared 5-8 1/2. Cronin won the jump-off by clearing 5-8 on her first try. “It was a terrible day for high jumping and Moira just came through. She was amazing,’’ said coach Peter Comeau. Methuen’s talented distance corps closed out their seasons with a bang, demolishing the five-year-old state record by 17 seconds in the infrequently run 4xmile with a 17:33.79 clocking. Haddonfield, N.J., won the race in 17:20.21. Bishop Guertin of Nashua, led by Windham’s Francis Hernandez, was fourth in the 17:29.35. Andrew Stamatopulos (UMass Lowell) ran a 4.25.2 opening leg, Jared Reddy (UMass Amherst) ran a big 4:20.7 leg then Ranger valedictorian Ben Pare (BC) ran a terrific 4:19.8. Junior Cam Kelley came through with a career best 4:27.3 to bring it home. “They have wanted this for two years,’’ said an overjoyed Methuen assistant Scott Ouellet.  “They knew that 17:50 was out there and they knew they could get it. When we learned they were in the seeded heat that gave them a shot of adrenaline. They knew they could run with those guys.’’ In the 100, Andover’s Christopher McConnell placed 14th in 10.82 while Andover’s 4x200 team of Pat Farnham, McConnell, Troy Cayon and Mark Vetere took fourth in 1:28.23 and Andover vaulter Mark Vetere broke his own school outdoor record with a 15-0 1/4 for 14th. Vetere, his brother Adam Vetere, Kerrick Stevens and Connor O’Neill placed 12th in the 4x400 in 3:18.08, slicing nearly a full second off their area record from earlier in the season. Haverhill’s Rebecca Stabile broke her own area mark with a 63.59 for 23rd in the 400 hurdles and she ran a season best 58.30 to place 22nd in the emerging elite 400. Emerging elite is the unseeded performers. Several locals shined in the emerging elite races. The Andover girls (Kayla Baldwin, Terra Organisciak, Vanessa Singleton, Eve Bishop) were third in the 4x200 in 1:42.30 and Andover’s boys 4x800 was runner-up in 7:57.25 and Eve Bishop was 13th in the 200 in a speedy 25.31, one of the top times ever in the area. North Andover’s Darryl Varney placed 10th in the mile in 4:21.89. Pentucket’s Alanna Poretta had an off day and was 19th in the girls mile in 5:24.30.

NEW BRITAIN, Conn. — Andover junior high jumper Moira Cronin (5-9), Salem junior discus thrower Amy Desrosiers (123-10) and Lawrence's 4x100 relay team of Jean Zorilla, Francesco Cuesta, Christian Reyes and Francis Nova (43.06) won their specialties at the 65th annual New England Track Championships.

WESTFIELD — Through all of his track records and accomplishments, Andover star Christopher McConnell had never earned outdoor All-State track gold.

Yesterday, McConnell left the field with a pair of personal titles and a team crown.

Rozumek soars to victory

Victoria Rozumek high jumped 5-2 in the winter, but then a mysterious “mental block’’ marred her season.

Mark Rollfs tooks second in the mile (10:02.61) and Nick Capezzuto was third in the 400 (50.89) as North Reading placed 11th at the Eastern Mass. Division 4 meet.

Anthony Giorgi placed second in the 110 hurdles (15.88), was eighth in the 300 hurdles and ran on the 4x100 relay that was fourth as Sanborn placed 11th at the Class M and S meet.

MERRIMACK NH — Becca Parascandola of Londonderry thought she had a chance for the trifecta, but Salem's Jerickson Fedrick wasn't as confident about his. Both, however, highlighted yeterday's New Hampshire Class L state track meet.

The Phillips Academy boys track team, which won the New England Class A Prep meet a week earlier, completed a perfect season with a 106-39 romp over Phillips Exeter. North Reading's Bobby Vardaro won shot put (52-11 1/2) and discus, Alec Bingaman won both the javelin and 110 hurdles and junior Malcolm Mason-Rodriguez was a big triple winner with big jumps in both the long jump (23-9 1/4) and triple jump (47-10) while also winning the high jump.