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North Andover needed to go one-two in the 200 and win the 400 relay to rally past Triton in boys track yesterday and the Knights did just that, prevailing 73-72. Eric Riedel won the 200 in 24.1 with long jump winner John Manteiga in second and the foursome of Kyle Quinn, David Rose, 400 winner Max Almano and Brendan Varney closed it out in the relay.Tim Coppa was first in the mile and runner-up to Alex Sullivan in the 2-mile.

John Braga finished first in the 400 hurdles (63.3). second in the 400 (59.5) and third in the long jump (18-3), but it wasn't enough for North Reading who came up on the short end of a 76-69 decision to Ipswich. Matt Okscin had fwo first place finishes -one in the 200 (25.2) and the other in the 400 (54.5). He also finished second in the long jump (18-11) and third in the high jump (5-2).

Pat Morrow won the high jump (5-8), 110 hurdles (15.8) and 400 hurdles (60.2) as Andover opened it season by rolling past Chelmsford 96-49. Adam Carrington added wins in the pole vault, 200 and ran on the winning 4x100 relay.

Methuen boys track swept the three throwing events in an 85-51 win over Lawrence. Dan Cormier won the shot put by throwingh 49-4.

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.