Nashua North's Isabella Di Vernieri wears the look of a winner as she captured the 46th annual New Hampshire Heptathlon on Sunday at Nashua South's Fran Tate Track. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – It simply made sense that Nashua High School North just graduated senior Isabella Di Vernieri be crowned the 46th champion of the New Hampshire Heptathlon at Nashua South’s Fran Tate Track.

That’s because Di Vernieri is taking a year off before starting her collegiate career, just so she can compete in other heptathlons.

“It means a lot,” Di Vernieri said. “It makes me think my training was worth it.”

She finished with 4,035 points, while Bohlmann totaled 4,009. Newport’s Maddox Lovely was third at 3,493 while Merrimack (Va.) athlete Victoria Leak and Winnacunnet’s Hayden Adams were tied for fourth at 3,271 to round out the top five. Nashua South’s Caroline Kelly was the next highest local, 18th at 2,266, just ahead of fellow Panther Emely Melendez, who was 19th in 2,221.

When she left last year’s event after finishing third, Di Vernieri had her sights set on winning this year,beginning training in the fall, and things fell into place. She led after the first day, Saturday, and on Sunday it came down to the last event, the 800 meter run. Guess what is her best event?

“That’s my event, that’s my power event, I love the 800,” she said. “I knew I had to go out hard, and I just ran for my life. I sold my soul for that 800.”

And it worked out, in a tight race both overall and in the 800 itself with Newfound Regional’s Malina Bohlmann. Di Vernieri ran a 2:23.20, while Bohlmann was second in 2:29.61.

“I knew I had to beat her by five seconds,” Di Vernieri said. “So I just went out there and gave it my all.”

The first day winning the 100 and finishing second in the 200 helped set her up for the win. Yesterday she was sixth in the long jump in 4.55 meters, then threw a personal best to finish third in the javelin, at 30.45 meters, although Bohlmann won it at 36.40. Then it came to the 800.

The key in any heptathlon/decathlon is to work on an athlete’s weak events while doing well in the strong ones. Di Vernieri did just that.

“I had really been working hard on my hurdles, I ran my second best time ever, high jump I scraped by, the bar attacked me from behind which is always fun,” Di Vernieri said. “Shot put is like throwing a rock. … I did what I had to do.”

Di Vernieri admitted she had to sacrifice some goals competing for North during the school year to be able to triumph yesterday.

“You have to mentally know you have your own goals, and you just have to go toward your end game,” she said. “It’s just believing in yourself.”

She’ll be doing heptathlons during the summer, but this was a great way to start.

“I really wanted to do well at this meet,” she said. “This was one of my big meets of the summer.”