Nashua North alum Isabella Di Vernieri has a lot to smile about as last year's Heptathlon champion recently signed a letter of intent to compete at Butler University beginning this fall. (Telegraph file photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – When you win the New Hampshire Hepathlon, people notice.

Thus, when it came to choosing schools, last year’s New Hampshire Heptathlon champion and Nashua High School North graduate Isabella Di Vernieri had her choice of colleges. And top notch ones at that.

The winner? Butler University in Indianapolis, which beat out Kansas, Wichita State and High Point, any one of which student athletes from this area would be proud to attend.

Thus recently Di Vernieri returned to the scene of her greatest triumph, last June’s state Heptathlon, during which she totaled 4,035 points, to sign her letter of intent to attend Butler.

“What I really liked about Butler was first and foremost academics,” Di Vernieri said. “It’s in Indianapolis, which some say is the sports center of the world. You have the Colts, you have NCAA, AAU, USATM, NASCAR, minor league baseball, just so many things. For my major, for being sports management, it just makes sense that I would go there.”

Then, on the track and field side, Butler just got a new track and field facility that Di Vernieri says is “absolutely stunning.”

Butler is going to be hosting NCAA and national events with that facility next year, and Di Vernieri said “I could have an NCAAs as a home meet for me. I think that’s really cool. That’s a wonderful environment for me.”

Di Vernieri will be a multi event athlete at Butler, pentathlon indoor and heptathlon outdoors. And why shouldn’t she? She earned Adidas All-American status at North, giving up soccer and basketball to train exclusively for the Heptathlon her senior year. She ranked 31st nationally in the Indoor Pentathlon in 2023 scoring 3,027 points (five instead of seven events). Academicaly she was ranked 14th in her class at North, so she was certainly the apple of collegiate track coaches’ eyes.

“I’m really, really excited about it,” she said about her college future at Butler.

Especially after getting back in the game, so to speak. She took a gap year this year so she could work and earn some money for school, and has done some competing at the AAU level this year but now she’ll have to do it at the collegiate level. Will it be a shock to her system?

“I think I’ll settle in pretty quickly,” she said. “My gap year has gotten me ready mentally. I don’t think people realize that doing things on your own (competing as an individual) can be very, very challenging. I think it will help me being back in a team environment, just because I’m so excited to represent them. It’s just going to drive me to work really, really hard. I’m going to enjoy the people I’m around.”

It was a big moment recently for North alum Isabella Di Vernieri to sign her letter of intent to attend Butler University in the fall. (Courtesy photo)

She’s been working out with New England Elite based in Haverhill,, Mass., and the coaches have “helped me through this year, staying on track, and mentally OK.” She also knows some coaches out at Winnacunnet High School and drives out to Hampton once or twice a week.

The plan was for her to compete for NE Elite but during the indoor season she strained her hip and was sidelined.

“I’m not thrilled to not be competing but I’m not going to stress over it,” she said. “Stressing over it isn’t going to do anything; I’m just going to stay happy, think about my goals and get back to health. Everybody strains things now and then. Crying and stomping my feet isn’t going to make it heal any faster.”

Right now, any tears Di Vernieri sheds are tears of joy, as she is officially Butler-bound.

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