Newport's Maddox Lovely, left, finishes just ahead of Nashua South's Sarah Witta in the 800 meter run as she was the overall winner in Sunday's 47th annual NH Heptathlon at South's Fran Tate Track. Witta was the top local finisher, ending up fourth overall. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – She’d been knocking on the New Hampshire Heptathlon door the last couple of years.

This past weekend, Newport’s Maddox Lovely finally pushed it down.

Lovely, who was third last year, was pretty much the wire to wire winner in the 47th annual Heptathlon Sunday at Nashua South’s Fran Tate Track.

She totaled 3,982 points, well ahead of Winnacunnet’s Hayden Adams and Kearsarge’s Amelia Lefebvre. Locally, the story was Nashua South sophomore Sarah Witta, who was 10th after one day and finished fourth at 3,070.

Other locals in the top 20: South’s Diamond Perry (12th, 2,682), fellow Panther Emma Millette (17, 2573) and Souhegan’s Mary Howell (18, 2,559).

But Lovely, mainly a hurdler and jumper, left no doubt throughout the event’s second day yesterday.

“In throwing, I improved a bunch, which was very exciting,” Lovely said. “Some of the other events I had hoped would carry me I didn’t do my best, but it was good enough to get a good amount of points and keep me up there.

“I was really focused. As soon as New Englands was over (last weekend), I was like, every day, practicing on something new, make sure I had everything down.”

“She’s had a great weekend,” her coach and father, P.J. Lovely, said. “She’s been close, but this year it looks like she knocked it through. Being a bridesmaid the last couple of years forced her to work a little bit harder, and she wanted it today.”

Lovely went into the day with a 353-point lead, and never wavered over the final three events. She was fifth in the long jump in 4.68 meters, fourth in javelin (27.43 meters) and was second behind Bow’s Hannah Pawlowski in the 800 (2:31.54).

That was just ahead of Witta (third, 2:32.22), but the Panther, who transferred from Bishop Guertin, had a great day in moving up six spots. Besides her great run in the 800, she was 25th in the javelin and sixth in the long jump (4.59 meters).

“We started her out as a hurdler-jumper,” South coach Catrina Lougee said. “And then we said, ‘You know what, let’s try hep (heptathlon) … Throws are definitely here weakest event. But she came through in long jump,and we had her run one 800 for us in indoor, just for fun … For her to run a 2:31, and she had a dance competition on Friday, so we know there’s more on the tape for this kiddo…

“We can’t wait to see what she does (in the future). She’s a strong competitor.”

“It was actually so much fun,” Witta said. “I’m actually kind of tired, but it’s a perfect way to end the season. Hopefully by senior year, I can get first.”

Why wait til then? If it works out, she and Lovely will see each other again next June, and Witta may try to take a page out of the new champion’s book after knocking on the door this year.

(For complete results, go to upstarttiming.com)