EMITL championship meet set today

A year ago, the teams that make up the Eastern Maine Indoor League trained hard for three months, worked themselves into championship shape … and never got to find out who the top performers in the league really were.

A snowstorm forced the cancellation of the league championship meet, and a makeup date was not available.

On Saturday, the 15 schools that make up the EMITL will gather at the University of Maine’s field house to contest this year’s championship meet. At least, that’s what everybody hopes.

“Our first priority this year is to have [the meet],” Hampden coach David King said with a chuckle. “Our second priority is to win it.”

King’s girls are expected to battle with Bangor and undefeated Brewer for the girls title.

On the boys side, 19-0 Brewer will try to hold off 17-2 Bangor and 14-2 Mount Desert Island.

The meet begins at 3:45 p.m. and should wrap up around 10 p.m.

Brewer coach Dave Jeffrey said his teams have always focused their season’s work on performing well at the league championship meet. Last year they didn’t get that chance.

“Last year there was a little hole at the end of the season that never really got filled in,” Jeffrey said.

“I want these kids to experience this meet, because this meet is the highlight of our season. It’s much more important than state meet. It’s what we work toward because these are the people we live with.”

King’s girls team has won the last two Class B state track titles (one indoor and one outdoor).

Jeffrey’s girls have won the last four EMITL championships that were contested; Bangor’s sprint power may enable it to compete for a crown.

“Normally, with 70 or 80 points, you’ve won a championship,” King said. “This time, all three of those teams are [seeded to score] close to 100.”

Both coaches pointed at the jumping events as key battleground areas in the meet: the top five triple jumpers in the meet and the best seven high jumpers are from either Brewer, Hampden or Bangor.

Another intriguing matchup will be the distance battles between Hampden sophomore Oriana Farley and Brewer senior Heather Jovanelli.

Both girls have held the league 800 record at some point this season, and both are running all three distance events.

In the boys meet, Brewer has upended Bangor twice en route to its undefeated mark, but that doesn’t mean Jeffrey isn’t concerned.

“They have people [in every event] and you never know what they’ll do,” Jeffrey said. “They’re a scary team.”

The Rams will be led by senior distance ace Ben Allen, who is heavily favored to win the mile, 800 and two mile, and a potent sprint corps.

MDI counters with sprinter/hurdler Da Chang, pole vaulter Robin Fernald and jumper Liam McSweeney.

Brewer expects top efforts from shot putter Nick Coffin, who is the top seed by more than three feet, sprinter Jon Dearborn, and sprinter/jumper Justin Spencer. Distance man Ian Fraser will chase points in all three races.