Clark’s two wins lead Brewer girls Hampden, Bangor girls, Brewer, Ellsworth, Bangor boys also post victories

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ORONO – At certain times during the Eastern Maine Indoor Track League season coaches and athletes take a look at the schedule, notice who their competition for a given week is, and recognize the meet as one that could have some late-season implications.

And then there are meets like the ones in the three-at-one-time session the league held on Saturday at the University of Maine field house. Only one of the six (three girls, three boys) meets was decided by less than 20 points; None of the league’s top athletes saw much competition in their chosen events.

But even though many were battling only against the track athlete’s age-old nemeses – the tape measure and stop watch – the performances were top-rate.

“I talked to my coach and said, ‘I don’t know if I can run [this fast] by myself,’ said Brewer junior Heather Clark, who was chasing a school record in the mile run – and who needed to run two seconds faster than she ever had to do it.

“And he just made the comment that I’d run 5:20 in the beginning of the season by myself, and I’ve come far since then,” she said.

Here’s how far: with the league’s other distance ace – Hampden Academy junior Oriana Farley -running and winning the mile and 800 in another concurrent meet, Clark ran against the clock, and ran wild.

She ran the distance in 5 minutes, 11.37 seconds, winning by 42.41 seconds and running the fastest mile in the EMITL since Melissa Lockman set the record (5:06.9) in 1991.

“I’ve very excited about [this],” Clark said. “Confidence issues have kind of been a problem for me. I know I’m where I need to be to run what I need to, but I needed that feeling inside: ‘You can do this.’ I think I’m ready for anything, now.”

Clark’s two-win performance (she also cruised to a victory in the 800) led the Witches to a 117-39.5 win over Foxcroft Academy. MDI (29) and Bucksport (12.5) also competed in that meet.

Other girls results: Hampden Academy rolled up 103 points to top Ellsworth (46), Orono (17), Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln (7); And in the other girls meet, Bangor piled up 115.7 points to Hermon’s 72, Old Town’s 44.3, John Bapst of Bangor’s 31 and Sumner of East Sullivan’s 6.

Bangor’s Emily Capehart won the long jump (16 feet) and topped the field by more than seven feet in the triple jump (36-1).

In the boys meets, Brewer edged MDI 78.5-66 in the day’s closest team competition. Foxcroft Academy scored 35 and Bucksport had 22.5.

Also, Bangor tallied 113 to Old Town’s 76, Sumner’s 47, Hermon’s 25 and John Bapst’s 8.

In the third boys meet, the lone undefeated boys team in the EMITL – Ellsworth – competed without distance star Steve DeWitt for the second consecutive week. It didn’t matter: The Eagles received three wins from senior Adam Macbeth (60 hurdles, long jump, 200), two more from distance man Eric Rudolph (800, mile), and an unorthodox double from Lucas Sitterly (two mile, pole vault) en route to the win.

Erik Maleck (shot put) Chad Smith (triple jump) and Greg Trundy (60) also won events for the Eagles, who captured first place in 10 of 13 events en route to 97 points. Hampden Academy scored 50 while Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln had 29 and Orono tallied 22.

MacKenzie Rawcliffe led the Broncos with wins in the hurdles, long jump and 200.

Last week, DeWitt competed in the prestigious high school mile at the Dartmouth Relays. On Saturday, he was in Durham, N.C., to visit Duke University. Coach Jim Shedeck said his star’s absence may actually help the Eagles in a way.

“The others have to pick up the slack,” Shedeck said. “And they know that. It’s good that they have to run without him.”

Shedeck’s Eagles have been the heavy league favorite all season long, but he knows his team will have to perform well to win the EMITL championship on Feb. 9.

“[We] haven’t won nothing,” Shedeck said. “We’re strong, but we can’t falter. We can’t be sick. We can’t have injuries. We’ve been very lucky. And we’ve got to be in the right frame of mind.”

On Saturday, Macbeth was in the right frame of mind, as he won the hurdles by more than a second in a speedy 7.91, took the long jump by more than three feet (21 feet, 11/2 inches), and topped Maleck and Trundy to key a 1-2-3 sweep in the 200 (23.66).

“We know we’re really deep, and we’re hoping for the best, later,” Macbeth said. “But right now, we’ve just got to deal with the present.”

Other highlights of the meet: Hermon senior Chantelle Haggerty and Brewer’s Danielle Lainez each surpassed the EMITL pole vault record of 9-3, which Haggerty set last year.

Lainez cleared 9-6, while Haggerty established a record of 10-0. She didn’t miss a vault until the bar was raised to 10-3. She also won the 60 and 400.

Haggerty, who hadn’t practiced since Monday as snow forced cancellation of practice sessions, said she was nervous entering the meet.

“We practiced here on Monday, and my form improved a lot then,” said Haggerty, who has spent much of the season getting used to a new, longer pole. “I was hoping I could carry it over into today’s meet.”

She did, much to her delight.

“It’s exciting,” Haggerty said of clearing 10 feet. “It’s a rush going all the way up. And the long drop is so much fun.”

Other girls double-winners: Bangor’s Abby Buchanan (high jump, 60 hurdles); John Bapst’s Kara Gaston (mile, two mile); Orono’s Erin Lynn (pole vault, high jump); Brewer’s Lainez (pole vault, hurdles); and Brewer’s Leslie Rosa (60, 200), and Joslynn Pelletier (400, long jump).

Da Chang of MDI won three events: the hurdles, the 60 and the triple jump.

Boys double-winners: Joe Taylor of Bangor (200, long jump); Gunner Siverly of Bucksport (400, 200); and Ian Fraser of Brewer (800, two mile).