Hampden boys, girls roll to sweep at relays

Steady rain and wet field conditions failed to keep Hampden Academy from sweeping the Phi Mu Delta Relays boys and girls team titles as athletes from nine schools competed at the University of Maine’s Beckett Family Complex in Orono Saturday.

Despite the inclement weather, only two teams – Edward Little of Auburn and Orono – failed to attend the meet. Amazingly, a meet record time was turned in on the wet track as Hampden’s relay team in the girls 4-by-800 relay finished the race with a time of 9 minutes, 58.51 seconds.

“The kids ran fast despite the conditions,” said meet director Dave Jeffrey. “We really didn’t have any problems and ran all 14 events. Even though we were a little worried about wetness affecting grips in the javelin, things went very well.”

Old Town’s Matt Petrie was the lone quadruple winner Saturday as he took part on four Indians’ winning relay teams (4-by-100 meter relay, 1600 sprint relay, high jump, and long jump).

There were a few triple winners in the girls meet, including Hampden senior MacKenzie Rawcliffe, who swept first place in the hurdles (100 and 300) and teamed up with Sarah Peters and Kimberly Johnson on HA’s winning triple jump relay team; Brewer senior Heather Clark won the 1,600 and was a member of two winning Witches relay teams (4-by-400 and 1600 sprint); Hampden freshman Annalise Lafayette, who was on first-place teams in the 1600 freshman medley, shot put, and javelin; and Dirigo of Dixfield’s Alyssa Burns, who was on first-place relay teams in the 4-by-100, 4-by-200, and 4-by-60 shuttle hurdle.

Boys triple winners were all from Old Town. Dustin Honey was on the winning 4-by-100, 4-by-400, and long jump teams; Tim Niles was on the 4-by-100, high jump and long jump teams; and Andrew Reinzo was on the 4-by-100, high jump, and javelin relays.

Hampden’s boys team won with depth as its only multiple winner was senior Brian Herasymchuck, who won the 1,600 and was on the winning 4-by-800 team.

The meet, which has been running continuously under one name or another for 30 years, is both an informal tune-up for next weekend’s regional/conference championships as well as a last-chance regional championship qualifier in four “open” (non-relay) events: the 100 (110 for boys) and 300 hurdles, the 100, and the 1,600.

“It started as the MDI Relays in 1973, I think. When they didn’t want to have it anymore, it became the PVC (Penobscot Valley Conference) Relays,” Jeffrey explained. “Then we took it over and it was the Brewer Invitation Carnival and then Phi Mu Delta offered to sponsor it and we moved it up here.”