At Orono High School, rebuilding the cross country program has meant blazing a trail – literally.

The result is a new 3.1-mile course that recently hosted the school’s first home meet in many years. Orono junior Lexi Wakeling set the initial course record of 18 minutes, 51 seconds to win the boys meet.

“It was great,” Wakeling said. “It was the first meet we’ve had at home in a long time. It was great not to have to go somewhere else for a change.”

Perhaps it’s appropriate that Wakeling is the first course record holder, given that he helped build it.

Wakeling spent time over the summer helping to incorporate a wooded section of trail behind the school into the new course.

“We have to do a service learning project as part of our graduation requirements at Orono,” said Wakeling. “So I decided to work on the course. There are trails behind the school that were used for PE classes, and we hauled some brush and logs back into the woods from a section of it so they could bring a wood chipper in. We made a wood-chip path, and basically widened part of the trail so we could use it.”

Also helping were local Boy Scouts, who constructed bridges along the course, and members of the University of Maine’s Upward Bound program. Team members and coaches continued to fine-tune the course in advance of its inaugural meet, and were rewarded by having parts of the course named after them and small signs erected in their honor at designated spots along the wooded section.

The result of that effort is a course that starts and ends at the school and includes a jaunt around the athletic fields as well as the 1.3-mile wooded section.

Previously, Orono runners practiced on trails near the Stillwater River or at the University of Maine, and meets always meant a road trip.

“This is a great thing for the kids,” said second-year Orono coach Matt Rodrigue, who also credited volunteer assistant coach Linwood White for his work on the course.

The new course is a focal point of an effort to boost participation in cross country at Orono, a school not without a successful history in the sport, particularly during the 1970s. The Red Riots won the boys Class C state championship in 1971 and the Class B state title in 1975, and the Orono girls won the 1976 Class C state championship.

The program has been beset by low participation in recent years. As a freshman, Wakeling was one of just four runners on the team. Last year four boys and two girls participated.

This year Orono is able to field a full boys team for the first time in many years, with eight boys and two girls participating overall, Rodrigue said.

“It’s starting to pick up,” said Rodrigue, a senior at the University of Maine where he also serves as student body president. “We’re trying to build up the program, and we hope having a home course will help.”

Seven to receive scholarships

Seven recently graduated high school scholar-athletes will receive $500 college scholarships from the Maine Sports Legends at that organization’s annual awards banquet Sunday, Oct. 5, at Husson College in Bangor.

Those being honored are Shea Armstrong of Fort Fairfield, Gabrielle Smith of Central Aroostook of Mars Hill, Nick Henry of George Stevens Academy of Blue Hill, Peter Palomaki of Gorham, Jenna Lebel of Biddeford, Philip Szela of Cony of Augusta and Katie Morin of Lewiston.

Selections were made by regional committees formed by Maine Sports Legends area vice presidents Caroline Gentile (northern Maine), Kissy Walker (eastern Maine), Dick McGee (central Maine), and Jim Beaudry (southern Maine).

Two of the seven honorees will receive an additional $500 each as recipients of Harold and Bibby Alfond Scholarships.

The scholarship awards are made at the end of the first college semester.

The Maine Sports Legends banquet will begin at 1 p.m., followed by an induction ceremony and introduction of the scholar-athletes.

Five people will be inducted into the organization’s Hall of Fame: Ron Cote of Biddeford, Rachel Bouchard of Hallowell, George Hale of Orrington, Caroline Gentile of Presque Isle and Tony Tammaro (posthumous) of Baileyville.

For more information on the banquet, call 622-1539.

Ernie Clark may be reached at 990-8045, 1-800-310-8600 or eclark@bangordailynews.net