BOSTON – Old Town High School junior Cassie Hintz raced to a 21-second victory in the girls’ 2-mile run at the 18th New England Interscholastic Boys’ and Girls’ Indoor Track and Field Championships at the Reggie Lewis Center on Friday.

Hintz, who set a state record of 10 minutes, 48.28 seconds in the event at the Class B championship meet on Feb. 21, won her New England title by finishing in 10:37.18.

Hintz ran a 78-second first quarter-mile, and had splits of 2:39 and 3:58 before finishing the first mile in 5:17.9.

She then pulled away from her nearest competition over the second mile, and finished with the second-fastest time in the country at that distance this season, just off the national best of 10:37.02.

Erin Legasse of Coventry, R.I., placed second in 10:58.93.

Among other notable performances by Mainers at the meet, Sintayehu Taye of Portland High set a national freshman record by winning the boys’ 2-mile in 9:16.65. He shattered the old freshman mark of 9:29.01 established in 2001.

Taye’s brother, junior Ayalew Taye, won the 1-mile in a time of 4:17.44.

Ben Michaud of Cheverus High of Portland won the boys shot put with a best effort of 58 feet. Old Town High senior Tyler Eastman played fourth (54-51/4).

Seven earn N.E. wrestling medals

At North Andover, Mass., on Saturday, seven Maine high school wrestlers earned medals with their top-six finishes at the 41st annual New England Interscholastic Wrestling Championships.

The Maine contingent was led by senior Chris Barkac of Dexter. The four-time Class C state champion finished second at 130 pounds. He won his first three matches before dropping a 19-7 decision to Robert LeBrake of Vermont in the championship match.

LeBrake, who has a 55-2 record this year, led 10-3 after two periods and added two near falls in the third period to defeat Barkac, who lost just once against Maine high school competition in four years.

Barkac’s brother, Dexter sophomore Jeremiah Barkac, was one of two Mainers to finish fifth in their weight classes. Barkac, undefeated through his first two years of Maine high school competition, went 3-2 in the 103-pound class. John Hussey of Marshwood of South Berwick went 3-2 in the 125-pound division.

Four other wrestlers finished 2-3 to earn sixth-place finishes: Kyle Bonin of Belfast (112), Chris Smith of Mountain Valley of Rumford (189), Josh Pelletier of Foxcroft Academy (215) and David Smith of Mountain Valley (275).

The seven medalists was the best finish for a Maine contingent since the state resumed competing in the New Englands in 1999.