Penquis’ Erin Beasley hopes to stay unbeaten PVC championship meets set today, Saturday

Penquis of Milo star Erin Beasley has turned in top performances in the Penobscot Valley Conference this outdoor track season, and this Saturday will be her chance to showcase her talents against just Class C teams.

Beasley’s Patriots and the rest of the Class C teams will gather at Foxcroft Academy’s Oakes Field on Saturday at noon for the PVC Small School Championship while the Class A-B teams will battle at Mount Desert Island High School today at 3:30 for the PVC Big School Championship.

Beasley, a senior, has gone undefeated in both the 100- and 200-meter dashes, posting times of 13.36 and 27.12 seconds.

For the second straight year, Outstanding Performer awards will be handed out to the boy and girl in each meet who racks up the most points. This year, the awards are honoring Don Dow and the late Dale Curry.

The league’s coaches voted unanimously at a preseason meeting to have the awards named in the honor of Dow and Curry, according to league director Mary Cady.

“When I started doing track, they were the ones you went to for all the answers,” Cady said Wednesday. “They did so much for track.”

Dow was a long-time athletic director at Stearns High in Millinocket and Curry at Mattanawcook Academy in Lincoln.

Both served as track and field chairs for the old Penquis League and Penobscot Valley Conference, as well as on Maine Principals’ Association track committees.

Dow is now retired and Curry died in 2004.

In Class C, the Bucksport boys and John Bapst of Bangor girls appear to be the favorites. The Golden Bucks, the defending Class C state champs, are led by seniors Nick Tymozcko and John Harvey. Tymozcko excels in the hurdle events and Harvey in the 100 and 200 dashes. They’ll face challenges from defending PVC champ John Bapst and Orono.

The Crusader girls are heavily favored to capture their fourth straight PVC “C” crown. They are led by Katie Andrle and Elaine Colwell (hurdles) as well as Maddy Glover, Nicole Lavertu, Courtney Martin and Eve Jordan (distance).

Teams that are in contention for second include Orono and Foxcroft Academy.

In Classes A-B, expect a close battle between the Bangor and Old Town girls.

The reigning conference champion Indians cover events very well, as do the Bangor girls. The Rams strengths are in the sprints and jumps, where freshman Allie Clukey is the top seed in the 100 (12.98 seconds), 200 (27.31) and long jump (16 feet, 9.5 inches). She’ll also run second on the 4×100 meter relay. Also leading the Ram girls are Jolene Belanger, Kelly Kraph and Jennie Lucy.

Old Town features great depth in the jumping events as well as in the distance races. Junior Cassie Hintz is seeded first in both the 1600 and 3200, and should break the PVC record of 10:58.54 she set last year. Her seed time is 10:46.98.

Freshmen Ashleigh Madden and Hilary Maxim will also be keys in the distance races for Old Town. Both will run on the 4×800 team, and Maxim is seeded eighth in a competitive 1600 and Madden third in the 800, where she’ll be in a good race with Lucy and Rachel Blackstone of Presque Isle.

The Bangor boys, led by distance runner Casey Quaglia and sprinter Sidney Melidones, will also face a challenge from defending boys’ champ Old Town, led by sprinters Andy Wood, Andrew Reinzo, Tim Niles and thrower Tyler Eastman.

Quaglia will try and complete the grueling distance triple (1600, 800, 3200), and should be in good races with Brendan Carr of Brewer and Corey DeWitt of Ellsworth in both the 1600 and 800. DeWitt and Quaglia are both seeded at 2:01 in the 800.

Possible sleepers in this meet could be Caribou, Hampden Academy and Brewer.