Elaine Colwell is proud of the track and field legacy she and her senior classmates are leaving behind at John Bapst of Bangor.

Four years, four Class C state championships.

“Before our class arrived, the girls team really didn’t get much credit off the track,” said Colwell, one of seven Crusaders graduating after capping off their high school careers with yet another state title Saturday at Westbrook High School, “and now it’s the most popular winning sport at our school.”

The latest championship puts John Bapst in some rarefied air relative to the top runs ever in Class C girls’ track and field. Winthrop won a Class C-best five consecutive titles between 1995 and 1999, and ran that streak to six championships in seven years by claiming the 2001 crown.

Since then, it’s been all John Bapst.

“If you’d have told me this would happen, I’d have said no chance,” said Bapst head coach Bruce Pratt. “I just couldn’t have believed that this would happen.”

Talent, depth and versatility have formed the foundation for this success, as well as at least one intangible.

“We had the talent to begin with, but as Coach always says we’re just tougher than everyone else, and I really think we are,” said senior Katie Andrle. “We practice at 5:30 every day, and it could be 60 degrees out during the day but by the time we’re practicing it could be 40 and raining or snowing, cold and windy. We’re just a bunch of tough kids.”

One example of that toughness is that many of the key Crusaders routinely compete in the maximum four events come state championship time, and while they may not win every race, they pile up points with quality finishes.

Take Saturday’s state meet, when John Bapst edged Cape Elizabeth 101-89. Cape dominated the front of the 1,600, with Elise Moody-Roberts and Clare Egan finishing 1-2. But Bapst had three runners – Courtney Martin, Evelyn Sharkey and Nicole Lavertu – finish 3-4-6, giving the Crusaders 12 points in the event to offset most of the 18 points scored by Moody-Roberts and Egan.

In the 100 hurdles, Andrle, Colwell and Erica Dougherty finished 1-2-3, providing 24 points, or nearly a quarter of Bapst’s total score for the meet. In the 300 hurdles, the Crusaders scored 14 points as Andrle won the event and Colwell (fifth) and Megan Pritham (seventh) provided additional scoring punch.

In the 3,200, Moody-Roberts won the event and the 10 points awarded for first place. But Martin (second), Maddy Glover (third) and Sharkey (fourth) combined for 18 points.

“The girls who sprint sprint all the events, and the girls who run distance run all the distance events,” Colwell said. “We’ve been doing it all year preparing for states because we knew it was going to be close.”

Maintaining the championship tradition will be the challenge facing the 2006 team, because this year’s John Bapst squad graduates seven key performers – Andrle, Colwell, Martin, Lavertu, Sharkey, Maggie Jones and Ali Stevens.

“If I can get through the banquet without completely falling apart, it will be amazing,” Pratt said. “I love these girls as if they were my daughters. They’re bright, they’re beautiful and they’re tough as a keg of nails, and so often that doesn’t go well together.”

But part of being a veteran on this team is the additional responsibility to help prepare younger teammates for their time on the track stage.

“You’re just talking about a phenomenal group of girls,” said Pratt, who also credited assistant coaches Jeff Libby, Joe Capehart and John Halloran. “The other thing I like about them is that they’ve brought the young girls with them. They’ve done a tremendous job.

“If Elaine Colwell wants to be the greatest track coach in the world, she’ll be one of the best. She knows the sport, she loves it, she’s a great teacher. Katie Andrle is quiet, but when she speaks, they all listen. And Maggie Jones is an inspiration, she’s here every day. They’ve been real mentors.”

It’s a role the veterans have taken on with relish, and with the goal of leaving the program in a position to remain among the state’s elite for years to come.

Driscoll doubles for Lakers

Eric Driscoll is a talented multisport athlete at Greenville High School. But his best sport these days may be juggling.

Driscoll has been competing in both track and field and baseball for the Lakers, not to mention getting ready for graduation.

So far, so good.

Driscoll won the Class C state championship in the discus Saturday. His best throw of 139 feet, 3 inches not only topped second-place Nick Elliot of Central of Corinth by nearly six feet, it established a Greenville High record.

“I was ranked first all year,” said Driscoll, who placed fourth in the event as a junior. “It’s nice to win the state championship, but I wouldn’t expect anything else. I worked hard for this.”

Now it’s back to baseball for Driscoll, a first baseman for a Greenville team that finished the regular season with a 7-5 record good for fifth place in Western Maine Class D. The Lakers – one of just six teams that qualified for postseason play in the nine-team division – will play at No. 4 Forest Hills of Jackman in a regional quarterfinal.

Driscoll has been one of the team’s top hitters, with a grand slam and 20 RBIs to his credit while batting in the middle of the Greenville lineup.

Driscoll is one of many athletes from small schools throughout the state who compete in multiple sports during the spring. Like many of his peers, he has a definite favorite.

“Track’s a priority,” said Driscoll. “I’ve been in track all four years, and if I have a baseball game, the day before the game I’ll go to baseball practice, and if not I’ll go to more of the track practices. I’ve had a baseball game and a track meet on the same day, and I went to the track meet.”

Driscoll plans to attend Southern Maine Community College in the fall to study electrical technology, with plans to transfer to the University of Southern Maine to continue his studies and pursue his track career.