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ORONO – Track and field meets can be hectic for athletes as they hustle around a complex trying to make their heats for running events and their flights for throws and jumps.
University of Maine senior Amanda Virgets was as busy as anyone in Saturday’s dual meet against rival New Hampshire. She did five events, going back and forth between hurdles, jumps, and relays.
But the event that most worried Virgets was the 400-meter intermediate hurdles. She’d never done the race before, and it came toward the end of a busy day for the Maryland native.
Virgets set aside her nerves and took that race, helping lead the Black Bear women to a win over the Wildcats at a windy Beckett Family Track Complex. Winslow native Katie Souviney picked up two wins for the Bears, and Cumberland’s Clarissa Michalak set a school record in the hammer throw as Maine racked up 108 points to 80 for UNH.
The New Hampshire men beat Maine 1101/2-901/2.
Virgets won the hurdles with a time of 1 minute, 5.73 seconds, edging freshman teammate Katie Andrle of Clifton.
“I was nervous, and I was so tired going into that because it was my fourth event of the day,” said Virgets, who also took second in the high jump. “It was interesting. But I’m really, really happy with it.”
She also did the long jump and both relays.
Souviney picked up wins in the 100-meter hurdles and the 200-meter dash. She beat UNH’s Kiah Quarles in both races.
“She’s a really good runner,” Souviney said. “My times were decent for the beginning of the season. It was really windy today with a big headwind, so I was pretty happy with my times.”
Brewer’s Heather Jovanelli cruised to an easy win in the 1,500-meter run, while Lindsay Burlock of Caribou took the 400. Burlock, Virgets, Belgrade’s Hana Pelletier, and Kristen Vidlak made up the winning 4-by-400 relay. Pelletier also picked up a win in the 800.
Souviney, Virgets, Samantha Homer, and Rachel McCaslin of Westbrook earned a win in the 4-by-100 relay.
Other UMaine winners included Stephanie McCusker of Lisbon in the triple jump, Shira Panelli in the pole vault, and Saco’s Erin Hatch in the high jump. Hatch and Virgets wound up in a jumpoff before Hatch prevailed.
Michalak’s hammer throw of 51.67 meters broke a school record (48.88) she set last week.
“She’s doing really well,” said Souviney, who also placed second in the javelin. “She qualified for ECACs, which she’s never done before, so that’s a huge accomplishment for her.”
UNH got a win from Old Town native Hillary Greene in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Her time of 12:03.86 was a personal best, which she said was good to see so early in the season.
“I was confident, but I was nervous about the water pit because I hadn’t practiced it yet,” Greene said. “But I had a really good [indoor season], so I knew I was strong enough. It’s a great start.”
In the men’s meet, Fort Kent’s Carson Hartman also had to hustle around the track complex and used the meet as a learning experience. He made a freshman mistake by trying to compete in both the triple jump and the 100-meter dash. The finals of the triple jump went off at the same time as his heat of the 100, and he didn’t realize that he couldn’t pass a round in the triple jump final.
A jump of 12.73 meters in the prelims carried Hartman to a second-place finish to go with a third in the long jump, but he felt he could have done better.
“I probably could have gotten a victory, but it was OK. I was trying to do the 100, so I had to go back. I thought I could pass and go back and run. But you can’t in the finals. … It happens. It’s my first year.”
Hartman also did five events – both jumps, both relays, and the 100, in which he wound up seventh overall.
As expected, Maine junior Kirby Davis of Falmouth dominated the 5,000 with a time of 15:09.22, about 14 seconds ahead of UNH’s Ben Danton. He was at Davis’ shoulder for the early part of the race.
“I just wanted to sit it out in the very beginning and see if [the field was] going to let me go away with it,” Davis said. “Because of the wind Danton moved up, and once he got up there, I let him take the wind and do a bunch of the work for a while. Then I just turned him back.”
Hallowell’s Daniel Voner, Hampden’s Eric Libby, Matthew Holman of Gardiner, and Skip Edwards of Portland won the 4-by-400. Edwards also won the 400 dash, while Kyle McKague of West Buxton picked up a victory in the 100 dash.
Kenneth Savary took the triple jump, Springvale’s Patrick Marass won the javelin, and Donald Drake of Portland came in first in the 1,500.
Depth carried the Wildcat men, who had 10 different first-place finishers in 11 events.
David Benedetto won the 110 and 400 hurdles. Reed Liset won the hammer throw and was second in the discus.
“It’s always nice to have a win, especially against UNH because of the rivalry, but what’s more important is that the team performs well,” Davis said.
The Bears will head to New Hampshire for a multi-team meet next weekend.
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