Bangor sweeps; Hampden boys, OT girls prevail Rams’ Cormier sets 400 mark

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ORONO – Before this season, Cam Cormier hadn’t run the 400 meters since his freshman year.

Halfway through his senior indoor track and field season, his coaches wanted him to try it “because of my 200 time,” the Bangor High standout said.

“The last time I did the 400 before this season was my freshman year on the relay,” he said. “The first couple times I didn’t know what I was doing.”

Apparently he does now. Cormier broke his own Eastern Maine Indoor Track League 400 record again, at 50.14 seconds, during two multiteam meets Saturday at the University of Maine field house.

Now does he know what he’s doing?

“Well, now I’m starting to get used to it, and I’m training a little bit more for it,” Cormier said.

The Rams racked up 236 points Saturday, despite not having two of its top athletes. Distance standout Casey Quaglia was out with the flu and Robert Seccareccia, the league’s top-ranked shot putter, was on a football recruiting visit at the University of Massachusetts.

The Brewer boys finished a distant second in the seven-team field with 77 points. Foxcroft Academy was third with 65, Mount Desert Island fourth with 22, and Hermon fifth with 14. Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln (11) and Bucksport (1) rounded out the field.

Cormier also won the 60 in 6.83 seconds and the 200 in 23.21. Teammate Curtis Coleman was second in the 60 in 6.84, and Cormier had to come from behind to edge him.

“He’s been coming behind me every single race; he’s coming closer and closer,” Cormier said of Coleman.

Cormier said he needs to work on his starts.

“My starts are getting worse and worse. I’ve got to try and do something different and get my starts back up,” Cormier said.

Other Bangor winners included Tyler Seekins in the 60 hurdles, Riley Masters’ 4:33.27 finish in the mile, and Stephen Salinas’ 2:08.16 effort in the 800.

Foxcroft Academy had two individual winners in Jerod Hayes, who won the two-mile in 10:32.16, and Greg MacAlister’s 18-foot-61/2 mark in the long jump.

Meet “B” went to the Hampden Academy boys, who scored 119 points. Old Town was second with 102, and Orono third with 65.

Also competing were Sumner of East Sullivan, George Stevens of Blue Hill, Ellsworth, and John Bapst of Bangor.

Orono’s James Berry continued to soar to new heights in the pole vault, clearing 13-6 and narrowly missing on three attempts at 14 feet, the closest coming on the second jump.

“My plant was just off. My plant went sideways, it threw my body off and I hit the bar horizontally,” Berry said of the second jump.

Berry has been able to vault in the 13-6 range consistently over the last few weeks, and he says once he works on his plant, 14 feet could be in his sights.

“I was feeling really good today. Once I perfect my plant, hopefully it’ll turn out good,” Berry said, who added he’ll be using a new 14-6 pole at next week’s championships.

The EMITL pole vault record is 13-83/4, which Bangor’s Ben Conrad has held since 1993.

Berry also won the 60 hurdles and 200 while Old Town’s Brandon Gastia won the long jump and Hampden’s Jonathan Lenz captured the triple jump and high jump.

In the girls meets, the teams from Bangor and Old Town won their respective competitions.

The Rams scored 172 points to Brewer’s 147. Mattanawcook was third with 45, MDI fourth with 30, and Bucksport fifth with 17.

Bangor picked up two wins each from Kendra Lenz, in the 60 and long jump, and Jennie Lucy, who completed a tough 400-800 double. She held off Brewer’s Sarah Risser to win the 400 in 1:02.70 and MDI’s Heather Spurling to take the 800 in 2:25.71.

Brewer, which along with Old Town should challenge the Rams for the EMITL title next weekend, captured both relay events.

The Witches’ 4×880 team of Katie Snow, Caitlyn Wilson, Brooke Madden, and Ashley Geiser ran to a 10:21.13 while the 4×220 quartet of Erika Cote, Kira Giroux, Britany Albert, and Colleen Carr edged Bangor to win in 1:53.81.

Carr outsprinted Bangor’s Lucy down the stretch, pulling away in the last 40 yards.

“The 4×2 ran great, they ran faster than they had all season,” Witches coach Jamerson Crowley said. “We love running against [Bangor] because they’re an awesome team. It brings out the best in our girls and it brings out the best in our boys.”

The Coyotes edged a tough John Bapst of Bangor team in Meet B, 124 points to 116. Orono was third with 89, Hampden fourth with 53, and Ellsworth fifth with 26.

Old Town standout Hilary Maxim’s times continued to drop, cruising to wins in the 800 (2:22.26) and the two-mile (11:29.00).

Maxim also anchored the winning 4×220 relay team, where she teamed up with Amanda Ewing, Lauren Keane, and Erin St. Peter to post a 1:56.02.

St. Peter posted an individual win in the 400, clocking a 1:06.06, while St. Peter and Keane joined Kate Goodness and Molly Segee to win the 4×880 in 11:09.44.