November 10, 2024
CLASS B BOYS

Waterville girls take track title Relay win helps Falmouth boys garner second Class B crown

GORHAM – It was the official end of one dynasty and the possible beginning of another at Monday’s Class B state championship track and field meet.

The Waterville High School girls scored 711/2 meet points to edge defending champion Greely of Cumberland Center by 41/2 at the University of Southern Maine’s Costello Complex and bring the curtain down on the Rangers’ six-year title run.

The last team to beat Greely in states was also purple and white as Hampden Academy won in 2000.

The boys meet also came down to the wire with Falmouth edging Waterville in the 4×200-meter relay and winning its second straight state crown. The Yachtsmen totaled 75 points to runner-up Waterville’s 57. Wells was third at 50 and Hampden tied for fourth with Greely at 34.

“We knew we had to run a great relay to win and we knew what we needed, points-wise,” said Falmouth coach Jorma Curry.

Curry, a Bangor native and Bangor High School alumnus (Class of 1989), said Monday’s repeat championship was all about depth and determination.

“Nick Musciano barely made state meet and got a point for us in triple jump, so it wasn’t just our stars that won this meet for us,” Curry said. “Everybody had a good day.”

That was pretty much the same successful formula for the Purple Panthers, who had no individual first-place finishers. They did, however, have a relay team that not only won, but also set a state record in the process.

Waterville’s 4×800 team of Hannah Bard, Kate Crosswell, Cynthia Hunter and Amanda Rancourt beat its own state record (9 minutes, 54.42 seconds last year) by more than two seconds with a 9:52.16.

“I think the 4-by-8 set the stage for us. That really got us going, especially with them running a record time,” said senior captain Jami-Lin Williams, who finished seventh individually in the 800.

Senior captain Amy Siebert called it a true team effort.

“We pulled points from all over the place, not just our best athletes,” she said.

Waterville head coach Ian Wilson said his girls team exceeded expectations to win its fourth state crown.

“Shelby Tuttle took some huge points for us in triple jump, going 35 feet, which is a personal best for her by a foot. She also was fourth in the hurdles and wasn’t even seeded to place,” he said. “In 2-mile, Hannah Bard was seeded pretty far down and took third place.”

The only individual winners among local Eastern Maine athletes in the girls meet were Megan Nealey, a Belfast junior who won the 800 with a time of 2:23.76; and Hilary Hall, a senior at Medomak Valley in Waldoboro, who won the high jump (5 feet, 4 inches).

Greely’s Becky O’Brien topped her own state mark, 43-61/2 set last year, with a throw of 44-111/2 in the shot put. McAuley of Portland’s Abby Iselborn ran a 5:03.47 in the mile to break Lisa Wakem’s 22-year-old mark of 5:06.6.

Old Town’s Hilary Maxim was hoping to match up with Iselborn again in the 2-mile after finishing second to her in the mile, but never got the rematch as Iselborn scratched.

Instead, it came down to Maxim and Madeline Grygiel of Falmouth. The race appeared headed for a classic finish as Maxim caught her on the last turn, but she stumbled shortly after making her move, allowing Grygiel to get away and forcing her to settle for second again.

“Megan Nealey from Belfast was in front of me and the girl who won was on my right,” said Maxim, a junior. “She started to pass Megan and the crowd was kind of close so I couldn’t go out around her and didn’t have enough time to react, so I kind of stopped abruptly.”

Maxim, whose Coyotes scored 33 points and finished tied for fifth with Falmouth, was still happy with the race. Despite the stutter step down the stretch, it was her best 2-mile time ever.

In the boys meet, Eastern Maine was well represented as Orono senior James Berry won both the 55 hurdles (7.86) and pole vault (13-0). Foxcroft Academy junior Tim Even won the 800 (2:02.74), Hampden Academy senior Jonathan Lenz took the high jump (6-2), Waterville senior Alex Lefebvre captured the triple jump (44-1), and Winslow junior Don Clark won the shot put (48-0).

The day nearly got off to a disastrous start for Berry.

“In my heat race, I got a horrible start, but I managed to pull off getting in the finals,” he said. “I wasn’t warmed up properly I guess, but I got a second chance and made up for it in the final.”

Lenz got by in the high jump with a little help from his friends.

“We couldn’t use spikes so I had to find different shoes. I borrowed some from my friend Matt Macone. They fit pretty well,” he said with a laugh. “If I can’t use spikes for New Englands, I guess I’ll have to ask him again.”

Lenz nearly won the triple jump as well, finishing second to Lefebvre with a 43-91/2, and also wound up fourth in the long jump.

Waterville’s 4×800 relay team of Jesse Cummings, John Fortin, Al Joseph and Cory Limburger finished first in 8:27.66.

The only state-record performance by a boy was in the 200 dash, where Justin Vigeant of Wells broke the 2005 mark of 23.20 with a 22.99.


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