Maine men place 7th at New Englands

Several Maine collegiate athletes enjoyed successful postseason performances this weekend at regional and invitational meets in New England.

The University of Maine men finished seventh and the women ninth at the New England Indoor Championships in Boston Friday and Saturday

Kirby Davis of Falmouth, Jeffrey Ramos of Turner and Donald Drake of Portland led the Maine men with second-place finishes. Davis ran a time of 14 minutes, 31.39 seconds Friday in the 5,000 meters and Drake ran the mile in 4:09.59. Turner’s height of 2.02 meters was good for runner-up in high jump.

Also Saturday, Eric Libby of Hampden finished third in the 800 meters with a time of 1:53.02. South Portland’s Maxwell Ludwig was ninth with a time of 7.85 seconds in the 55-meter hurdles. The Black Bears’ 4-by-880 relay team of Miles Bartlett, Drake, Libby and Daniel Vonet of Dresden finished third in 7:40.98.

Skip Edwards of Portland was 13th in the long jump Friday with a leap of 6.53 meters.

In Saturday’s women’s action, Belgrade’s Hana Pelletier led the Bears by winning the 800 meters in 2:11.79 and teaming with Jessica Beliveau, Vanessa Letourneau of Fairfield and Stephanie Jette of Lovell to win the 4-by-880 relay with a time of 9:10.13.

Jette was also fourth in the 1000 with a finish of 2:57.72. Saco’s Erin Hatch was fifth in the high jump with a 1.65-meter effort, Belliveau sixth in the 800 with a time of 2:15.31, and Caribou’s Lindsay Burlock was eighth in the 400 in 59.45.

Also in Boston, University of Southern Maine junior pole vaulter Adam Haggerty of Hermon tied for third place with a career-best 4.65 meters (15 feet, 3 inches) and earned All-New England honors at the NEICAAA Indoor Track and Field Championships at Boston University’s track and tennis center. The Huskies finished 24th among 32 scoring teams.

At New York City, Orono’s Emily Artesani, a freshman at USM, set a school record in the 200 meters at the New York University Fastrack Invitational with a time of 26.48 seconds. She also moved into second place on the Huskies’ all-time top 10 list in the 400 with a time of 1:00.26.

Caterina Riitano of Sangerville was fifth in the weight throw with a personal-best of 47 feet, 7 inches. Hattie Landry of Acton was fifth in the 60 hurdles in 9.65 seconds. Christa Hutchinson of Gorham was seventh in the 800 in 2:19.95.

USM senior Melissa Bellemare tied for sixth in the pole vault by clearing 3.15 meters (10 feet, 4 inches). Emily Poliquin of Lisbon Falls was seventh in the triple jump (10.69 meters) and 13th in the long jump.