Hall-Dale girls, NYA boys collect ‘C’ titles

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DOVER-FOXCROFT – While one dynasty came to an end at Saturday’s Class C track and field championships at Foxcroft Academy’s Oakes Field, another may be in the making.

The Orono High girls, who are graduating only one senior, racked up an impressive 771/2 points to finish in second place.

“I wasn’t expecting [us] to do this well, I didn’t know what the competition would be like,” said freshman sprinter Kate Bulteel, just as the Red Riots’ team score was announced.

Hall-Dale of Farmingdale received a three-win performance from Laura Peterson [high jump, long jump, triple jump] en route to 86 points and the team crown.

John Bapst of Bangor finished third with 66 points and had its five-year state championship streak ended while Greenville finished fifth with 35.

North Yarmouth Academy successfully defended its title in the boys’ meet, piling up 97 points to beat runner-up Lisbon [731/2].

Orono was third with 48, John Bapst fourth (46) and PVC champ Foxcroft seventh (31).

Bulteel, who won the 200-meter dash in 26.67 seconds, was fourth in the 400 and anchored Orono’s winning 4×400 relay, was all smiles as senior captain Kate Kelley accepted the runner-up plaque.

“I’m so excited to have such a wonderful team and be able to do it. I’m so happy right now,” Bulteel said.

Chelsea Paul and Meghan Curtis teamed up with Bulteel and Kelley on the 4×4 to post a time of 4 minutes, 22.73 seconds.

Kelley, who according to coach Chris Libby has run on three 4×400 relay teams that have won state titles, including a state-record in 2004 as a freshman, couldn’t have asked for a better way to conclude her high school career.

“It’s all I could have asked for, I was really happy I had a great day,” said Kelley, the Riots’ lone senior, who was third in the pole vault while Bulteel and Ariel Meeker tied for fourth.

John Bapst has had the Riots’ number over the last few years, including a narrow victory at last week’s PVC championships, but Orono junior Lauren Wheeler and her teammates finally got to get a purple-and-white monkey off their backs.

“It feels really good, its nice,” said Wheeler, who competed in the pole vault. “I don’t think anyone realized how well we were doing.”

Kalie Hess, Orono’s 4×800 leadoff runner, added, “It’s amazing. We didn’t think it was going to happen. It was a nice surprise for everyone when we were finally able to succeed.”

Orono’s other individual winner was Wesley Osterhout in the javelin [114 feet, 7 inches] while the Riots’ 4×100 team of Kelley, Julie Normand, Wagner and Chloe Paul finished second in 53.92.

Most of Greenville’s points were generated by senior Hannah Breton.

Breton defended her title in the 300 hurdles, and used solid tactics to do so in waiting until the final straightaway to make her move.

“My coach was advising me beforehand, you have to win it in that last sprint, that’s when everyone starts to hit the wall,” said Breton, who posted a 48.28.

“Once I hit that 100 I was just like, alright, kick it in, like put all of it right there,” Breton added emphatically.

Breton had a slight advantage in the final yards when Hall-Dale’s Katie Frett’s trail leg nicked the next-to-last hurdle.

“It’s kind of a bittersweet thing. It’s just like, oh no. You feel bad for them but, at the same time, it’s like yes, go faster,” said Breton, who let out a “yeah” and pumped her fist after crossing the finish line.

Breton finished second in the 100 hurdles, long jump and pole vault.

Fort Kent’s Jamie Pelletier capped a successful sophomore campaign with a victory in the 100 (13.06), a fifth-place effort in the 400 and a second in the 200.

“I was happy with my 200 because it was a lot better than last year,” Pelletier said. “I was pretty happy with my low 27 because I used to run high 27s and low 28s last year.”

Pelletier got the fortunate draw of lane four in the 100-meter final, next to Central of Corinth’s Beth Dauphinee, which aided Pelletier in the sense that she had a runner of her caliber in the lane next to her.

“In the last one it was like, everyone is so fast so you have to give your everything,” said Pelletier, who outleaned Dauphinee at the finish line.

In the boys meet, Eastern Maine had its share of individual standouts, including Riots’ senior James Berry, who won the 110 hurdles, pole vault and ran on the winning 4×100 relay.

“It was really fast, we were seeded like fifth in that,” Berry said of the 4×100.

Berry and Bapst’s Chris Fogler went toe-to-toe in the hurdle final, with Berry pulling away for the win in 15.58 seconds in what he called a wild race.

“It was crazy. I don’t know, it just came down to form over the hurdles, raw speed,” Berry said. “With close races like that it’s all up in the air, you don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Fogler came back to take the 300 hurdles and the high jump and added a second in the long jump.

George Stevens of Blue Hill standout Addison Pellerano posted an impressive victory in the 800, leading wire-to-wire and posting a season-best time of 2 minutes, 3.43 seconds.

Pellerano took advantage of the fact North Yarmouth Academy’s Pak Lul had already run the 100 and 400, and forced outstanding kicker Lul into a fast start from which he never recovered.

Other Eastern Maine standouts included Bapst’s Derek Smith, who won the javelin with a toss of 160-8, Fort Kent’s Jon Potvin’s 41-6 victory in the triple jump and Limestone/MSSM’s Ian Macomber’s 49-6 victory in the shot put.

Macomber also finished second in the discus.

NYA’s Lul took first in the 400 in 49.80 and was second in the 100 to teammate Dinch Kelesoglu, who also won the 200 and led off the winning 4×400 relay.