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Hilary Maxim has had a memorable senior year of running so far.
The Old Town senior added a fifth-place finish at the New England Cross Country championships to an already-impressive resume, which she’ll be looking to add to this weekend.
Maxim, who owns Eastern Maine Indoor Track League-best times of 5 minutes, 17.31 seconds in the mile run and 11:56.97 in the two-mile, will head to Hanover, N.H., Saturday to compete in the mile at the Dartmouth Relays.
Maxim, who has run uncontested in all her EMITL meets so far this winter, is a bit apprehensive but excited to compete on a larger stage and enjoy the competition.
“Just because it’s big and I’ll finally have some competition. Hopefully I’ll have a good race,” Maxim said after leading the Coyotes to a third-place finish at last Saturday’s Black Bear Relays.
Maxim is seeded 12th in a talented field of 29 schoolgirl runners who have all posted times under 5:20.
For most runners, leading with no one making a charge is extremely draining, thus making it difficult to maintain a fast pace.
Maxim is hoping to get that surge in competing against some of the top milers in New England.
“It’s getting a little hard to get the times that I want with nobody here to push me,” she said.
Maxim was influenced to compete in the meet after a winter vacation visit by friend and former Catherine McAuley runner Abby Isleborn, who now competes at Clemson University, along with her mother, Ann.
“[My mom] just thought it would be a good idea to go down there,” Maxim said. “Abby Isleborn visited me over break and she said it’d be a good idea too.”
Mother and daughter will make the trip to Hanover, N.H., together.
Rivalry heating up
The Brewer girls indoor track team handed rival Bangor its first EMITL defeat since the winter of 2005-06 by winning the Black Bear Relays last Saturday, but the Witches will have no time to rest on those laurels.
Coach Jamerson Crowley’s team will square off against coach Maynard Walton’s four-time defending conference champion Rams in a five-team meet at the University of Maine field house Friday at 4 p.m.
Hampden Academy, Old Town and Orono will be competing as well.
The Witches, who piled up 157 points to Bangor’s 116, know they have to take things one meet at a time.
“We’re going to have to be ready every week to go against them,” Crowley said Saturday. “We have to have a really good week of practice.”
The Witches also know they haven’t won anything yet, and are very conscious that the Rams are certainly capable are making a charge.
“We’re absolutely aware of that. They are the defending champs,” Crowley said.
Crowley got strong performances out of his distance runners, jumpers and hurdlers Saturday, in particular in the day’s first event, the long-sprint medley, in which the Witches’ A and B teams finished 2-3, good for 14 quick points.
Distance runners Katie Snow and Bekah Clark anchored the respective teams, both running strong 800’s.
“I thought on the girls side I was happy with the long-sprint medley when we went 2-3 with the A and B teams. That really set the tone,” Crowley explained.
Clark and Snow later led Brewer’s winning distance medley, teaming up with Kaitlin Noyes and Michelle Haluska.
Like Brewer, Bangor has a strong corps of jumpers as well, led by Kendra Lenz, Catherine LeClair and Becca Bogan, in addition to standout high jumper Robin Treadwell and hurdler Dee Wilbur.
Those events are some where the Witches and Rams are close, and ones where Bangor’s Walton will seek improvement.
“We’ll look at the times, we’ll look at the distances and say, where is the area that it’s close,” he explained.
“Then if it’s close, we can improve,” Walton added.
Since the Rams are without 400-800 threat Jennie Lucy (knee injury), those events will be pivotal to them come Friday and beyond, and Walton knows it will be up to him and his staff to get his team going in the right direction.
“We as a coaching staff have to instill in that group hey, you’re still good, and you can do it,” Walton said. “One of the things that has happened to us with Jennie Lucy not running, they depended on her.”
Dumas still soaring high
Cony High of Augusta pole vaulter Bethany Dumas fared well at the National Pole Vault Summit in Reno, Nev., last weekend.
Dumas, the defending Class A state champ and reigning outdoor New England champ, turned in a vault of 11 feet, 6 inches.
Dumas achieved a victory at the Brown Relays earlier this winter, and set a record of 11-3 at the University of Southern Maine.
Along with Old Town’s Maxim, Dumas will compete at this weekend’s Dartmouth Relays.
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