Eastern Maine will have great representation at the New England Track and Field championships on Friday, Feb. 29 at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston.
Record-breaking Messalonskee of Oakland senior Jesse LaBreck heads a strong contingent of individuals and relay teams on the girls side.
LaBreck, who trains with Waterville, broke her own Class A state mark in the 55 hurdles with a 8.25 clocking at Monday’s state championships at the University of Southern Maine, and later eclipsed Danielle Zimmerman’s high jump mark with a leap of 5 feet, 6 inches.
In fact, LaBreck improved her mark significantly at the Maine State Pentathlon Championship at USM Thursday, clearing 5-9 which is currently the top schoolgirl mark in the nation.
LaBreck also broke her own state record in the triple jump (38 feet, 4.25 inches) but that event, along with the pole vault, isn’t staged in the New England Championships.
Brewer freshman Michelle Haluska was the lone double-qualifier on the girls’ side in the Greater Bangor area.
Haluska qualified individually in the 2 mile, posting the state’s third-best time at 11:56.50 and on the 4×800 relay as she, Kaitlin Noyes, Bekah Clark and Katie Snow also own Maine’s third-best overall time at 10:02.71.
Haluska’s teammate, junior Kira Giroux, is entered in the 600 meters by virtue of her fourth-place finish in the 400 meters at states.
Old Town senior Lauren Keane, who was second in the Class B meet in the 400, will join Giroux in the 600.
Keane’s classmate, distance ace Hilary Maxim, arguably the state’s top schoolgirl distance runner, will look to keep lowering her times in the mile.
The University of Maine recruit achieved a personal-best of 5:06.09 on Monday, and has a solid chance of getting even closer to the illustrious five-minute mark on a track known for fast times.
John Bapst of Bangor sophomore Kim Spencer, who finished third in the Class B mile field in 5:24.01, has also qualified.
The hurdles will be loaded with Eastern Maine Indoor Track League competitors as Orono’s Holli Kennison, Sibohan Grogan of Hampden Academy and Dee Wilbur of Bangor all earned berths.
Wilbur’s teammate, Jennie Lucy, will compete in the 1,000 after qualifying in the 800.
The boys side will be highlighted by two standout athletes, Bangor’s Riley Masters and Mohamed Noor of Lewiston, who have both qualified for the Nike Indoor Nationals in their respective events.
Masters, who will single in the mile, ran a 4:20.44 at the state meet to qualify for the nationals and he’ll hope to better that mark at the New England meet.
Noor, the state champ in the 2 mile at 9:48.41 and national qualifier in that event, along with Masters, should be competitive in that race.
John Bapst’s Chris Fogler and Jadrien Cousens of Hampden Academy each qualified in two events.
Fogler earned a slot in the 300-meter dash with a second-place finish in the 200 in the state championships while the Crusaders junior will also compete in the high jump.
Cousens, a junior for the Broncos, will compete in both the hurdles and the high jump.
Other local qualifiers include Old Town senior David Falls in the 800 (1,000) and the Brewer 4×200 relay team of Chris Corey, Steven Rice, Caleb Smith and Ben Sinclair.
bdnsports@bangordailynews.net
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