Graduation hit the Monmouth boys track and field team hard. Injuries ravaged the girls team.

It has been an “interesting” start to the season, Monmouth coach Tom Menendez said.

“We have a lot of young blood,” he said. “We have 15 new kids out this time around. It’s been real interesting rounding them into shape. Right now, it’s a question of getting the new kids committed to different events.”

Danielle Bumann, the defending Class C state champ in the 300-meter hurdles, is out for the season with knee injury. Ashley Coulombe is also out with a knee injury she suffered during soccer season.

Those absences have Menendez scrambling to fill in a variety of events with several newcomers, including Becca Fernandez, Chelsey McLean, India Pickett and Emily Szotkowski.

McLean, Pickett and Szotkowski were on the cross country and will help form the 4×800 relay team.
On the boys side, the graduation loss of Kevin Desmond created a void in the middle distance events for the Mustangs.

Senior Matt Bryant is leading the way, and Menendez hopes Tyler Horsford, Stewart Buzzell, Alex Turbide, Casey Clement and Brian Nugent, among others, will score well in the middle distance and distance events.

“We’re breaking in some new guys,” Menendez said. “We just need them to start owning these events.”

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Cony competed against a defending state champ in its first meet — the Maranacook boys in Class C — on April 12.

The Rams will see another — Waterville boys and girls in Class B — in their second meet Thursday at Skowhegan.

“I haven’t really seen what Waterville has, but they are usually a quality team with a lot of good athletes,” Cony co-coach Jon Millett said. “We’re looking forward to the challenge. It definitely will get us ready for the big meets.”

Both Waterville teams are loaded this season and considered the favorites to defend their Class B state titles.

The Purple Panthers are coming off an impressive performance at their own David Whyte Memorial Relays last week. The teams combined to break four meet records.

“The Relays are an early season indication of the depth of your team,” Waterville coach Ian Wilson said. “If you have a god showing it means you have depth. We learned we have a lot of depth on both sides.”

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Erskine junior Bridget Humphrey competed primarily as a sprinter and a hurdler last spring.

This year, coach Ben Willoughby shifted her to the throwing events in a move he said could pay off for the Eagles come championship meet time.

“She’s going to make a big difference,” he said. “She’ll still do the 300 hurdles, but we switched her to mostly field events, and that should really help us. We can get more out of her in the KVACs and states.”

Humphrey wasted little time picking up her new events.

In a season-opening meet at Camden Hills, Humphrey won the shot put with a throw of 29 feet and the discus (87-7).

“She did that in just two weeks of training,” Willoughby said. “She qualified for the (Class B) state meet in just the first time she did the throws. This is all brand new to her and she’s going to make a difference.”

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Gardiner will host its first of two meets this season when it welcomes Mt. View, Medomak Valley and Camden Hills to town on Friday.

The Tigers last competed at the annual Tom Foley Invitational last week at Falmouth High School. That meet drew some of the top teams in each class, including Edward Little, York, Greely, Falmouth and South Portland. Gardiner, despite fielding one of the smallest teams at the meet, fared well.

Olivia Reny won the 100 hurdles in 16.96 seconds and finished second in the 300 hurdles (50.44).

“We did really well,” Gardiner coach Eric Hall said. “When you’re going against teams that are in contention for state titles in their class, it just gives you great competition. It’s a nice way to see different teams.

“We got a good feel for what it will be like at the end of May, beginning of June. You can’t really duplicate that at some regular season meets.”

Bill Stewart — 621-5640
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