Winthrop is one of only a handful of central Maine track and field teams that venture to Falmouth for the annual Tom Foley Invitational during school vacation week.

“It’s great because it gives the fast kids some kids to run against and it gives the ones who might struggle some kids to run against,” Winthrop coach Ed Van Tassel said. “Everybody gets to be in a competitive heat. We’ve tried the Waterville Relays in the past during this time but we just don’t have the depth to put together that many relay teams.”

Winthrop’s girls team had a strong showing at the meet.

Molly Kieltyka finished fifth in the 3,200 with a time of 13 minutes, 53.63 seconds. Teammate Angel Abbott finished sixth in 14:02.68.

Mary-Claire Blanchard was fourth in the 100 hurdles with a time of 19.58 and fifth in the 300 hurdles (56.36).

“She had a really big day,” Van Tassel said.

Rachel Ingram was fourth in the triple jump (31 feet, 3.5 inches) and eighth in the long jump (13-11.5). Freshman Emma Conrad checked in fourth in the race walk in 10:07.19.

“Ingram always does well,” Van Tassel said. “Overall, it was a pretty good day down there.”

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The Hall-Dale boys hopes to challenge Lisbon for the Mountain Valley Conference championship this spring.

The Bulldogs are in the process of finding the right people for the right events as they prepare to chase down the Greyhounds.

“We’re starting to figure out the puzzle,” Hall-Dale coach Jarod Richmond said. “We’re figuring out where the pieces will be. As the season speeds along the emphasis is being balanced and generating depth. We’re starting to do that.”

The Bulldogs hosted a meet before April vacation, and its top point-producers — Tyler Fitzgerald and Sam Shepherd — combined to win five events.

But for the team to contend for a conference championship Richmond says he will need contributions from a host of athletes.

A pair of newcomers — junior Connor Longfellow and senior Ezra Jones — give the Bulldogs more flexibility.

“Longfellow has been a tremendous addition to the team,” Richmond said. “We’re trying to find places where he can shine. He does the 100-meter dash, the long jump and the 4×100 relay. We need to find another home for him somewhere. We’re also very excited to see what Ezra can do. We’re just going to need a group of people in each event. We’re building toward that.”

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Danielle Bumann cleared a hurdle by, well, clearing a hurdle.

The Monmouth senior missed last season with a knee injury but returned to competition April 30 for a meet at Hall-Dale.

Monmouth coach Tom Menendez said Bumann — the 2011 Class C state champion in the 300-meter hurdles — looked good in her events.

“It’s the first meet since the (anterior cruciate ligament) and she looked pretty good,” Menendez said. “She looked good in the 300 hurdles but she looked a little rusty in the 100 (hurdles). But this was important for her. It was big just for her to get out there and do it and see where she is from two years ago and say, ‘OK, I still got it.’ “

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Cony will host a six-team meet Thursday which coach Jon Millett says will give him a better read on his team.

The Rams participated in an April 11 meet at Winslow, but frigid temperatures forced Millett to pull some athletes late to prevent injuries.

“I don’t think we can take a lot out of that meet,” Millett said. “We started taking kids out of events. It was just colder to beat the band. This week, we should have a much better understanding of our team.”

Cony will host Winslow, Waterville, Nokomis, Skowhegan and Oceanside.

Bill Stewart — 621-5640

bstewart@centralmaine.com

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