BREWER — Cony’s Lindsey Folsom set a state record in the pole vault, an event in which she’s competed for years, sharpening her skills and building to this point. Lawrence’s Jake Doolan won a state title in the javelin, an event he’s been working at for, how long Jake?

“Almost two months,” Doolan said.

That’s how it went at the Brewer Community Track for the Class A state championship meet Saturday.

On the hottest day of the track and field season (temperatures at the Brewer Community Track reached the low-90s), the athletes who dealt with the heat fared the best, whether a seasoned veteran or a relative beginner.

The Bangor High School girls took the team title with 84 points, edging Bonny Eagle (78). It was Bangor’s first team championship since 1986. Brewer (60 points) was third and Lawrence fourth with 47 points.

The Scarborough boys won their first state title since winning Class B in 2001, scoring 89 points. Cheverus was second with 80 points and Lewiston was third (53 points).

Advertisement

As the defending state champion, Folsom entered the pole vault as the favorite. At Monday’s Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class A championship, she vaulted 11 feet, 7 inches, one inch higher than the state record held by former Cony standout Bethany Dumas.

On Saturday, Folsom cleared 11-7 on her third and final attempt. She bounced off the mat, pumping her first in celebration.

“I wasn’t nervous. I just wanted it really badly,” Folsom said. “This is my last state meet ever. I wanted to go out with a good height.”

Folsom said she expects Dumas will be happy a Cony vaulter broke her record.

“She came back from college and helped me out,” Folsom said.

For Doolan, a senior, this season was about trying new events. Turns out, the javelin was a perfect fit.

Advertisement

“You try different events to find out what you’re good at,” Doolan said.

Doolan’s first throw of the day turned out to be the winner, 173-8. Doolan also placed sixth in the long jump.

“The heat bothered me in my other events, but not in the javelin,” Doolan said.

As expected, Lawrence senior Erzsie Nagy dominated the distance events, winning the 800, 1,600, and 3,200. Nagy said she felt best in the 1,600, her first event, where she won with a time of 5 minutes, 1.07 seconds, a facility record.

“The heat didn’t hit me until I crossed the finish line. My feet were on fire,” Nagy said.

In the 800, Nagy pulled away over the second lap to win with a time of 2:16.79, also a track record. In the 3,200, which Nagy considered scratching because of the heat, she hung on the shoulder of Bonny Eagle’s Mary Szatkowski until the final lap. With 300 meters to run, Nagy made her move, winning in 11:33.81.

Advertisement

“I was really tired from everything, but I wanted the title,” Nagy said. “What got me through was thinking I could always scratch the 3,200. I was only thinking of the next event.”
Cony’s Leyna Tobey won the girls javelin with a throw of 108-03. Tobey was seeded fourth and bested her seed throw by almost 5 feet.

“Last year I was at 107 (feet), but I haven’t come close to that this year,” Tobey said.
Tobey led the event early with a throw of 105 feet, and when she heard the judges announce the distance on her next-to-last try, she was surprised.

“I almost passed out, I was so excited,” Tobey said.

Mt. Blue’s Justin Tracy won the boys 3,200 with a time of 9:58.45, and was pleased to break the 10-minute mark.

“That was the biggest goal, going sub-10. I hadn’t done that in high school yet,” Tracy, who also placed second in the 1,600 (4:29.05), said. “I wanted to race relaxed.”

Brewer’s Teal Jackson had the best day of any athlete. Jackson earned wins in the 100 (12.45), 400 (57.0), 200 (25.58) and long jump (16-10). Jackson’s times in the 400 and 200 set state records.

Jared Bell of Deering set a state record in the discus with a throw of 176-7. Brunswick’s Alex Nichols tied the state record in the 400, winning in 48.58 seconds. Isaiah Harris of Lewiston set a state record in the 800 (1:54.17).

Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242
tlazarczyk@centralmaine.com


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.