It’s been a record-shattering season so far in Maine high school indoor track and field.

Expect the trend to continue Monday at both the Class A and B championships, which will take place at the University of Southern Maine in Gorham and Bates College in Lewiston, respectively.

Thirteen events (seven in Class A, six in B) feature top-seeded athletes who have bettered the existing meet records this season. Another nine events feature athletes with in-season efforts that could put state meet records in jeopardy.

Both meets begin with field events at noon and the first on-track event, the girls’ 3,200-meter relay, will start at 12:30 p.m.

At the top of the list of standout athletes is Noble High senior Maddox Jordan. His 800-meter time of 1 minute, 51.82 seconds at a January meet on Boston University’s banked and fast track was the fastest in the U.S. until Thursday. That time, as well as his 4:11.19 mile at BU a week earlier, rank No. 1 on Maine’s all-time indoor track list – two of the five all-time marks posted this season.

But Jordan said he’s not sure if he will be breaking any records. He definitely doesn’t expect to run as fast at USM’s flat and hard 200-meter oval as he did in Boston. Plus, he’s planning on running the distance triple – the mile, then the 800, followed by the two mile – for the first time in his career.

“It’s my senior year so I might as well try it. It sounds like a brutal day so only want to try it once,” Jordan said. “And the two mile is like the least important to me and I’m thinking, since it’s the last of the three, I might as well try. Nothing to lose.”

But Jordan did admit he was unaware that championship meet records are also kept. The one-mile mark of 4:16.46, set by Ben Fletcher of Edward Little in 1999, would seem attainable. And, the 800 record of 1:54.60 by Mohammed Sharif of Westbrook in 2020 is in Jordan’s range, especially with an expected push from sub-2:00 Portland runners Nathan Blades and Benjamin Prestes.

“I think 1:55 is right there. Maybe sub-1:55 isn’t,” Jordan said.

Marshwood junior Andre Clark won the SMAA Championship 55-meter dash in a Maine all-time best of 6.39 seconds, competing at USM. The previous mark was 6.46 seconds held by Denzel Tomaszewski of Wells (2013), Jarrett Flaker of Scarborough (2019) and Mount Desert Island senior Miles Burr earlier this winter. Flaker’s time is the Class A meet record. Burr already holds the Class B record with his 6.47 time last year.

Long-time Cheverus coach John Wilkinson put Clark’s time – and the overall speed in Maine – in a historical context. Wilkinson said when his son was running for South Portland in 2012, “You could win a state title with a 6.7. Now you’re not making the (Class A) finals with a 6.7.”

In Class B, Teanne Ewings, a junior from Greater Houlton Christian Academy, destroyed the girls’ Maine all-time two-mile mark with her time of 10:28.43. Ewings is also one of three girls in the state who have run the mile in under 4:58 this winter with a time of 4:57.73. The others are York senior Cary Drake (4:57.61) and Portland’s Samantha Moore (4:57.96).

Ewings and Drake are expected to meet for the first time in an indoor track championship. Last winter Drake led York to the girls’ team title by winning the 800, mile and two-mile. Drake will again run the distance triple. She’s seeded second to Ewings in the mile (her slightly faster time, run out of state, doesn’t count for seeding purposes) and two-mile, and second to MDI’s Amelia Vandongen in the 800. Vandongen’s best of 2:15.69 is four-tenths of a second off the Class B meet record.

“The goal is another team win,” Drake said. “We have five in a row, going back to the outdoor season my sophomore year.” York won the Class B title in cross country, indoor and outdoor in 2022-23 and added another cross country crown in November.

Drake called Ewing’s two-mile mark, “insane. It’s like a minute faster than me.” But in the mile, the two could produce a historic duel. The Class B state meet record is 5:00.31, set by Waterville’s Bethanie Brown in 2013. Brown also holds the all-time Maine best of 4:54.57 set at the New Balance Grand Prix in 2013.

Portland’s Moore is another outstanding distance runner. Her season bests are below the Class A meet records of of 2:16.06 in the 800 (Anna Folley, South Portland, 2020) and Bonny Eagle standout Wendy Delan’s hand-held mile time of 5:00.6, which has stood since 1986.

Class B pole vaulters Reece Perry of Freeport and Sarah Ouellette of Morse have gone higher than the existing records. Perry set the boys’ mark last year at 14 feet, 1 inch. He’s gone 14-5 and heads a group with seven 11-foot plus vaulters. Ouellette’s best of 11-10 ties the all-time Maine mark and is 10 inches above the Class B meet record.

Several other top athletes have what it takes to win and, possibly set records. Lewiston senior Makenna Drouin is the top seed in the Class A girls’ 55 hurdles, 55 dash and 200 meters. Plus, she has talented athletes to push her, particularly in the sprints from Gorham’s Ashley Connolly and Cheverus freshman Macey Weisberg.

In the boys’ horizontal jumps, Billy Albertson of Skowhegan (long jump) and Ethan Palmer of Mt. Ararat have both exceeded Class A meet record distance this season. Will Rush of Medomak Valley has done the same in the Class B triple jump.

From a team perspective, based on the seed sheets, the Bangor girls have a slight edge on Scarborough, with the pole vault likely to be a pivotal event, especially for the Red Storm. The Class A boys’ appears to be completely up for grabs. Mt. Ararat, Gorham, Scarborough, Portland, South Portland and Marshwood are all projected to score 50 to 58 points with Mt. Ararat having a slight edge over Gorham at the top. Gorham features top high jumper Griffin Gammon and sprinter Nolan Feyler, the top seed in the 400.

In Class B, Drake (at least 24 points) and her York distance cohorts Molly Kenealy, Madelyn Hutchins and 800 specialist Zoe Carroll are pegged for 55 total points. That is probably enough to win the meet and the Wildcats figure to add points in the 3,200 relay even without Drake (their top seed time included her). Freeport and Bucksport are the two teams battling for second. The Greely boys are expected to score in 12 of 14 events – often with multiple placers – and are clear favorites. Leavitt, led by top-seeded hurdler and long jumper  Stephen Pierre, will try to catch balanced York for the runner-up honors. Winslow’s Joseph Richards, a threat to break the 400 meet record, Burr from MDI, and Sumner distance standout Kaleb Colson are three individuals who will score more points than most of the teams.

Copy the Story Link

« Previous

In photos: The best shots from a dramatic weekend of Maine high school playoffs

Next »

C South girls basketball: Newfound familiarity highlights intriguing 8-team field