STANDISH — Records came under siege at the Class C track and field championships Saturday.
A total of five state-meet records were set at St. Joseph’s College, including two apiece by Winslow’s Joey Richards in the boys’ 100 and 200 meters, and Houlton/Greater Houlton Christian Academy’s Teanne Ewings in the girls’ 1,600 and 3,200. Sumner’s Kaleb Colson also set a new mark, winning the boys’ 800 in 1:56:07 to erase the record of 1:56:62 set last year by Winthrop’s James Cognata.
Meanwhile, a pair of familiar team champions emerged. Orono successfully defended its girls’ title, racking up 122 points to edge North Yarmouth Academy/Maine Coast Waldorf (116) and three-event winner Sarah Moore. Bucksport (88), Houlton/GHCA (47) and Seacoast Christian (32) rounded out the top five.
“The girls showed up, they competed hard. A lot of things didn’t go our way, but we made it work and they came together as a team,” first-year Orono Coach Dan Juilli said. “We knew NYA was loaded. We were just trying to hold them off as long as we could.”
Juilli loaded up his relays and was rewarded when the 3,200 team won (10:29.68) and the 400 and 1,600 teams earned runner-up spots. Strength in numbers paid off for the Red Riots, who had only one individual winner – Easnadh Nobel To’olo in the pole vault (9-6). They got runner-up finishes from Nobel To’olo (100 hurdles, long jump), Ruth White (1,600, 3,200), Clara White (pole vault) and Maya Boyington (1,600 racewalk), and 58 total points in jumps and distance races.
On the boys’ side, Winslow scored 89 points for its second title in three years, toppling defending champion Orono (85) while also finishing ahead of Lisbon/Oak Hill (82), Winthrop (62) and Bucksport (49).
“On paper, it looked pretty good,” Winslow Coach Ken Nadeau said. “I thought we had a shot at it, but I knew that Orono had tons of throwers in the field events that could shake stuff up. And Orono also, in the distance events, started beating us up a little bit, so we just had to find a way to get over the hump…
“And obviously Joey running and getting 40 points for us is no baloney.”
Richards earned victories in the 100 (11.08), 200 (22.48), 400 (50.38) and long jump (22-0 1/2). He set a new mark in the 100 with a preliminary time of 10.96 that bested the 2009 record of 10.99 set by Bucksport’s Dominic Kane. His 200 takes precedence over the 40-year-old record of 22.3 by Traip Academy’s John Thomas in 1984. Thomas’ record was hand-timed, and 0.24 seconds get added to hand-timed figures for record-keeping.
“I had been looking at that for a while,” Richards said. “During KVACs, I saw the 10.99, so I definitely wanted to get after that.”
Richards was joined by Hassan Hobbi (110 hurdles, 15.52) among Winslow winners. Richards’ seed times in the 200 and 400 were ahead of the state records, so he entered the day with historic aspirations.
“I was chasing the records instead of the wins,” he said. “I was trying to go for the 100, the 200 and the 400. … It was definitely a big mental (goal) for me.”
Ewings held off Ruth White to win the 1,600 in 4:58.65 and the 3,200 in 10:33.65, breaking records of 4:59.20 set by NYA’s Bridget Gagne in 2001 and 10:44.75 set by White in 2023.
“It wasn’t a goal. I wasn’t really running for time, more running for place, but I was pretty happy with that,” Ewings said. “Every week, you can’t PR. … That can’t be the complete focus for me, at least. I know it works for other people, but I train better when I’m looking to beat someone.”
She’s had plenty of battles over the years with White, a three-time New England cross country champion.
“Whenever I step on the line with her, I know it’s going to be a very high-intensity race,” she said.
Following the 3,200, the last race of her exceptional high school career, White had complimentary things to say about her friendly rival. The two shared embraces after both the 1,600 and 3,200.
“It’s great to run with Teanne, she’s a really awesome runner,” she said. “I think it pushes both of us. She’s had a really good day, two state records, so it’s impressive to watch her.”
Colson was paced by Cognata last year, then capitalized on the chance to top his mark. Colson said he’s made a habit of chasing after numbers, specifically the school records set by Parker Pruett, who graduated in 1997 and whose record Cognata broke last year.
“Chasing his ghost is what I’ve been doing my entire career,” Colson said. “Now that that’s behind me, it’s really weird, but it’s still fun to push myself, and chase myself.”
NYA’s Moore was the only athlete besides Richards to win three times, taking first in the high jump (5-2), long jump (17-9 3/4) and triple jump (36-2 1/2). NYA also got victories from Graca Bila (200, 26.27; 300 hurdles, 46.06), Soren Stark-Chessa (800, 2:19.72) and Rahel Delaney (1,600 racewalk, 8:06.74). Bucksport’s Haley Rose (100, 12.6; 400, 1:00.81) and Piscataquis’s Ava Goulette (discus, 111-5; shot put, 37-8) were also multiple winners.
Lisbon’s Owen Booker won twice on the boys’ side, in the triple jump (42-7 1/2) and javelin (167-0).
“The weather definitely helped with it, it’s just a great day,” Moore said. “I was probably more nervous about high jump, just because I (was) struggling a little bit. Having the competition I did, all the way to where I did, was really nice.”
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