Winslow’s Joey Richards runs the last leg of the 4×800 relay earlier this season at the Waterville Invitational track and field meet in Waterville. Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel file
Joey Richards couldn’t have had a much better end to his high school track and field career.
Richards won four events, set two state records and earned 40 points to lead the Winslow boys to the Class C state title on June 1 at Saint Joseph’s College in Standish. The title is the program’s second in three seasons.
Richards set a new mark in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.96 seconds in the preliminary round, besting the record of 10.99 set by Dominic Kane of Bucksport in 2009. He won the event in the finals with a time of 11.08.
He next broke a 40-year record in the 200 with a winning time of 22.48, passing the previous time of John Thomas of Traip Academy. Thomas ran his 200 in 22.3 seconds in 1984, but his event was hand-timed, and 0.24 seconds were added to hand-timed numbers in the record books. Richards also won the 400 (50.38) and the long jump (22-0 1/2 feet).
“We put a lot of pressure on him. He carries a very big part of our workload,” Winslow head coach Ken Nadeau said. “Winning four state titles is quite an accomplishment. He’s just business. It’s really fun to watch him train and mentally lock in. He knew what he had to do (at states) and his focus was just there. … He’s a good teammate, kind of a quiet and humble kid. He did what we expected him to do and it put us in a good spot to get our second (title) in the past three years.”
Winslow sophomore Hassan Hobbi won the 100 hurdles (15.52). The state title put a bow on a strong season for the Black Raiders, who have won three boys track and field championships in the last seven years (Winslow won the Class B boys title in 2017).
“The kids do what they do, they buy into the system that we have here at Winslow,” Nadeau said. “They find a way to show up in the last couple of weeks and perform.”
The Black Raiders also won the 4×400 (3:39.16) and 4×800 (8:46.93) relays at the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Small School championship May 24 in Topsham. Senior Braden Rioux won the 1,600 (4:40.17) and finished second in the 3,200 (10:25.97).
Winthrop’s Christopher Pottle, second from the right, gets an early lead in the 1,600-meter run during the Mountain Valley Conference track championships May 23 at Lisbon High School in Lisbon. Pottle won the event. He also took first in the 800 and 3,200. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal file
Other area teams, including the Winthrop boys, also had strong Class C meets. The Ramblers, traditionally strong in the Mountain Valley Conference, placed fourth, their highest finish in recent years.
“Our seniors performed, and we managed to field competitive relays in all of the relays,” Winthrop head coach Ed Van Tassel said. “That was the difference. The points kind of get shuffled around (at states), but we were super excited to get fourth. It was a great finish to a great season.”
Christopher Pottle led the Ramblers, finishing second in the 1,600 (4:26.04) and third in the 3,200 (10:28.91).
Pottle won MVC titles in the 800 (2:03.51), 1,600 (4:47.31) and 3,200 (10:38.18).
“(Pottle) loves the training, and he just grinded over his four years in high school,” Van Tassel said. “He was a stud coming into his senior year. He was pretty good last year as well, but he took down our 2-mile school record, which was really awesome to see.”
Fellow senior Teddy Wagner finished third in the 200 (23.03) and 400 (52.16).
In Class B, Lawrence senior Zebadiah Hannah finished his career in dominant fashion, winning discus titles at the KVAC Small and Class B meets. Hannah won the discus at states with a throw of 157-10, more than 9 feet further than second-place Trevor Amos (148-03.00) of Gray-New Gloucester.
In Class A, Skowhegan senior Billy Albertson captured KVAC Large titles in the 100 (11.55), long jump (22-09.00) and triple jump (43-10.00). He finished second in the long jump and triple jump to South Portland’s Arnaud Sioho in the Class A championships. Albertson finished fourth in the long jump at New Englands with a leap of 22-09.50.
Waterville senior Madison Yakimchick was one of the area’s best female athletes. At the KVAC Small championships, Yakimchick won the 100 (13.10) and finished second in the long and triple jumps.
“It feels good (to win the 100),” Yakimchick said at the meet. “Last year, I lost to (MCI graduate) Emma Burr, and I knew once she was gone, it was my (event to win). And I’m grateful for my teammate, Sadie (Williams), who is very fast also and came in second. Going 1-2, that doesn’t happen at Waterville very often, but it happened today.”
Waterville’s Madison Yakimchick crosses the finish line in the 100 meter prelims during the KVAC Small School Championship meet in Lewiston. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal file
At the Class B championships, Yakimchick finished second in the 100 and the long jump and fourth in the triple jump. Waterville also received a strong performance from Kara Anderson, who finished third in the triple jump. Anderson won KVAC Small titles in the long and triple jumps.
Nokomis junior Kaylin Van Deventer finished second in the 200 (27.30) and third in the 400 (1:02.67) at the Class B meet while Lawrence junior Zoe Hutchins finished second in the discus (105-02.00) and shot put (33-08.50). Hutchins won KVAC Small titles in both of those events.
Cony senior Elise Cunningham won the Class B title in the javelin with a throw of 125-00.
Mt. Blue junior Brielle Tinker took second place in the 1,600- meter race walk in 9:09.97 during the Capital City Classic May 17 in Augusta. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal file
In Class A, Mt. Blue junior Brielle Tinker won the Class A title in the race walk with a time of 8:33.46, nearly 9 seconds faster than second-place finisher Leilani Mitchell (8:42.37). Tinker’s teammate, junior Cassidy Hardy, won KVAC Large titles in the discus (110-11.00) and shot put (34-04.50) and finished second in both events at the Class A championships.
In Class C, the Maranacook girls won the Mountain Valley Conference championship. The Black Bears were led by senior Olympia Farrell, who won the pole vault (8-6) and 300 hurdles (51.21), as well as junior Hope Webb, who finished second in the 100 (13.36) and 200 (27.84). Winthrop also had a strong MVC meet, finishing third. Senior Haley Williams captured the 800 (2:32.97) and 1,600 (5:34.57) titles, while senior Madeline Wagner won the discus (97-6). Junior Isabel Folsom also had a strong MVC meet, winning the long ump title (15-10.0), finishing third in the 100 and second in the triple jump.
Williams will continue her track career at Saint Joseph’s College next year.
“This was Haley’s first full track season with us,” Van Tassel said. “I think she’s still just scratching the surface (of her talent). She improved leaps and bounds from her first race as a senior to her last race.”
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