Class B Girls State Meet Preview



Class B Girls State Meet Preview


Welcome to our event-by-event Class B State Meet preview. Check out your favorite event to see who some of top ranked runners are. Included for each event is a potential 'dark horse' candidate: a competitor who we think could pull off the biggest upset and outperform his/her seed. The state meet record for each event is also included. Enjoy and feel free to comment your thoughts, predictions, dark horses, or corrections.



55m: With Kate Hall graduated there will be a new state champion in the 55m dash. Belfast's Cassidy Hill is the top seed at 7.51, but her health remains the real questions as she went down with a hamstring injury at KVAC's. If she's not healthy Orono's Lauren Stoops the state runner-up a year ago would be the favorite, her seed time is 7.57. MDI's Ashley Anderson is one to watch for at the #3 seed, she has a best of 7.60, and won the EMITL title on Monday.

Dark horse: Fryeburg's Skye Collins enters as the 9th seed with a best of 7.76, Collins who entered last year meet as the 8th seed went on to place 5th, can she do it again this time from the 9th spot? We think so.

State meet record: 7.05, Kate Hall (2014)



55m hurdles: Orono's Lauren Stoops is the only hurdler in the field who has broken 9 seconds with her seed time of 8.70, that she ran to win the EMITL title on Monday. Stoops was the state runner-up a year ago. Erin Martin of Nokomis is the #2 seed at 9.05, Martin placed 5th in the Class A last year.

Dark horse: Jessica Desjardins of Hermon is our pick to make the podium as the 8th seed, Desjardins has a best of 10.01, and ran just .01 off that to place 5th at the EMITL championship on Monday, look for her to carry that momentum to the state meet.

State meet record:8.40, Chelsey Tewell (2009)



200m: Last year's runner-up Lauren Stoops of Orono is the top seed, entering the meet with a best of 26.34. She should be challenged by EMITL champion Ashley Anderson who has a best of 26.65 on the season, as a freshman she was 4th overall.

Dark horse: Leah Desjardins of Poland is our pick, she enters as the 9th seed at 28.19, she has improved each meet this season and could be primed to break 28 seconds for the first time on Saturday.

State meet record: 25.36, Kate Hall (2013)



400m: Leading the way is sophomore Tahlia Mullen of Lincoln Academy who enters with a seed time of 60.54. The #2 seed is Angela Strain of Mt View who has clocked a best of 61.86, she placed 5th a year ago. #3 seed Ashley Anderson of MDI is coming of her best time 62.70 in winning the EMITL title on Monday. Morgan Smith of York was 4th a year ago as a freshman, she's the #4 seed at 63.05.

Dark horse: Olivia Pelkie of Frybeurg is the 9th seed at 65.79, if she can drop into 64's she'll have a great chance to make the podium.

State meet record: 59.51, Olivia Thurston (2011)



800m: The duo of Tia Tardy & Rebecca Lopez-Anido are the top two seeds, and are clearly faster than the rest of the field. Tardy has run 2:14.29 on the year while her teammate has a best of 2:16.25. Tardy could chase the state meet record of Abby Chapman, but will have the mile in her legs plus a 2 mile to come, so may just run for the win, she is the defending champion. Lopez-Anido placed 3rd in the event a year ago. Wells sophomore Madison Szczygiel placed 6th a freshman she's the #3 seed.


Dark horse:  Isabel Doran of Morse is the #12 seed, but she's running her best as we enter the championship season. Doran placed 4th in the KVAC B race last Saturday with her personal best 2:37.24


State meet record: 2:15.28, Abby Chapman (2003)



Mile: Tia Tardy showed her mile prowess in winning the EMITL title on Monday, when she became the second runner in Maine history to break 5 minutes in the mile with her 4:55.24 effort. Greely's Katherine Leggat-Barr won't make it easy, as she has run 5:11.84. The mile will be Tardy's first race, will she take a shot at Bethanie's Brown's 5:00.31 state meet record?

Dark horse:  Amanda Boyd of John Bapst is the #9 seed at 5:41.16, she ran that time on Monday at the EMITL and is primed to make a run at the podium.

State meet record: 5:00.31, Bethanie Brown (2013)





2 Mile: Defending champion Tia Tardy will be on her 3rd race of the day, but so will #2 seed Katherine Leggat-Barr of Greely. #3 seed Anna Lastra of Fryeburg will be fresh, but may be dealing with a injury that could effect her race, she was the runner-up a year ago. Carolyn Todd of Greely is seeded #4, with Lauren Brown at 11:33.42 is the #5 seed, she was 3rd last year.

Dark horse: Malia Cryan of York is the #9 seed with a seed time of 12:19.74, we think she could find her way onto the podium, her last race she pr'd at the mile, and that bodes well for the 2 Mile.

State meet record: 10:46.95, Bethanie Brown (2013)



Long Jump: Old Town's Oliviah Damboise is the top seed at 16-11.25, she hit that mark to win the EMITL title on Monday, the jump was a personal best indoor/outdoor. A year ago Oliviah placed 7th.  Orono's Katie O'Brien is the #2 seed at 16-5.25, she was 3rd at EMITL, and a year ago she placed 3rd in the state meet. York's Katherine Bullock is a threat at 16-1, she was 5th last year. Paige Smith of Winslow is the other jumper who has a 16-0 mark or better in the field.

Dark horse: Traip's Hannah Stevens enters the meet as the #8 seed, she has jumped a best of 15-4 3/4 on the season. Stevens has jumped just twice this season but improved from 14-5 to 15-4 earlier this season. If she can improve another 6 inches it maybe enough for the podium.

State meet record: 19'6.5", Kate Hall (2015)



Triple Jump: Old Town's Oliviah Damboise is the favorite in the triple jump, she has a best of 35-9 3/4 that she set in winning the EMITL title. Damboise was the state runner-up a year ago. Alison Linscott of Waterville is the #2 seed at 33-11 3/4. Maddie Amidon of York is just 3/4 of an inch behind Linscott at 33-11. Paige Smith of Winslow is the other jumper in the field over 33ft with her 33-2 1/2 best.

Dark horse:  Morgan Carpenter of Sacopee Valley is the #9 seed at 32-0 3/4, Carpenter has best of 33-9 in the event from last spring, is our pick to make the podium.

State meet record: 37'9.5", Shelby Tuttle (2009)



High Jump: Yarmouth's Emma Egan is the defending champion, and state meet record holder. Egan has jumped a best of 5-6 this winter, and will look to add title #2 and break her state meet record. Sacopee's Valley Morgan Carpenter has a best of 5-2 entering the state meet. While Alison Linscott of Waterville & Isabelle See of NYA are the other jumper who have cleared 5-0. Linscott tied for 3rd a year ago.

Dark horse: There are 8 jumper who have cleared 4-10 in the field, two of them Katie Oberholtzer and Samantha Pynchon placed 3rd a year ago.

State meet record: 5'4.5", Emma Egan (2015)



Pole Vault: Orono's Allie Pickering was the state runner-up a year ago, and enters the meet as the top seed this year. She is coming off her best performance as she jumped 10-3 to win the EMITL title. She'll face a strong field that has Kylie Nelson of Belfast & Hannah Stevens of Traip who have both cleared 10-0 this season.

Dark horse: Samantha Round of Orono is seeded to score in 7th but don't sleep on last year's 5th pace finisher, she could move up the ranks if she jumps 8-6 like a year ago.

State meet record: 11', Chantelle Haggerty (2002)




Shot Put: The defending champion Alyssa Coyne is back to defend her title and is the #1 with a 40-3 mark. Coyne however is dealing with a ACL injury, and it remains to see how effective she will be.  Bucksport's Mavis Taungatu'a is the #2 seed with a best of 36-11.50, she placed 3rd a year ago. The GNG duo of Emma MacCallum & Tram Ho are seeded #3 & #4.

Dark horse: Greely has also had a history of strong throwers, so our pick to make the podium is Elizabeth Brown who is the #8 seed at 31-9.

State meet record: 49'11.75", Becky O'Brien (2008)



4x200m: Orono has the top seed time, but won't have Lauren Stoops or Tia Tardy to run as they are in 3 individual events. The Red Riots still have plenty of speed to contend for the title though. Fryeburg Academy will be a team to watch as they come in with a 1:53.54 seed

Dark horse: Greely the #9 seed is out pick to jump up into a podium spot, the Rangers are seeded at 1:57.10 and have the talent to run faster.

State meet record: 1:48.96, Greeley (R.Doucette, G.Doucette, Griffin, Mason) (2005)



4x800m: Orono is the top seed, but won't run Tia Tardy, but still have 2:16 leg Rebecca Lopez-Anido in the lineup. Freeport is the #2 seed at 10:29.15, and York isn't far back at 10:232.64. Greely could be factor if they run Katherine Leggat-Barr & Carolyn Todd, they come in seeded #4.

Dark horse: Erskine Academy the 8th seed would be our choice to make the jump to podium but it won't be easy with the teams ranked in front of them

State meet record: 9:52.16, Waterville (Bard, Croswell, Hunter, Rancourt) (2007)