Messalonskee Men Repeat as KVAC Champions

Results | Photos

The 800 is Messalonskee's event. In the women's Class A KVAC meet the Eagles took the top three spots. In the men's meet the Eagles took 1st, 2nd, and 6th to help build the points necessary to hold off Lewiston for the KVAC Championship. On the track the Eagles failed to score in only the 100 meter race where the runner-up Blue Devils and Brunswick crowded the field.

On the strength of six individual titles Messalonskee collected 133.5 points to top the Blue Devils 106.6. Cony was third (89), followed by Edward Little (87), Oxford Hills (79), Brunswick (78.5), Mt. Ararat (69.5), Skowhegan (23), and Mt. Blue (11).

Zach Hoyle, who holds the indoor State title, claimed the win in the 800. Hoyle was also the runner-up in both the 3200 and 400, putting up new personal bests in both. Owen Concaugh took 2nd in the 800 while Daniel Turner finished 6th. Concaugh had already won the 1600, and would chip in to a 5th place finish in the 4 x 400 relay.

Tanner Burton, already a two time KVAC Champion in the 110 meter hurdles, defended his crown with a new best time of 14.77 for his third KVAC title. Burton also took first in the 200, 6th in the long jump, and was part of the 3rd place 4 x 100 relay team.

Cameron Bickford squeaked by Brunswick's Sullivan Boyd to defend his KVAC title in the shot put. Bickford's throw of 45-10, bested Boyd by 4.75," just about the diameter of a shot put. But Bickford had plenty of margin in the discus. A new personal best of 141-11 gave him a nearly thirty foot cushion on runner-up Connor Kaplinger of Lewiston as Bickford took the discus win for the second straight year.

Dylan Labun scored in all four of his events as he took 2nd in both the 110 meter hurdles and the pole vault while helping out in the 4 x 100, and 4 x 400 relays. Labun had won the KVAC pole vault in 2016, and added 6" to this year's vault to finish at 12-06, but Alex Thompson of Edward Little cleared 13-0 to set a new personal best and wrest away the title.

Excluding relays, Lewiston sent 15 different Blue Devils to the podium and scored in every event but the pole vault. The Blue Devils accumulated 106.5 points while winning just two individual titles. Ethan Solis won the 400 with a time of 51.03 edging Messalonskee's Hoyle by 0.01 while Ben Musese took the triple jump with a distance of 41-04. Solis's 400 time was a personal best, as was his time in the 200 where he finished 2nd.  Solis also placed in the 100 with a 5th place finish, and was a part of the 2nd place 4 x 100 team.

For third place Cony Elijah Dutil brought home the high jump championship with a jump of 5-10.

In addition to Thompson's win in the pole vault, fourth place Edward Little had two champions as Matt Syphers won the race-walk with a time of 7:34.36, and Connor Jackson won the 300 meter hurdles with a new personal best of 42.00. The race featured a spectacular fall as Brunswick's Hunter Parker, who came into the race seeded first with a time of 41.72, hit the track hard at the next to last hurdle. He and Jackson had been side by side from the last turn and the race looked likely to be won in the last meter. Parker was able to get up and finish the race, but could not place. Jackson had already taken 3rd in the 110 hurdles. Both are likely to be vying for spots on the podium next week at the State meet at Massabesic.

Dawson Stevens of Oxford Hills took the men's javelin championship with a throw of 163-09 to lead the Vikings to a 5th place finish.

Defending champion Seth White of Brunswick took the 100-meter title for the second consecutive year; his time of 11.23 was a new best. White, who holds the indoor title, also won the long jump with a jump of 20-04.5. After placing 4th in the 200, he anchored Brunswick's winning 4 x 100 team to a 44.41 finish, currently the second best mark in the state. Jack Harvey, Jaznel Burns, and Hunter Parker round out the team that will look to compete with Scarborough (44.02) next week at states.

Cam Meier, of Mt. Ararat, won the 3200 with a time of 9.53.18. Meier was 2nd in the 1600, and 3rd in the 800, with a new PR. He also led the 4 x 800 team to a first place finish. Mt. Ararat's 4 x 400 team also took the KVAC title. Expect both relays to be competitive at the state meet. The 4 x 800 team of Meier, Devin Hoskins, Jonas Loden-Kemper, and Eagan Eldridge ran an 8:34.58, good enough for 5th in state. The 4x 400 team of Cole Guerin, Tyler Bernier, Eldridge and Loden-Kemper won in 3:36.52, now the 3rd best time in the state.