EVENTS TO WATCH
Boys Events to Watch
Pole Vault
Class A state champion Travis Snyder led his team to the state title last weekend, this weekend Snyder will be focused on his specialty the vault. Snyder has jumped a best of 15-8.25 this spring, which ranks him third best in Maine history and tops in New England.
A year ago the junior finished as the runner-up to earn All-New England honors in his career with his 15-3 clearance. Travis cleared 14-9 to win the Class A title in a difficult cross wind a week ago.
Look for Scott Rathbun of Keene, NH
to challenge for the top spot, he cleared a personal best 15-2 to win
the New Hampshire Meet of Champions last weekend. Rathbun finished 4th a
year ago.
Belfast's Jack Hansen is tied for the 7th seed with a 13-3 mark.
Long Jump
Class C state champion Cayden Spencer-Thompson enters the meet as the third seed with his 23-1 3/4 effort. That mark broke the Class C state meet record. Earlier this year the junior from Mattanawcook Academy jumped 23-3 1/4 which improved on his Maine all-time number two mark, he is just 2' 1/4" behind the all time best of David Eagleson.
A year ago Spencer-Thompson finished third with a leap of 23-0 3/4, the same spot he ranks heading into Saturday.
Defending
champion Smith Charles a junior from Milton High School is coming off a
23-9 1/2 mark to win the MA All-State meet last weekend. While CT State
Champion Dyshon Vaughn of Career Magnet will be one to watch after his
23-9 winning effort.
Triple Jump
Cayden Spencer-Thompson once again will look for more honors this time in the triple jump. The runner-up a year ago, he enters with the 4th best jump from the championship meet at 46-5. He has a best of 48-2 1/2 on the year which is the tops amongst those in the field and is the best ever from the state of Maine.
He'll be challenged by senior Elijah Henry of Bunnell, CT, who was the runner-up at the CT State Open jumping 47-2. Sean Dixon-Brodie a sophomore from Bloomfield, CT is coming of a strong 47-0 3/4 effort which placed him third in CT State Open.
Shot Put
Class A state champion Jason Montano
of Thornton Academy is the top seed from Maine in the shot put at 4th
with his 55-2 3/4 effort from the state meet. Montano has a best of 58
feet on the season which ranks him 12th best overall in Maine history.
He is undefeated on the year in Maine and will look to improve on his
5th place finish from a year ago. He won the New England title indoors.
Brewer's Garrett Graham the Class B champion comes in as the 5th best seed with a 54-4 3/4, he has a best throw of 55-10 1/2 on the season.
While Croix Albee of MDI the Class B runner-up is the 6th best with his mark of 53-8 3/4
The top seed is Aiden Felty a junior from Innovation Academy who is coming off a personal best 61-7 that won the MA All-State meet,
Girls
High Jump
Westbrook's Nyagoa Bayak jumped a personal best 5-11 to win the Class A state meet and set a new Maine all-time best in the event. Bayak who won the indoor New England title will be looking to crack the 6ft barrier for the first time on Saturday. She is seeded 3 inches higher than the rest of the field
Bayak currently ranks 6th best in the country in the event, and proved indoors with her 3rd place finish at New Balance Indoor National that she is a big stage performer.
Julia Jordahl-Henry a junior from Wellesley, MA is the defending champion in the event she is seeded with a mark of 5-8 that she jumped in winning the MA All-State meet last weekend.
Shot Put
The Class B shot put competition produced the two
best throws in Maine this spring. Waterville junior Sarah Cox threw a
lifetime best of 41-5 3/4 in her winning effort which has her ranked
second heading into the meet. That mark moved the junior into 8th best
in Maine history.
Pushing Cox all the way last weekend was MCI
junior Christa Carr 40-10 3/4 which has her ranked third. Her throw
moved her up to 12th best in state history.
Cameron Garabian of Seekonk, MA is the top seed with her mark of 41-6 3/4, she placed 6th in the event a year ago. She also won the indoor New England title.
100m hurdles
Class A state champion Emily Labbe equaled the third fastest low hurdle mark in state history in winning the title. The sophomore won by just .01 as she clocked 14.75 with a slighty illegal tailwind of 2.1 over defending champion Nina Tasker of Noble who ran 14.76, the 6th best in state history.
The duo enters as the 5th & 6th seed with a shot to earn All-New England honors. Labbe from Scarborough nabbed All-New England indoors with her 6th place effort over the 55m hurdles.
Class B champion Darcy Cochran
ran 14.94 to win a week ago, the Cape Elizabeth sophomore has been
unpushed all spring, and with the level competition tomorrow is a good
candidate to lower her personal best. She enters as the 7th seed.
Anoush
Krafian a senior from Belmont, MA is the top seed with an impressive
14.26 effort winning the MA All-State meet. She placed 4th a year ago
running 14.80.
400m
Class A state champion Victoria Bossong of Cheverus enters as the 5th seed. The freshman has had a tremendous year so far and last week moved into a tie for 4th fastest in the one lapper with her 56.95. She will be chasing two marks on Saturday, the freshman state record of 56.87, and the Maine all-time best by former Stag's standout Emily Turner (56.57).
She'll be joined by 2017 New England 200m champion and teammate Emma Gallant in the event. Gallant is seeded 11th but showed last year seeds mean little when she won the 200m. She finished behind Bossong at Class A states clocking a seasonal best 57.43, her personal best from last year is 57.03.
The top seed in the event is Carly Swierbut a junior from Newtown, CT who clocked a 55.48 to win the CT State Open title, she has a best on the season of 55.42