Flaker Sprints Way To The Top of 2020
To wrap up the indoor season we are taking a further look at the best athletes in each class. We are naming a boy athlete of the year as well as naming an additional top four athletes from the class of 2020.
Scarborough's Jarett Flaker had another outstanding indoor season in 2019-2020. The George Mason bound Flaker ran the fastest time in the state in the 55m, 200m, 300m, 400m & 600 yard distances, as well as running on the fastest 4x200m relay.
Flaker equaled his all-time state best at 55m in winning the New Year's Relays in 6.46 seconds. He added a win in the 300m at the Dartmouth Relays, and anchored the winning 4x400m relay as well. At the Terrier Classic he broke his own state record in the 400m as he finished fourth overall against a mostly collegiate field running 48.57 seconds in the 400m. Despite a fall at the start of the 200m, he ran the second-fastest time in state indoor history, clocking 21.98 seconds, just off his record of 21.86.
Despite a hamstring injury that prevented him from competing at the Southwesterns, Flaker did what he needed to do, lead his Red Storm team to a fifth consecutive Class A team title. He won the 400m, and 200m for the third consecutive year.
Flaker was gearing up to run the 400m at the New Balance Nationals in March but that meet was canceled due to COVID-19.
Flaker led the Class of 2020 in three different events, plus set a state record in the 400m, making him our choice for the Senior of the Year for the 2019-20 indoor track and field season.
Josh Bradford (Falmouth) dominated the shot put this winter throwing 61-2 1/4 to win the Dartmouth Relays. After the win at Dartmouth, the University of Maine bound senior was ranked number one in the country for the event. His 60-foot plus effort ranks him fifth-longest in Maine indoor history. He would throw over 60 feet two more times, including a win at the Southwestern Championship. An injury the week of the state meet cost him a shot to compete for a state title that he was the heavy favorite to win. Josh ended the season ranked eighth in the country.
Ben Drummey (Biddeford) put together a great pole vault season that saw the University of Southern Maine bound senior clear 16 feet. Drummey became the fourth Maine high school boy to clear 16 feet in indoor history. At the Championship meets, the competition was done before Drummey even started. At the Class A state meet, he had the crowd on its feet. There was a loud roar when he sailed over 16 feet. He ended the season ranked in a tie for 23rd best vault in the country.
Will Shaughnessy (Brunswick) continued his break out from the cross country season on the indoor oval. Shaughnessy set a personal best indoors in the 800m, mile and 2-mile. At the Class A state meet, he ran a leg on the winning 4x800m relay, and added a runner-up finish in the 2-mile. He earned All-New England honors in the 2-mile with his sixth-place, 9:18.21 effort, the time moved him to sixth-best in state history. He lead all Class of 2020 runners in the mile & 2-mile this winter.
Mahamed Sharif (Westbrook) had a bit of a slow start to his season this winter, but the state indoor record holder at 800m came on strong during the championship season. Mahamed broke his own Class A state meet record with a blistering 1:54.60, eclipsing the 1:55.45 winning effort from 2019. The University of Connecticut bound Sharif ran his fastest time of the season at the USATF New England Championship at Harvard as he clocked a 1:54.09 to finish third. Mahamed was set to compete in the New Balance Indoor Nationals in the 800m, and ended the season ranked 19th best in the United States. For the class of 2020, he was the top 800m runner, plus ranked fourth in the 400m (52.49).