Maine high school track and field returned last week with the first countable meets since the 2019 state championship meets. The almost two-year layoff due to the COVID-19 pandemic is over and athletes from around the state got the opportunity to compete again. Several athletes opened their seasons with impressive marks and gave us a glimpse of what we may expect to see in 2021.
Victoria Bossong of Cheverus traveled to Providence, Rhode Island on Saturday to compete for the first time since the 2020 New England Indoor Championships. Bossong who will be attending Harvard next fall showed she is ready for a strong final season-opening with her third fastest outdoor 400m with her 55.41 winning effort.
At Mt. Desert Island on Saturday Bangor senior Alyssa Elliott the 2019 Class A long jump champion from Bangor matched the distance of her winning jump with her opening effort of 17-6 in the long jump. Elliott added a 36-1 1/4 effort to win the triple jump. The Uconn bound Elliott also added personal best at 100m (13.41) and 300m hurdles (49.06). Teammate Naomi Noack cleared ten feet in the pole vault to take over the state lead in the event as well as the top mark in the 100m (13.27) while another Ram Camden Lavoie won the shot put with a strong 38-5 effort. The Rams who won the 2020 Class A indoor title look to be one of the top teams in the state this spring. George Stevens Academy freshman Miranda Pert made an immediate impact with her 106-4 winning effort in the discus, the mark is the top in the state this spring.
The boys meet at MDI had some top performances as well as Washington Academy's Cameron Bowser leaped out to a state-leading 21-8 in the long jump. Bangor senior Max Smith was impressive in the throws recording wins in the shot 48-1 1/2 and discus 146-0. George Stevens Academy's Ian Renwick recorded a personal best and state lead with his 23.59 winning 200m effort.
Orono freshman Ruth White showed there is a new distance star in Maine. At the PVC meet at Brewer on Wednesday, she opened with a pair of wins in the 1600m and 3200m. After a strong 5:19.11 win in the 1600m, she returned to the track to break 11 minutes for 3200m with her 10:54.43. The mark just missed Abbey Leonardi's Maine state freshman record of 10:53.93 set back in 2009. In the hurdles, Connor Michaud of Presque Isle won the 110m hurdles (17.02) and 300m hurdles (41.71) to set state-leading marks.
KVAC action at Lewiston on Wednesday saw Brunswick senior Tyler Patterson clocked a 4:26.51 state-leading 1600m. While in the two-mile Mt. Ararat junior Grady Satterfield ran the only sub 10 minutes 3200m in the state with his 9:59.30 winning effort. The Lewiston boys 4x100 clocked a strong early-season effort of 45.48, while Mt. Ararat grabbed the 4x800 state-leading time with a 9:01.83. Bane Slocum of Mt. Ararat popped a big 21-8 long jump, his effort improved his personal best from 20-5 3/4 and equals the state leading jump.
Senior Jacob Jackson of Edward Little got his season off to an impressive start as he leaped 6-2 to win the high jump and then 42-7 1/4 in the triple jump both marks are state-leading efforts. For good measure, Jackson added a 20-9 1/4 win in the long jump. Teammate Finn Thistle won the pole vault with a state-leading mark of 11-6. On the girl's side, the Edward Little girls won the 4x800 in a state-leading 11:18.41 time. In the javelin, the Red Eddies senior Faith Small chucked it 106-0 to win the event and currently sits atop the event statewide
At York on Wednesday the Wildcats Aidan Martin opened with a state-leading 51-2 personal best in the shot put. He set another leading mark in the javelin with his 167-3 winning toss and added a third victory in the discus throwing 125-10.
The new Messalonskee track facility opened on Thursday with Cole Martin of Belfast sprinting to the fastest 100m time in the state with his 11.45 winning effort. In girl's action, Belfast's Lia Frazee cleared 5-4 to win the high jump, the mark is the top jump in the state in 2021.
At Old Town, Izabelle Trefts walked her way to the state lead in the 1600m racewalk with her strong 7:45.61 winning time.
Junior Levi Olin of Winslow set a state-leading mark in the 400m on his home track winning in a time of 53.87. Gardiner's junior Jackson Boudreau recorded the top mark in the 1600m racewalk with his 8:42.15 winning effort.
Cony senior Anna Reny got her season off to a strong start with a 27.34 winning effort in the 200m at Mt. Blue, the time is the top in the state in 2021. The Rams girls closed the meet out with a 4:33.14 state leading effort in the 4x400m relay.
Over at Lisbon, Kiana Goldberg clocked 16.57 to win the 100m hurdles, her effort leads all short hurdlers in the state.
While at Bucksport, the Golden Bucks girls 4x100 clocked the state's fastest time with their 53.26 winning effort.