Maine - New England Indoor T&F championship Preview

New England Championship
Derek Veilleux



The best track and field athletes from the state of Maine will compete in the New England Championship on Saturday in Boston at the Reggie Lewis Center. After missing the meet in 2021 due to COVID-19 the Indoor Track & Field New England Championship is back and there are several Maine athletes expected to be on the podium in their respective events. 




Girls

55m Hurdles - Two-time Class B state champion Lexi Brent of York leads the Maine hurdle contingent. Brent clocked 8.68 in winning the title two weeks ago, she comes in with the ninth-best time and will likely need to PR to make it to the finals. Class A champion Alyvia Caruso of Gorham is ranked 14th with an 8.75 seed time.

55m Dash - Class A state champion Anna Connors of Bangor comes into the meet as the second seed with her 7.16 effort that broke the state meet record. Scarborough junior Caroline Fallona the Class A runner-up is in the mix as well she comes in at 7.22 which has her ranked as the fifth seed. Gorham senior Emma Green is the eighth fastest with her 7.30 effort. 

300m - Class A state meet record holder Anna Connors is the top seed here at 39.57, which is slightly faster than the Maine state record of 39.68. The 300m distance might be ideal for Connors who has the 200m speed but also the 400m strength. Gorham senior Sydney Connolly is ranked ninth in the event with an 41.56.

High Jump - This is a wide-open event with 5-4 being the best height cleared by an entrant. Class B two-time champion Lia Frazee of Belfast cleared 5-2 at states and has done 5-4 this season, she is tied for the third-best jump in the field. Class A champion Emma Green of Gorham has a shot at the podium as well she consistently cleared 5-2 most of the indoor season.

Long jump - Lewiston senior Amelia Wedderburn the Class A champion comes in the competition ranked sixth with her 17-11 effort at states. Her best jump this winter has been 18-2 1/4, so if she can get back into the 18's her chances of a podium finish would increase.

Shot Put - Class A state champion Estella Inman of Windham ranks sixth with her 37-10 3/4 throw from states.

4x200m- Class A record-holders Gorham have the seventh fastest time with their record-breaking 1:47.59 effort. The banks should definitely help their time if they can get the stick around the track. The Rams will be chasing the all-time Maine best of 1:46.89.

1000m - Class A 800m champion Mia-Claire Kezal of Thornton Academy comes in ranked 8th her with 3:01.24 converted time. Without the mile in her legs look for the senior to make a run at the podium and potentially the state record of 2:53.39, she ranks sixth-best in state history in the event with her 2:58.35 effort from 2021. Kezal earned All-New England honors in 2020 with a fifth-place finish.

Mile - Class B champion Cary Drake of York is the top-ranked Maine athlete at 13th with her 5:13.71 effort in winning the state title. Look for the added competition to help Drake as she looks to run under 5:10 and compete for a podium spot.

2 Mile -  Class A state champion Megan Randall of Bangor ranks fourth with her 11:07.21 effort. Randall will be looking to break the 11 minute barrier for the first time after having run 11:03 a couple of times this winter. Randall will be fresh here so a podium finish and spot on the all-time top ten for indoors is the cards.


Boys

55m Hurdles - Maine state co-state record holder Jayden Flaker will be looking for a podium spot in this one. Flaker the two-time Class A champion from Scarborough equaled the state record two weeks ago and enters the meet ranked third overall with a 7.52. The added competition should push him under 7.50 and maybe even under 7.40 if everything goes well. Jabreel Muhammed-Aceto of Lewiston is the only other Maine athlete under 8 seconds, he is seeded 12th with a 7.93.

55m Dash - Class A champion Abdirizak Abukar of Lewiston is the top Maine athlete entered with his 6.59 which has him ranked 11th.

300m Dash - Class A 200M & 400M champion Andrew Farr of Gorham is the top seed in the event with a 35.30. Farr will be looking for the top spot and the Maine all-time record of 34.92. Abdirizak Abukar of Lewiston is ranked fourth while Scarborough's Jayden Flaker is the 5th seed. Good chance here to see multiple Maine athletes on the podium.

High Jump - Class B champion Corbin Flewelling of Old Town is tied for the second seed with a handful of jumpers who cleared 6-2 at their respective championship meets. Making bars on the first attempt will likely be the key to earning a podium spot in this one. Class B runner-up Nathan Paulauskas of Bucksport also cleared 6-2 at states and will look to jump his way onto the podium.

Long Jump - Class B champion Colin Simpson of Bucksport leads the way here. Simpson, a senior, jumped 21-11 1/2 at states which has him ranked sixth. Class A runner-up Griffin Johnson of Kennebunk is ranked ninth with his 21-5 3/4 leap.


Shot Put - New Class B state meet record holder Matt Charpentier of York ranks fourth with his record-breaking 56-6 1/4 heave. Class A champion Nick Connolly of Scarborough ranks sixth with his 55-6 effort from the state meet. This event features some of the top throwers in the country and once again Maine has athletes that should contend for a podium finish.

1000m - Scarborough senior Zachary Barry is ranked 12th here but certainly is capable of moving up the ranks based off of his 1:52.85 effort at 800m last weekend. Barry might have to do it from a slower section but he is comfortable pushing the pace alone, and the state record of 2:29.40 is on his radar as well as a podium finish.


Mile - With Class A state champion Zachary Barry opting for the 1k only, Hampden Academy's Charlie Collins the third-place finisher in Class A will look to improve on the 4:26.76 effort that has him ranked 16th.

2 Mile - Class A state champion Grady Satterfield of Mt. Ararat is the tenth seed with his 9:30.96, he'll be looking to drop down into the 9:20's and look to make a run at a podium finish.