The action inside the Reggie Lewis Center on Saturday for the New England Indoor Track and Field Championship is expected to be hot. Several Maine athletes are expected to contend for New England titles and podium finishes. Below we will preview both the boys and girls and what we might expect to see on Saturday as the best in New England square off for regional supremacy.
Time Schedule
Maine Class A champion Andre Clark of Marshwood is the top seed in the 55m dash. Clark set a new Maine state record with his 6.38 at the state meet. A year ago he finished on the podium in fifth place after running 6.51. The 2023 New England runner-up and 2024 Class B champion Miles Burr will look to contend for the individual title, Burr has a best of 6.46 on the season. Falmouth's Max Shapiro (6.53) and Lewiston's Josia Katroli (6.55) are ranked in the top 15.
Noble senior Maddox Jordan is the top seed in the mile (4:17.23) and will look to improve on his state record of 4:11.19 set earlier this year. Jordan has shown he will be tough to beat, it will take a special performance and a big kick to take down University the Rhode Island senior. Jordan is also running the 1k which is the event after the mile.
Class A long jump champion Billy Albertson is the third seed, his distance from the state meet of 22-7 1/2 matches the distance he leaped at New England's from a year ago when he finished as the runner-up. Arnaud Sioho of South Portland the Class A runner-up (22-7) is the fourth seed.
Class B 400m champion Miles Burr will step up in distance as he takes on the 600m. Burr set a state meet record in the 400m (49.49) and comes in seeded second (1:22.15) based on that effort. A year ago Burr set a state record in the 300m (34.90) placing fourth in the event.
Class A shot put champion Tucker Walker of Sanford is ranked seventh, he is coming off a huge personal best of 53-10 at the state meet.
In the high jump Class A champion and defending outdoor New England champion Griffin Gammon of Gorham won't compete as he'll be looking to win the Class AA basketball title on the hardwood on Saturday evening. Class A runner-up Josia Katroli who has cleared 6-6 several times this season is seeded second.
On the oval look for the Portland 4x800 to take a shot at the Maine all-time best of 7:53.50. The Bulldogs will likely have to do it alone as they aren't likely to be in the fastest section. With the addition of Nathan Blades and Benjamin Prestes to the lineup a time well under eight minutes is within reach.
Class A 55m and 55m hurdles champion Makenna Drouin of Lewiston headlines the Maine sprinters. Drouin who clocked a Class A state meet record and number two all-time in state history with her 7.08 a week ago enters as the third seed on Saturday. Drouin was the 55m runner-up at New England's two years ago. In the hurdles Drouin has the seventh fastest time (8.41), last year she just missed the final after finishing tenth in the prelims.
The mile is an event where Maine athletes have a chance to litter the podium. York senior and Class B champion Cary Drake leads the way with her 4:59.07 which has her ranked third. Drake will be chasing an elusive New England mile title, she placed second as a sophomore and was third a year as she had to run in the second fastest section. Class A champion Samantha Moore of Portland is one to watch she has run under 5 minutes a couple of times in 2024 and comes in the 11th fastest. Scarborough sophomore Laurel Driscoll pushed Moore at the state meet and comes in seeded 13th with her 5:06.44 best.
Teanne Ewings of Houlton/GHCA comes in seeded fourth in the 2 mile (10:56.86) but don't be surprised to see her push the pace and go for the win. Ewings will be fresh and enters with the fastest time in 2024 in the field with her state record effort of 10:28.43. Class A champion Margaret Tripp of Thornton Academy (11:18) figures to be in the mix for a top-ten finish.
Class B high jump champion Elyannah Briggs of Old Town (5-4) has the seventh-best clearance in the field and should contend for a podium finish.
Class A shot put champion Ruby Prentiss a senior from Falmouth has the sixth furthest throw with her 38-8 1/2 winning effort from states. She'll be chasing the podium and a chance to break the forty-foot barrier. The Navigators 4x800 relay which won the Class A titles has the 11th-best time of 9:56.49.