Class B state champion Sam Laverdiere came in the 89th New England Cross-Country Championship meet with his eyes on a top-ten finish after finishing thirty-fifth in the meet in 2023. The senior from Lake Region wasted little time getting to the front as he was among the first runners to crest the hill after the opening meters. Sam would run with the leaders and took the lead just after 1200m. As the runners exited the woods and hit the fields Laverdiere was running just off the lead pack of Soheib Dissa of Newtown, CT, Marshall Vernon of Lasalle Academy, RI, and Sean Gray of Portsmouth, NH over a mile into the race.
Laverdiere stayed with the leaders until the hill known as the "Green Monster"
"I hit a wall," Laverdiere told us after the race, "They put the hurt on me."
Dissa pulled away and then held on to hold off Vernon 15:13 to 15:14. the times were the second and third fastest in the storied course history of Wickham Park.
Sam fought hard over the final mile and crossed the finish as the first mainer in ninth place with his 15:46 effort.
Behind him, Class A champion Aran Johnson ran a strong race, battled his way to a 19th-place effort, and All-New Egland with a 16:05. The finish was a marked improvement from the senior who finished in 195th at last year's New England meet.
Class B runner-up Aidan Ring put together a great effort that saw the senior in thirty-place 16:18 finish. Deering junior Ellis Wood was 34th just three seconds back of Ring at 16:21.
Portland led all Maine teams, as the Bulldogs placed 14th overall, scoring 390 points. Hampden Academy was the second Maine team, at 23rd with 580, followed by Scarborough with 589.
Class C state champion and defending New England runner-up Teanne Ewings of Houlton/GHCA led the way for the Maine girls. Ewings started smart as she was around 20th place in the opening 400m.
Three minutes into the race Teanne worked her way into the lead pack along with Class B state champion Zoe Carroll of York. Amelia Vandongen of MDI, Karen Higgins of Boothbay/Wiscasset, and Laurel Driscoll of Scarborough were just a few strides back.
At the six-minute mark, Ewings and Carroll were side by side in fifth and sixth spot. Higgins was in 15th, while Samantha Moore the Class A champion had worked her way into the top twenty.
Coming up the "Green Monster" Ewings was in fifth about five seconds back on the lead pack of Brooke Strauss of Glastonbury, CT, Chase Gilbert of Old Lyme, CT, and Mikita Barry of Bedford, NH.
After the hills, Carroll moved right onto Ewing's shoulder in seventh place.
Strauss pulled away from Gilbert over the final 1k as she clocked an eight-second personal best on the Wickham Park course with her winning effort of 17:46. Gilbert, a junior was the runner-up in 17:53 the only other runner in the field to break 18 minutes.
Ewings used the downhills over the final 1000 meters as she moved onto the shoulder of Barry with less than 800m to go. Teanne powered up the uphill finish clocking 18:17 to finish fourth. This was the third time in her career that she has finished in the top twenty-five, 19th as a sophomore, 2nd as a junior, and 4th as a senior.
Carroll finished off her spectacular first year of cross-country as she kicked another runner to secure a sixth place at 18:23. Moore who had an abbreviated season finished in 23rd to earn her third consecutive All-New England honors.
Soren Stark-Chessa of Maine Coast Waldorf placed 35th with a 19:15, while senior Natalie Johnson of Houlton/GHCA was a step behind in 36th at 19:16 with Olivia Wentworth of Yarmouth finishing in 19:16 as well for 37th.
Karen Higgins of Boothbay/Wiscasset was 42nd at 19:21 while Clara White of Orono was 45th at 19:24. Sophomore Addison Elliott of Hampden Academy finished 47th at 19:31.
Class A champion Falmouth was the top Maine team as the Navigators finished tenth with 357 points. Class B champion Mt. Desert Island was next at 14th with 397 while Portland was 21st with 493 points.
