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The Freeport High School girls made history at the Class B Indoor Track & Field Championships, capturing the program's first-ever indoor state title. The Falcons totaled 64.25 points to fend off a strong challenge from cross-town rival Yarmouth High School, which finished second with 51.
Freeport set the tone early in the 4x800 relay, as Stella Kryzak, Maddy York, Ada Shirley, and Lilah Hall delivered a decisive victory in 10:25.62, giving the Falcons immediate momentum.
Emma Graham led the charge individually for Freeport. She powered to the 400-meter title in 60.21, added a sixth-place finish in the 200, and contributed a leg on the Falcons' fifth-place 4x200 relay. Briella Boudreau chipped in eight key points in the pole vault, clearing 9-6 to take second. Distance standout Ella Oshetski added valuable depth, placing third in the mile and fourth in the two-mile.
Yarmouth was fueled by sprint star Miah Jacobs, who won the 55-meter dash in 7.28 after running a personal-best 7.26 in the preliminaries. The 200-meter dash produced one of the meet's fastest races, as Seneca Haney of MDI blazed to a state-leading 25.47 to edge Fryeburg Academy's Avery Bariteau (25.59). Haney's mark ranks sixth in state history, while Bariteau's performance sits seventh all-time. The 55-meter hurdles came down to a photo finish, with MCI's Gabrielle Finelli narrowly defeating Greely's Victoria Zandan, 8.66 to 8.67.
In the distance events, York senior Zoe Carroll delivered a thrilling performance in the mile. Even with Lincoln Academy's Karen Higgins at the bell, Carroll unleashed a blistering 32.75 final 200 meters to surge to victory. Hermon sophomore Ella Johnson captured the 800 meters in 2:19.83, while Orono's Maya Boyington closed powerfully over the final four laps to win the two-mile in 11:08.25, the fastest time in the state this season.
Field events provided more standout moments. Cape Elizabeth senior Sloan Gardner topped 40 feet for the second consecutive meet, launching a winning throw of 40-5 1/4 in the shot put. John Bapst's Hadley Oliver was runner-up at 38-11 1/4.
Old Town's Elyannah Briggs set a new Class B state meet record in the high jump, clearing 5-6 1/4 to eclipse the previous mark of 5-6. In the long jump, Greely's Victoria Zandan soared 17-7 3/4 on her fifth attempt to claim gold. Hermon junior Daijha Grant delivered a personal-best 37-7 1/2 in the triple jump on her final attempt, a mark that ranks eighth in state history. Greely's Piper Higgins won the pole vault with a personal-best clearance of 10-7, winning by more than a foot.
(4X200m girls podium - photo by C-Ollie Photography)
Yarmouth closed the meet on a high note, winning the 4x200 relay in 1:49.70. Hermon pushed them to the line, finishing just four hundredths back in 1:49.74 behind a tremendous anchor leg from triple jump champion Grant - but the Clippers' late surge wasn't enough to deny Freeport its historic championship.
The Greely High School boys arrived at the Class B Indoor Track & Field State Championship at Bates College as underdogs. The two-time defending champions were seeded for just 41 points - more than 30 behind the projected leaders. By the end of the night, the Rangers once again proved why champions are never counted out.
(Kannon Crocker of Greely anchors the 4x200m - photo by C-Ollie Photography)
Locked in a 55-55 tie with Freeport High School heading into the final event, Greely turned to junior Kannon Crocker. He delivered. Crocker anchored the Rangers to victory in the 4x200 relay (1:35.42), sealing the team title in dramatic fashion. Earlier in the meet, Crocker captured the 200 meters in a personal-best 23.63 and added a third-place finish in the 55-meter hurdles - also a personal best. Teammate Holden Pierce added key depth with a fourth-place finish in the 200.
Greely found more unexpected points in the field. Junior Jackson Walton entered the long jump seeded 11th but stunned the field with a 20-5 1/2 leap on his opening attempt, a mark that held up for the win. Nathan Kim contributed with a third-place clearance of 11-6 in the pole vault, while the 4x800 relay team of Cade Potts, Myles Douglas, Owen Cooper, and Connor Skillin battled to a runner-up finish.
One of the most inspiring performances of the meet came from Winslow High School senior Hassan Hobbi. After injuring his hamstring at the KVAC Class B Championship just days earlier, Hobbi defied expectations. He won the 55-meter hurdles in 7.93, then ran a seasonal-best 52.28 in the 400 meters to initially place second. Following a disqualification of John Bapst Memorial High School's Evan Babcock for a lane violation, Hobbi was elevated to state champion in the event.
Freeport's Alex Gilbert was a force in the distance events, winning the mile in 4:40.11. Teammate Ian Guzman controlled the 800 meters in 2:00.25, with Gilbert finishing second to complete a 1-2 showing for the Falcons. In the two-mile, Yarmouth High School's Bowen Mitchell surged to victory in 10:12.20, closing his final lap in a blistering 30.64, with Gilbert once again finishing runner-up.
Sprint honors in the 55 meters went to York High School's Christopher Dimino, who clocked 6.70. His teammate William Fagan dominated the shot put, launching a winning throw of 52-9 1/4.
In the field events, Erskine Academy's Elijah Pelkey won the triple jump with a leap of 42-10 1/4. Fryeburg Academy's Ty Boone cleared 6-0 to take the high jump title, while Mount Desert Island High School's Patrick Saltysiak soared 13-0 to win the pole vault.
John Bapst closed out a strong day on the track by winning the 4x800 relay in 8:39.73, but in the end, it was Greely's depth, clutch performances, and championship pedigree that once again carried the Rangers to the top.