The 25th Maine XC Festival of Champions at the Troy Howard Middle School delivered some great races, surprises, and plenty of personal bests.
The boys' seeded race featured the top two runners in the Maine MileSplit Power Rankings, with Scarborough senior Atticus Merriam and Dirigo senior William Morris leading a talented field. The two seniors pushed each other to the limit, running stride for stride throughout the race before Merriam edged Morris at the finish, 15:21.18 to 15:21.33. Merriam's winning time ranks as the fourth-fastest in Festival of Champions history, while Morris' mark is fifth-fastest all-time.
Both runners posted significant personal bests in the tightly contested battle. Freshman Mateo Diaz of Falmouth elected to compete in the seeded race and quickly proved he belonged, staying within striking distance of the leaders throughout. Diaz held on for an impressive third-place finish in a lifetime-best 15:44.09.
Thornton Academy senior Ryan Bolduc closed strongly to secure fourth in 15:51.34, while Bangor senior Samuel Bergmark rounded out the top five in 15:58.54.
The girls' seeded race was loaded with talent and lived up to the hype. Glastonbury, Conn., standout Lauren Parrett established the early pace, with Falmouth's Georgia Moon and Portland's Nora Schmidt close behind. Parrett continued to lead the field up the Super Highway, with the chase pack staying within striking distance.
Just after the two-mile mark, Moon pulled even with Parrett before taking the lead with 1K remaining. The Falmouth senior, who finished runner-up a year ago, charged to the finish to capture the title in 17:24.31. Her winning time ranks as the third-fastest in Festival of Champions history.
Parrett finished second in 17:29.42, the sixth-fastest time in meet history, while defending champion Schmidt placed third in a personal-best 17:41.62, good for ninth on the all-time Festival of Champions list. Lincoln Academy's Karen Higgins followed in fourth at 18:08.80, with Cheverus senior Allie Schmitt rounding out the top five in 18:09.49.
Yarmouth successfully defended its boys' team title, as the MileSplit Maine No. 1-ranked Clippers captured the championship with 114 points. Yarmouth showcased its depth by placing four runners in the top 17, led by junior Bowen Mitchell, who finished sixth in 15:59.43. Jackie Chalmers was next across the line, taking eighth in 16:04.99.
The Clippers' depth proved to be the difference, with their top five runners averaging 16:24 over the 5K course and combining for an impressive 1:15 spread between their first and fifth finishers.
East Greenwich, R.I., claimed runner-up honors with 139 points, while Portland, the MileSplit Maine No. 2-ranked team, finished third with 156. Glastonbury, Conn., placed fourth with 172 points, and Thornton Academy rounded out the top five with 264.
Glastonbury, Conn., dominated the girls' team race, scoring 76 points to cruise to the team championship. The Guardians placed three runners among the top 13 overall, led by Lauren Parrett's runner-up finish. Carolyn Kamp added a ninth-place finish in 19:07.69, while freshman Madeline Lamb, the runner-up in the freshman race, was 13th overall in 19:19.09.
Glastonbury's depth was on full display as the Guardians posted a team average of 19:10. Hamden Academy was the surprise runner-up and the top Maine team, scoring 196 points. Mercy High School of Connecticut finished third with 236 points, while Falmouth, the MileSplit Maine No. 1-ranked team entering the meet, placed fourth with 248 points. Portland rounded out the top five with 275 points.
Reagan Mattson of Maranacook won the girls' freshman race in 18:55.42; the time was good for the seventh-fastest overall. Sawyer Wess of Winthrop ran wire to wire to win the boys' freshman race in 16:34.37; the time was the 25th-fastest overall.