MaineTrackXC Senior Girls 2011 Rewind
What an impact the class of 2012 has had on girls running in the state of Maine during their 4 year careers. The class of 2012 has revolutionized distance running in the state, they have raised the level of competition & shown they can compete with the rest of New England & the country. This class captured 6 individual state titles, 2 New England champions, 12 All-New England awards, 4 footlocker national appearances, & 1 Footlocker All-American award.
This class produced the first 4x state champion in Abbey Leonardi, who was the head of the class, she lost just once during her 4 years against in-state competition. Leonardi also became the first Maine hs girl to compete in the Footlocker National meet 3 times, and this past year she finally acheived her goal of All-American.
Right behind Leonardi was Emily Durgin (Cheverus) who has the disctinction of the only Maine girl to defeat Leonardi in a xc race in the state of Maine. Durgin led Cheverus to 3 team titles, as well as finishing as state runner-up 3x, New England champion 2x, & a Footlocker National finalist.
This class just wasn't Leonardi & Durgin though there were several others who stood out, Fiona Hendry (Cheverus) 4x in the top ten at the state meet, and 3x All-NE & Abby Mace (Maranacook) was a 2x Class B champ, & 3x All-New England award winner.
Standouts this year inlcuded Meagan Thomas (Lisbon) who won the Western Class C regional & was the state C runner-up
1. Abbey Leonardi Top Senior
Abbey Leonardi (Kennebunk) impact on the xc running Maine has been tremendous, she came in highy touted and backed that up for 4 years, improving each year. She is the best Maine high school girl's xc runner ever to grace the trails, her stats will back that up. Abbey lost just once during her 4 year xc career in races in the state of Maine, other than that it was numerous course records, and wins by over a minute were fairly common. Leonardi became the first Maine HS girl to win 4 consecutive state xc titles this fall. Abbey added her 3rd Western Maine regional title this fall, finished as runner-up in the Footlocker Northeast Regional for the 2nd straight year, and ended her high school career in style with an All-American 4th place finish at the Footlocker National Championship. Abbey won't soon be forgotten, but she will certainly be missed next fall. Her next stop is the University of Oregon, she's sure to make an impact.
2. Emily Durgin
Emily Durgin (Cheverus) had a great 4 year xc career earning several individual awards, & leading her team to 3 straight Class A state titles. Durgin was the Class A state runner-up 3 times, and has the distinction of being the only Maine HS girl to defeat Abbey Leonardi in a xc race. Emily when healthy was one of the top runners in the country evidenced by her Footlocker National appearance as asophomore, but unfortunately see has had to deal with a myriad of injuries during her 4 years. Durgin dealt with anemia during the middle/end of the season, and her status for the postseason was up in the air after having to drop out of the Western Maine Regional race. Durgin showed her grit with a 3rd place finish at the state meet. She had a strong run at the New England Championships where she finished 3rd overall notching her 4 straight All-New England award. In her 4 years of New England compeititon she won the title her sophomore year, then added runner-up finishes as a freshman & junior. Durgin looked primed to make another run at the Footlocker Nationals, but once again the injury bug bit her again, this time a stress fracture in her foot.
3. Fiona Hendry
Fiona Hendry (Cheverus) amassed an impressive resume but was often under the radar because of the accomplishments of Leonardi & Durgin. Hendry finished in the top 8 all 4 years at the Class A state meet, two times finishing in 3rd place including 2011. Fiona also excelled at the New England Championships where she earned All-New England status 3 times, her best finish came this fall as she finished 8th overall. Hendry was also key runner on the 3 straight Class A titles won by Cheverus. No question that having Leonardi & Durgin in front of her made her a better runner even if it did mean not getting the recognition, her times and accomplishments speak for themselves.
4. Abby Mace
Abby Mace (Maranacook) accomplished much during her 4 year xc career, including two Class B state titles, & 3 top 10 finishes at the New England Championships, earning All-New England honors. Abby burst on to the scence her freshman year winning the state meet by 35 seconds, then finishing 6th at the NE championships, the following year saw another state title this time by over a minute. Junior year was a struggle as Mace was injured for the first time, she was clearly not fit but still toed the line and gave her best effort at the state meet finishing 2nd, something that became a trademark for Mace. This past season was well documented through her blog on MaineTrackXC that Abby struggled mentally at times, despite this she won 3 races, inlcuding the Western Maine Regional title for the 4th straight year. Abby finished 3rd at the state meet, then came back at the New England meet with perhaps her best race of the season, running 18:40 to finish 7th overall.
Top 20 Senior Girls Performances 2011
Top 10 Class A Seniors
Top 10 Class B Seniors
Top 10 Class C Seniors
Top 20 Seniors at the State Meet in 2011
1 Abbey Leonardi SR Kennebunk 18:27.19 3 Emily Durgin SR Cheverus 19:03.88 5 Fiona Hendry SR Cheverus 19:25.15 7 Abby Mace SR Maranacook 19:42.56 23 Meagan Thomas SR Lisbon High School 20:47.77 29 Addie Cullenberg SR Mt. Blue 20:53.66 35 Hannah Damron SR Windham High School 21:02.84 36 Emma Wood SR Mt. Ararat 21:04.44 37 Talia McKay SR Windham High School 21:10.28 40 Mikayla Frazier SR Massabesic 21:15.09 46 Mallory Evans SR York High School 21:20.87 48 Tori Brigham SR Cape Elizabeth 21:23.43 49 Naomi Holzhauer SR Oceanside 21:24.51 56 Kathleen McMahon SR Brunswick 21:33.71 58 Corinn Bedell SR Fryeburg Academy 21:34.86 59 Nelly Winship SR Bucksport 21:38.63 61 Ella Ramonas SR Deering High School 21:42.32 66 Miranda Monk SR Bangor High School 21:50.22 67 Hillary Detert SR North Yarmouth 21:53.43 77 Lucy Knowlton SR Leavitt 22:00.16