LEWISTON — It was a little closer than in recent years, but the result was the same for the Waterville Senior High School girls indoor track and field team. The Purple Panthers won their fifth consecutive state championship.
Waterville scored 74.83 points, while runner-up Greely scored 59.33. Waterville led Greely by 5.3 points going into the final event, the 4×200 meter relay. The Panthers won the race, while Greely did not place. Orono was third with 58 points.
Additional Images
York won the boys team title with 71 points. Old Town was second (59) and Belfast third (47). Defending champ Waterville scored 35 points and placed fifth.
Sarah Shoulta won a pair of individual titles for Waterville, defending her wins in the pole vault and 55 hurdles. Kellie Bolduc won her second straight triple jump championship for the Purple Panthers. Waterville picked up points in eight events.
For the Waterville boys, Trever Gray won the shot put, while Christ Cote took the mile.
Shoulta held off Orono’s Lauren Stoops in the 55 hurdles, winning with a time of 8.79 seconds.
“I felt (Stoops) come up on the third hurdle. I knew I had to kick it a little harder. I usually do much better over the fourth and fifth hurdles,” Shoulta said. “I started to feel her come up and I knew I had to hit it and work between the hurdles a little harder.”
Shoulta said she felt good in the pole vault, her first event of the day, winning with a vault of 9 feet, 6 inches.
“I felt really good. My legs felt like they had a lot of give in them. They weren’t tired or drained. That was good that I got on pole vault before I started hurdling,” Shoulta said.
Bolduc won the triple jump with a jump of 36 feet, 6.5 inches.
“I’m so excited. I wanted to hit 36 (feet) again,” said Bolduc, who also placed second in the high jump and third in the 55 hurdles.
In the boys mile, Cote, hung in second place for the first four laps. At the three-quarters mark, George Stevens Academy’s John Hassett made his move to the lead, and with one lap to go, Cooper Nelson of Foxcroft Academy took the lead.
“I was planning on going at the 600 to go mark, but these guys kept going. I was like, ‘Wow, this is going to be close,'” Cote said.
On the back stretch of the final lap, Cote took off, grabbing the lead. He pulled away over the final 100 meters, winning with a time of 4:36.01.
“The last lap, (Nelson) was pushing and I was trying to pass him. I pulled away, but I didn’t know by how much, and I just kept going,” Cote said. “I wanted it. My senior year, I really wanted to win at the state meet level.”
Gray entered the shot put finals in second place, behind Maine Central Institute’s Curtis McLeod. Gray won with his second throw of the finals, 52-2.25.
“It didn’t actually feel like a great throw, then I looked out there and it was 52 (feet),” Gray said.
The day’s top athlete was Lake Region’s Kate Hall, who repated as winner in the 55, 200 and long jump. Hall broke her own state records in the 200 (25.17) and long jump (19-6.5) and tied her record in the 55 (7.05).
Emma Egan of Yarmouth set a record in the high jump, with 5-4.5 feet.
Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242
Twitter: @TLazarczykMTM
Send questions/comments to the editors.
