The Orono High School girls will be gunning for their fourth consecutive Class C title, while the Red Riots also appear to be the front-runner in the boys meet heading into Saturday’s state championship track and field action.
The Orono contingent will converge with representatives from more than 40 other schools to contest the Class C meet at Yarmouth High School.
The Class A competition, including Bangor, Brewer and Hampden Academy, will be held at Mt. Ararat High School in Topsham, while the Old Town boys headline Penobscot Valley Conference schools at the Class B state meet at McMann Field in Bath.
At all three venues, the field events and the 4×800-meter relays are scheduled to get under way at 10 a.m.
The state champions and the individuals with the next three best performances in each event will qualify for the New England Championship, which will be held June 13 at Thornton Academy in Saco.
Class C features a dominating Orono girls team and one of the state’s premier distance runners.
Coach Chris Libby’s Red Riots are a heavy favorite with a lineup that includes junior sprinter Lauren Stoops, the top seed in the 100 (defending champ) and 200 meters, along with a deep distance group headed by sophomores Hannah Steelman, Rebecca Lopez-Anido and Kassidy Dill, along with senior Lily Koffman.
Steelman is ranked first in the 1,600 and second in the 3,200.
Sprinter/jumpers Emma Honey, Katherine O’Brien, Diana Tyutyunnyk and No. 1 pole vault seed Allison Pickering are other key contributors.
Sophomore Tia Tardy of Mattanawcook Academy in Lincoln hopes to defend her title and lower her time of 2 minutes, 14.24 seconds in the 800 meters that is among the best all time in Maine. In the 3,200, she faces a tough test against Steelman.
The Orono boys have a well-balanced lineup paced by thrower Jake Koffman (1st in the discus, 3rd in shot put, 4th in javelin), 800 top seed Tristan Butterfield, hurdler/sprinter Keenan Collett and sprinter/jumper Fredrik Linden.
Foxcroft Academy hurdler and jumper Hunter Smith is the No. 1 man in the 300 hurdles and defending high jump champ, Valentin Nekrasov of Dexter leads the 200 field and Washburn’s Kenzy Ronco rises above the pole vault field. Other top seeds are defending champ Eric Hathaway (javelin) and Curtis McLeod (shot put) of Maine Central Institute in Pittsfield.
In Class B, the Waterville girls are expected to receive a significant challenge from York for the team crown. Sarah Shoulta is the defending champ in both hurdles races and the pole vault, while distance aces Lauren Brown and Cecilia Morin, jumpers Alison Linscott and Kellie Bolduc, and sprinter Lydia Roy are key cogs.
Belfast’s Cassidy Hill is the No. 1 seed in the 400, and the Lions’ 4×400 squad also logged the fastest seed time. Brynne Wrona of Camden Hills in Rockport tops the javelin field.
The meet also includes Lake Region of Naples senior phenom Kate Hall, the defending champ and state record-holder in the 100, 200 and long jump.
York is the Class B boys favorite, followed by Belfast.
The Wildcats are led by sprinter Tucker Corbett, hurdler/sprinters Colt Santoro and Matt Arsenault, and throwers Jack Bouchard, Cam Curtin and Jack Neary.
Old Town sprinter Nick Boutin was the 2014 champ in the 100 and 200, while Caribou hurdler Dominic Judd is a big favorite in the 300. Other No. 1 seeds include Old Town long jumper Mitchell Cole, Belfast pole vaulter Drew Nealey, Ellsworth’s Jack Weeks (800) and Chris Cote (3,200) and Trever Gray (discus, shot put) of Waterville.
In Class A, the Lewiston boys lead the way, followed by Scarborough.
Aaron Willingham of Mt. Blue High in Farmington tops the 1,600 field and is second in the 3,200 and Dustin Simpson-Bragg of Lawrence High in Fairfield is the No. 1 high jump seed among PVC and KVAC athletes.
Thornton Academy and South Portland should be vying for the Class A girls title. Lawrence’s Abby Weigang (hurdles) and Messalonskee of Oakland pole vaulter Taylor Lenentine are among a limited number of KVAC and PVC standouts seeded near the top of their respective events.
This is a corrected version of the original story. Hannah Steelman of Orono is the top seed in the 1,600 and the No. 2 seed in the 3,200. Also, Hampden Academy competes in Class A.