YARMOUTH, Maine — The Orono High School track and field teams boast plenty of individual talent.
On Saturday, the Red Riots demonstrated that they prefer to utilize their skills for the good of the team.
Lauren Stoops won three individual events, while Tristan Butterfield and Jake Koffman paced the boys as Orono swept the team titles at the Class C outdoor track and field state championship meet at Yarmouth High School.
“I”m still a little overwhelmed right now,” said Orono coach Chris Libby, whose teams also earned the Eastern Maine Class C Sportsmanship Awards.
“It was certainly on (the girls’) radar that they might be talented enough and work hard enough to get it again,” he said.
“We thought it would be another rebuilding year (for the boys) but the returners and the newbies really showed up.”
The Red Riots captured their fourth consecutive girls crown, scoring 132.75 points in a dominating win over Traip Academy of Kittery, which scored 51.75. Seacoast Christian School finished third with 44 points, followed by Yarmouth (35), Lisbon (33.75) and Monmouth Academy (30).
The boys meet was much closer, but Orono tallied 88 points to overcome Lisbon (65), Foxcroft Academy (54), Maine Central Institute of Pittsfield (49) and Yarmouth (45).
Stoops was the catalyst for the Orono girls. The junior clocked 12.50 seconds to defend her 100-meter crown, then claimed the 300 hurdles in 46.95. She finished off the triple by winning the 200 for the second straight year with a time of 26.24.
Stoops later ran on the Riots’ record-setting 4×400 relay (4:08.08) that included Kassidy Dill, Diana Tyutyunnyk and Becky Lopez-Anido.
“We enjoy being in each other’s presence and we’ve really come together as a team,” Stoops said. “It’s a family feel that we have.”
Orono’s other individual winners were junior Hannah Steelman in the 1,600 (5:24.76) and junior pole vaulter Allison Pickering (8 feet, 6 inches). It also won the 4×800 relay (10:10.74) with a unit composed of Lopez-Anido, Dill, Lily Koffman and Steelman and was second in the 4×100 (Bella DeSisto, Katie O’Brien, Tyutyunnyk and Emma Honey).
Lopez-Anido placed second in the 800, Tyutyunnyk was third in the 200 and sixth in the long jump, Steelman was third in the 3,200, Koffman came in fourth in the 3,200 and Samantha Round was third in the pole vault and fifth in the triple jump. Dill (4th 400), O’Brien (4th 100), DeSisto (5th 100 hurdles) and Honey (5th discus) scored more points.
“We were definitely seeded to win, so we didn’t want to get too ahead of ourselves and expect that it was already given to us,” Steelman said. “We still had to compete to our very best and I think we’re all very satisfied with how it went.”
Individual stars included Mattanawcook Academy sophomore Tia Tardy, who defended her 800 crown in a Class C record time of 2:16.34 and took the 3,200 (11:39.10).
“I wasn’t happy after my 8(00). I was going for a sub-2:14 and it just didn’t happen. I’ve been a little sick,” Tardy said.
Kylene DeSmith of Seacoast Christian claimed the 100 hurdles (15.80), authored a state record while defending her triple jump title (37-1¼) and was third in the 300 hurdles. Muriel Adams of North Yarmouth Academy set a Class C mark in the discus (128-7) and Elora McCuddy of Traip won her second straight 400 (59.99).
Event winners included Washburn’s Joan Overman in the long jump (17-9¼), Morgan Dauk of George Stevens Academy of Blue Hill in the javelin (114-2) and Bucksport’s Mavis Taungatu’a in the shot put (35-2).
The Orono boys built their success around a relays sweep. Junior Tristan Butterfield, who won the 800 (2:02.01), anchored the 4×800 (8:28.15) that also featured Jacob Fandel, Anthony Bottie and Eden Dulin).
Butterfield finished with a gritty final leg in the 4×400 during which he erased a sizeable deficit to help the Riots win in 3:32.95 along with Jerome Stevens, Bottie and Keenan Collett.
“I honestly didn’t think I had him (Yarmouth’s Gaelon Kolczynski) until the last second, Butterfield said.
“It’s absolutely amazing. It feels great,” he added.
Collett, who was second in the 300 hurdles and third in the 110 hurdles, ran the anchor leg of Orono’s winning 4×100 team (45.85) that included Justin O’Brien, Fredrik Linden and Jared Keller.
Jake Koffman claimed the discus (137-9), was third in the shot put and took seventh in the javelin. Linden also was second in the 100 and sixth in the 200.
“We have a great team this year, a ton of talent,” Koffman said. “Our coach, Chris Libby, does a great job with that. He really builds the whole team aspect.”
Other scorers were Mark Lucy (4th race walk), Matt Keresey (6th 3,200) and Brawley Benson (7th shot put).
Hunter Smith of Foxcroft Academy enjoyed a big day, winning the 110 hurdles (15.62), defending his high jump crown (6-4) and taking second in the long jump and third in the 300 hurdles.
“I have very little experience, but I’m happy with the way it turned out,” Smith said of the long jump and hurdles. “You try as hard as you can.”
Evan Porter of Traip Academy was a dual winner in the 100 meters (11.28) and the 300 hurdles (40.08).
Also among Eastern Maine standouts were Matt Toussaint of Fort Kent, the champ in the 1,600 (4:32.15), who was second in the 800 and third in the 3,200.
Event champions included John Hassett of George Stevens in the 3,200 (9:58.40), Caleb Daigle of Fort Fairfield in the 200 (23.33), Eric Hathaway of Maine Central Institute of Pittsfield in the shot put (52-7¼) and Cole Butler of Limestone Community School/Maine School of Science and Mathematics, who won the javelin (171-9).
Hassett admitted he has been concentrating on the 800, but hung with leader Luke Laverdiere of Yarmouth in the 3,200.
“I was thinking, if he isn’t going to speed up, I’m going to see if I can take it,” said Hassett, who outkicked Laverdiere and ran 53 seconds faster than his seed time.
“I think now I have to start (working on the 3,200),” he joked.