Maine athletes acquitted themselves quite nicely on Saturday during the New England High School Track and Field Championships held at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Roxbury, Massachusetts.
Nyagoa Bayak of Westbrook High School emerged as the state’s only champion. The freshman, who previously won the Class A state title, was the only competitor to clear 5 feet, 7 inches in her high jump victory.
Emma Egan of Yarmouth, Maine’s Class B indoor winner, finished tied for second at 5-5.
There was plenty else to cheer about as a handful of eastern Maine athletes turned in top performances.
Brewer senior Erick Seekins took runner-up honors in the long jump. He achieved a personal best of 21 feet, 9¼ inches, which was 3¼ inches behind winner Anthony Shepard of South Kingstown, Rhode Island.
Seekins had claimed the Class A title with a leap of 21-2 on Feb. 15.
Freshman Trejyh Fletcher of Cheverus High in Portland took third at 21-7, which exceeded his previous best by nearly a foot.
Hampden Academy’s Paul Casavant continued his successful season with a fourth-place effort in the two-mile run. The junior, who won the Class A state championship, clocked a personal record in 9:22.63.
A trio of Mainers made its presence felt in the boys shot put, led by Trever Gray of Waterville. He claimed second place with a heave of 54 feet, 6¼ inches.
Maine’s Class B indoor champ was followed by Brewer junior Austin Lufkin, who placed fourth at 53-11¾, and Curtis McLeod of Maine Central Institute of Pittsfield, who claimed fifth at 53-7¾.
The Falmouth boys squad of Matt Polewazcyk, Nick Snazari, Nigel Dunn and Tony St. Angelo turned in the state’s fastest time ever in the 4×200 relay (1:31.83) to take third place.
Scarborough’s Griffin Madden picked up an individual third by running a 7.69 in the 55-meter hurdles and Paolo DeMarco of Deering turned in a sixth-place effort in the 300 meters with a time of 35.52.
Other top girls performances included an all-time Maine best of 1:34.45 in the 600 meters. Elisabeth Redwood of Bonny Eagle High in Buxton finished sixth.
The 4×200 relay team of Anna Beaudet, Morgan Knowlton, Kailey Norcross and Katie Ferrara of Auburn’s Edward Little High established an all-time Maine best with a 1:47.70 clocking. The group took 14th place.
Also, senior Moriah Newcomb of Brewer claimed sixth in the long jump with a leap of 17-2.
There were more top efforts at the Maine USATF Championship held at the University of Maine’s New Balance Field House in Orono.
South Portland senior Dan Guiliani returned to action after a six-week layoff because of an injury to continue his dominance of the shot put.
Guiliani, who was shut down by an elbow ailment in mid-January, established an all-time Maine best of 65 feet, 4 inches.
Tia Tardy of Lincoln also had a good day, winning the 1,000 meters (2:59.73) and the 600 (1:35.55). Her time in the latter event was a state standard until it was surpassed later in the day by Redwood.
Tardy, a junior at Orono High, is among some Maine athletes who are training for the upcoming New Balance Nationals Indoor meet, which is scheduled for March 11-13 at The Armory in New York City.
Tardy has qualified for the 400, the 800 and the mile division, while Casavant will run the two-mile and Becky Lopez-Anido of Orono is entered in the 800.
That trio has been working out together in Orono this week with David Nantkes to prepare for the competition.
College
Masters, Leithiser win for UMaine
Athletes from Maine colleges turned in strong efforts at last weekend’s New England championships held in Boston.
Jaclyn Masters and Jake Leithiser of the University of Maine each came home with gold medals.
Masters, a senior from Auburn, established a school record in the pole vault and won the event at 13 feet, 3½ inches.
Leithiser was victorious in the 400 meters as the senior from Old Town ran a 47.68.
Other men’s standouts included UMaine’s Jesse Orach, who was third in the 5,000 meters (14:47.07), and teammate Brian Martin, who took fourth in the high jump (6-6¼). Joseph Slattery of UMaine finished fifth in the pentathlon with 4,631 points and Colby’s Brian Sommers placed fifth in the 200 at 21.88.
On the women’s side, Grace MacLean of Bangor was fourth in the heptathlon (3,451 points) and teammate Nicole Kirk of the University of Southern Maine finished fourth in the 200 (25.04). UMaine’s Kaitlin Saulter of Hermon added a sixth in the 500 meters (1:15.83).
And Bangor High product Angelyn Masters, competing for the University of New Hampshire, was fifth in the mile with a time of 4:56.59.
Editor’s note: This story was corrected to reflect the correct school affiliation for Nicole Kirk.