Track and field athletes from the state of Maine continue to make a collectively strong showing in their pursuit of excellence at the college level.
Few Mainers have more to brag about this spring than Isaiah Harris of Lewiston.
The freshman at Penn State University has run the sixth-fastest 800 meters in the country among all men. Harris clocked a time of 1 minute, 46.05 seconds on April 1 at the Florida Relays.
That time also is an all-time best by a runner from Maine.
By comparison, Shaquille Walker of Brigham Young University owns the year’s top U.S. mark of 1:44.99, which places Harris 1.06 seconds off the best run of 2016.
Harris, a former Lewiston High School star, recently won the 800 (1:46.21) and was the runner-up in the at the Big Ten outdoor championships held May 13-15.
Nicholas Kipkoech of Kenya ran a world-best 1:43.37 on April 29.
Harris was an eight-time state champion in Maine, winning three consecutive outdoor titles in the 800 and back-to-back crowns in the 200 and the triple jump in 2014 and 2015. He also owns one Class A 1,600 championship and has twice won the New England 800-meter title.
He also won the 800 at the Big Ten indoor championship meet last winter.
Harris lays claim to another top time in Maine running history, having clocked a 21.82 in the 200 meters at last year’s New Englands.
Washburn runner chasing NCAA 800 title
Carsyn Koch of Washburn will be gunning for the national title in the 800 meters on Friday at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
The sophomore at Cedarville University in Ohio is the top seed by nearly 3½ seconds after running a personal-best time of 2:02.39 on May 1 at the Payton Jordan Invitational. The time, which qualified her for the U.S. Olympic Trials, is the 20th best among U.S. women this year.
Koch, who finished second at the Division II outdoor meet a year ago, competes at 6:20 p.m. Friday.
Bears cap college careers
University of Maine track and field competitors Robyn McFetters and Jake Leithiser closed out their collegiate careers on Thursday at the NCAA Division I East Prelim meet held at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville.
McFetters, a fifth-year senior from Barrington, Rhode Island, made her fourth regional appearance with a 31st-place effort in the hammer throw. Her best throw was 182 feet, 8 inches on her second attempt of the day.
Earlier this season, McFetters turned in a career-long throw of 200 feet, 5 inches at a University of New Hampshire meet.
Leithiser, a senior from Old Town, wound up 38th in the 800 meters. He posted a time of 1:50.69 while running in the fifth heat.
The performance was well off the pace of his season-best 1:49.68 from the LSU Alumni Gold meet in April. His career best of 1:49.34 came in 2015.
UMaine senior Jaclyn Masters of Auburn was slated to compete in the pole vault beginning at 5 p.m. Friday. She qualified with a leap of 13-3¾ at the IC4A/ECAC meet on May 13.
Editor’s note: Leithiser’s NCAA prelim time was initially provided erroneously and has been corrected.