BAR HARBOR, Maine — Drew Nealey and Melissa Kessel likely were a little heavy-legged on Saturday night, but it was a satisfying kind of fatigue they experienced.
The couple spent all day at Mount Desert Island High School, where they combined for four individual titles while competing for different teams in the Class B track and field state championship meet at Mount Desert Island High School. At night, they attended their respective senior proms at Belfast and Camden Hills high schools.
Nealey captured his third consecutive pole vault title with a record-setting effort of 14 feet, 7 inches, and won the 300-meter intermediate hurdles in 41.81 seconds. He was the runner-up in the 110 hurdles and the javelin to help Belfast place fourth.
“Coming into the meet I really wanted to break the state record, so I was really glad I did it,” said Nealey, who will attend the University of Rhode Island this fall.
Kessel took home her two individual championships, speeding to wins in the 100 hurdles (15.56) and the 300 hurdles (37.66).
“I was very surprised. I was really happy with the outcome,” Kessel said.
“This is my first win at a state championship. I’ve been a state runner-up multiple times, third a couple of times as well, but not first.”
The Foxcroft Academy boys won the school’s second state outdoor title behind a stellar performance by Hunter Smith. The senior won the 110 hurdles (15.35) and the high jump (6-2) and was the runner-up in the long and triple jumps.
Coach Rob Weber’s Ponies tallied 71 points, edging York (64) by simply finishing the 4×400 relay. Waterville took third with 58 points, followed by Belfast (44) and Leavitt of Turner Center (40) to round out the top five of 24 scoring teams.
“It’s a great way to finish it,” said Smith, who will attend the University of Maine on a football scholarship.
“We’ve had some great competition in Class C and to come up here and win it in Class B is pretty insane. All these guys have worked super hard.”
The York girls capped the meet with a victory in the 4×400 relay to score 68 points and hold off Belfast (60). Greely of Cumberland Center was third (57 points), followed by Yarmouth (47) and Gray-New Gloucester (42.25).
The Wildcats placed 14 athletes in the scoring column, receiving an individual first from senior Katherine Bullock in the long jump (17-2). York also won the 4×100 relay.
“We always tell them, it’s coming down to the (last) relay,” said York coach Ted Hutch.
The Foxcroft boys had contributions from eight competitors to win the championship. Smith set the tone, but fellow senior Zach Caron placed third in the triple jump and the pole vault and was seventh in the high jump.
Senior Nate Church was third in the 100 and 200 and was part of a fifth-place 4×100 relay, while classmate Cooper Nelson took fourth in the 1,600 and sixth in the 800.
The Ponies also received points from Evan Chadbourne, Blaine Robinson, Paul Birtwistle and Brandon Brock.
“Last week was an emotional win for us and I was worried it would take a lot out of us,” Weber said.
“As terrific as our top guys are, they guys that are grinding out those seconds and third really mattered a lot this year,” he added.
Joining Smith and Nealey as double winners were senior Trever Gray of Waterville, sophomore Luke Laverdiere of Yarmouth and senior Zachery Haskell of Gray-New Gloucester.
Gray defended his titles in the discus (163-8) and the shot put (49-6¾) and Laverdiere won the 800 (2:01.34) and the 1,600 (4:21.94). Haskell led the field in the 100 (11.25) and the 200 (22.60).
Other event winners were: Winslow’s Jake Warn (triple jump, 41-3½), Leavitt’s Billy Bedard, who claimed his second straight long jump crown (20-11¼), Trevor Judd of Spruce Mountain in Jay (1,600 racewalk, 7:07.74), York’s Caileb Stanley (javelin, 161-10), Yarmouth’s Tahj Garvey (400, 50.64) and Chandler Vincent of Freeport (3,200, 9:36.98).
Gardiner’s Robert Sullivan won the wheelchair shot put (12-3¾) and the wheelchair 100 (33.68).
The York girls thwarted Belfast’s bid for a championship with a well-balanced effort. The Wildcats put it away in the 4×400 behind the team of senior Charlotte Reilly, freshman Audrey Grimes, sophomore Laura Kenealy and sophomore Morgan Smith. They ran a season-best 4:11.70.
“It was super scary, but we’re really good under pressure,” Reilly said.
“I can’t believe we finally did it. It’s amazing. I’m so proud of our entire team,” she said.
Bullock added a fourth in the triple jump, while junior Reilly Smedley placed second in the javelin. Kenealy (fourth in the 800), teamed up with Smith, junior Malia Cryan and sophomore Kathryn Miller to win the 4×800 relay (9:51.62).
York benefitted from freshman Mary Freeman’s third place in the shot put. Also scoring were Grimes (4th, 300 hurdles), Kenealy (4th, 800), Cryan (5th, 3,200), and junior Maddie Amidon (5th, triple jump).
Belfast made a strong push, but came up short. Coach Dale Nealey’s Lions suffered a blow when senior sprinter and jumper Cassidy Hill tweaked her left hamstring running the 200.
Hill took the 100 in 12.56 seconds and anchored Belfast’s victorious 4×100 relay (50.78) that included Faith Beaulieu, Kylie Nelson and Kelsey Mehuren. Hill was fourth in the 200, then finished 13th in the triple jump, in which she was the top seed.
“It’s sad it had to end that way,” Kylie Nelson said of the injury.
“It just stinks that it’s her senior year, her last track (meet), and she ended up pulling it (the hamstring).”
Nelson, a junior, soared to a win in the pole vault (9-6) and was the runner-up in the long jump.
Double winners included sophomore Tahlia Mullin of Lincoln Academy in Newcastle, the champion in the 200 (26.11) and the 400 (58.94),
Sophomore Oliviah Damboise of Old Town won the triple jump (3-48¼) and was second in the pole vault.
Other girls who won events were: Jenni Nadeau of Mount View in Thorndike (javelin, 113-3), Foxcroft’s Emily Mikoud (discus, 118-9), Kaylee Porter of Erskine Academy in South China (800, 2:18.11) and Siana Emery of Greely (1,600 racewalk, 7:59.80).
Anneka Murrin of Yarmouth (1,600, 5:12.59) who was second in the 800, Emma Egan of Yarmouth (high jump, 5-4), Clara Phillips of Gray-New Gloucester (shot put, 36-11½) and Abby Hamilton of Yarmouth (3,200, 11:12.14) also won events.