Madison Post, seated, celebrates signing her letter of intent to run for the University of Maine with her friends, from the left, Laurel Thomas, Emily Reed, Jasmine French, Madeline Cote, Melany Rendon, and Lindsay Pierce in the Gray-New Gloucester High School library on Friday afternoon. (Andree Kehn/Sun Journal)

GRAY — Madison Post caught the eye of college coaches after her performance at the New England Track and Field Championships at the end of her sophomore season in 2017. Post finished 17th in the 200-meter dash while setting a Gray-New Gloucester school record with a time of 25.87 seconds.

A year and half later, she signed her National Letter of Intent to join the track and field team at the University of Maine next year. She made the signing official Friday afternoon in front of family, friends and school administrators in the library at Gray-New Gloucester High School.

“I am really excited,” Post said. “I had a few options for (Division I) that I was considering. I visited UMO first and that really just stuck with me, I really liked it. I liked the team and liked to compete in (Division I).”

She also considered Merrimack College in North Andover, Massachusetts. They were the first school to express interest in her after New Englands in 2017. Gray-New Gloucester track and field coach Todd Mercer saw something from her in that meet that he knew she could run after high school.

“The biggest thing about her is the ability to compete no matter how big the pool you put her in,” Mercer said. “The bigger the meet, the bigger the competition, bigger Madie shows up. That’s going to be a great attribute for her to carry on in her college career.”

When she took an unofficial visit to Maine, she met with the track coach and the two connected. Post was invited for an official visit, where she stayed with one of the Black Bears’ track athletes. Post felt very welcomed during her visit, as she was able to meet other students and athletes. She also attended some of Maine’s practices on the visit and she liked how the practices were run.

She was the 2017 Class B outdoor track state champion in the 200-meter dash with a time of 26.03 seconds. 

Post also holds five other school records, including the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.53, and is a part of the 4×100 meter team that won the outdoor title at the 2017 Class B state championship with a time of 51.33. Her indoor school records include the 60-meter dash, at a time of 8.11. She also holds the 300-meter record with a time of 42.63 and part of the 4×200 team that had a time of 1:55.39.

Her times not only opened up college coaches’ eyes, but her parents eyes as well.

“She started to get some good times after her sophomore year,” Marc Post, her father said. “After her freshman and sophomore years — she really excelled after her sophomore year and we saw some of her times. We were kind of monitoring other (athletes) to see how they were doing and where her times land. … She has worked hard and pushed herself. We are really proud of her.”

The Black Bears and other schools that were interested loved her sprinting ability, but wanted her to add another event to run.

“A lot of them wanted me to run the 400,” Madie Post said. “I haven’t run it before, so that will be a challenge for me. I intend to run it at least once this indoor season.”

Mercer thinks adding the 400-meter dash is a good thing and she will reach her potential as a college athlete running that event.

“She looks like a 400 runner,” Mercer said. “More of your short sprinters aren’t as nearly as tall as she is. It’s difficult to maintain the turnover rate for a short (distance) sprinter with long legs. The 400 is a more fitting event for her.”

Gray-New Gloucester’s Madison Post poses for a photo Friday in the school library after signing her National Letter of Intent to join the track and field team at University of Maine. (Submitted photo courtesy of Mary Post)

Gray-New Gloucester’s Madison Post (second from right) signs her National Letter of Intent to join the track and field team at University of Maine during a signing ceremony at the school library Friday. Post was joined by her father Marc (far left), brother Miles (second from left), and mother Mary. (Nathan Fournier/Sun Journal)