FARMINGDALE — Two years ago, the Hall-Dale boys track and field team could only watch as Mt. Abram celebrated a Mountain Valley Conference championship victory.
One of the Bulldogs watching was Ian Stebbins. Two years later, he hadn’t forgotten it. And on Wednesday afternoon, no one did more to make sure it was a different story this time around.
Stebbins won four events and was named the boys performer of the meet as Hall-Dale netted 176 points to hold off Mt. Abram (152), Monmouth (105) and Winthrop (87) for the MVC North boys championship at Hall-Dale High School. As a precaution with the pandemic in mind, the MVC championship was split into two regions to limit crowding. Lisbon High School is hosting the South meet Thursday.
“This was a little bit of redemption for us,” Stebbins said. “Not quite the full MVC, but coming off such a weird year, we really came together. … (This is) 100 percent a special victory, there’s no doubt about it.”
There was less drama in the girls meet, where Monmouth, led by top performer Alexa Allen, scored 198 points to defeat Mt. Abram (95.5), Madison (63.5) and Hall-Dale (61). Allen pulled off a distance sweep, winning the 400 (1:07.79), 800 (2:35.59), 1,600 (5:42.28) and 3,200 (12:55.25) as temperatures reached 90 degrees.
“Mr. M (coach Tom Menendez) told us going into it, ‘No heroes, just push through each event one at a time,’ and that’s how I approached it,” Allen said. “That’s how I needed to approach it. Just save all my energy for events, as best as I could.”
Allen’s four wins were unmatched, but Monmouth had nine victories in total, a good haul from a team of 11 athletes.
“We had people filling in all over the place. It was great,” said Menendez, whose team won an MVC championship for the fourth year in a row and fifth time in six years. “We’ve got a tradition going. … This is what we want to fight for, this is what we’re going to do. And we just keep building it and building it, all through the season, and they believe in what’s going on. They honest to God believe they can be successful.”
Mt. Abram’s Cameron Walters competes in the 300-meter hurdles during the Mountain Valley Conference championship meet Wednesday at Hall-Dale High School in Farmingdale. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal Buy this Photo
So did the Hall-Dale boys, provided they got the performance they needed from Stebbins. They did; the senior was first in the 100 (12.07), long jump (18-5), triple jump (41-4.5) and pole vault (12 feet).
“I try not to think about (expectations) too much,” Stebbins said. “I know all the work I’ve put in and my performances were going to carry me, and they did.”
With Stebbins turning in his performance, everything else fell into place. The Bulldogs also got a first-place finish from Rishi Duvvuru (race walk, 11:18.96), while Hunter Lizzotte was second in the 100, 300 hurdles and pole vault.
“The kids were awesome today. Just absolutely awesome,” coach Jarod Richmond said. “The kids just knew they had to come in and perform, and everything would take care of itself.”
The Bulldogs withstood a challenge from Mt. Abram, which got first-place finishes from Cameron Walters (110 hurdles, 20.06; 300 hurdles, 48.35) and Cade Tooker (javelin, 150-3) and the 4×100 relay team. Monmouth had a pair of multiple winners in Brosnan Comeau, who braved the high temperatures to win the 800 (2:10.99), 1,600 (4:59.98) and 3,200 (11:22.67), and Jared Martin, who took the shot put (40-11) and discus (126-10).
“(It was a) lot of mileage,” Comeau said. “I came here from Florida a couple of years ago, so I’m kind of used to the heat. That kind of gave me the advantage there.”
Winthrop’s James Cognata won the 200 (23.89) and 400 (55.3) while also helping the 4×400 and 4×800 teams win, while Madison’s Cameron Cobb won the high jump at 6-2.
Monmouth’s Alexa Allen runs the 1,600-mete race during the Mountain Valley Conference championship meet Wednesday at Hall-Dale High School in Farmingdale. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal Buy this Photo
“It felt really good to have a good conference championship,” said Cognata, a sophomore. “I’m just happy with the team we have. We’re a really young team. I’m really happy with what we have.”
In addition to Allen’s success, the Monmouth girls also got multiple victories from Mya Sirois (100 hurdles, 16.43; long jump, 15 feet) and Alicen Burnham (100, 13.69; 300 hurdles, 52.57), while Holly Hunt (triple jump, 29-2) and Allyson Lewis (race walk, 7:58.68) also came in first.
Hurdles success is nothing new to the Mustangs — they took the top four spots in the 300 — and Burnham said she was happy to keep that tradition going.
“This is my first year doing the 300 hurdles, so I really wanted to come out with a win and keep it in the family,” she said.
Even in one of the times Burnham didn’t finish first, she won. She was second in the 200 at 29.13, but she still set a new school record. Andrea Pomerleau had set the old record in 2009.
“I knew that I’d be tired, but I wanted to give it everything,” Burnham said. “Try to get more points on the board.”
Other victories went to Madison’s Peyton Estes (200, 28.54), Carrabec’s Cheyenne Cahill (shot put, 32-5), Winthrop’s Eleanor Folsom (discus, 83-2) and Autumn Gerry (high jump, 4-10) and Hall-Dale’s Olivia Bean (pole vault, 8-6) and Karlie Reith (javelin, 90 feet).
Reith’s javelin throw beat her personal best by 11 feet and qualified her for states. What was the key?
“I think it was my anger from pole vault,” she said. “I wanted to really redeem myself and push myself further.”
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