The Penobscot Valley Conference Large School championship track and field meet on Friday will be headlined by two of the best sprinters in the state of Maine; Miles Burr of Mount Desert Island and Anna Connors of Bangor.
Incredibly fast times will be run at Bar Harbor on Friday with the spotlight on sprinters, with both the boys and girls Bangor teams heavily favored to win the team titles.
On Saturday, the PVC Small School championship held at Brewer will have stars including Orono’s Ruth White, a historically good distance runner in a state with a storied past in that discipline, as well as Sumner’s Kaleb Colson, perhaps Maine’s top distance runner this year.
Depending on which event you like to watch, each championship this weekend will have top Maine athletes in them.
Burr has had one of the best track and field seasons in recent Maine sprinting memory.
MDI’s junior sprinter leads Maine in the 200-meter with a top-time of 21.94 and is second in the 100-meter dash (10.9). His 400-meter time of 52.14 is also the best heading into the Penobscot Valley Conference Large School championship meet on Saturday and is also good enough for second in Class B.
It’s not just sprinting that Burr is strong at. In the triple jump, Burr is heading into the PVC championship meet in second place with a top leap of 43-4.5.
Just as strong of a season that Burr has had in the sprints, Hampden Academy’s Charlie Collins has been excelling in the distance events.
Collins, who will be attending the University of Maine in the fall to continue his distance running career, enters the PVC Large School meet leading the way in the 800-meter run (1:57.07), the 1,600-meter (4:21.7) and the 3,200-meter (9:31.74).
One more athlete to watch for in the boys PVC Large School meet is Old Town’s Corbin Flewelling who leads the long jump (22-01), the triple jump (46-5) and the high jump (6-02).
On the girls side, Connors is the star of the show.
Connors enters the track and field championship season with five individual state meet championships and is seeded first in the 100 (12.1), 200 (24.4) and 400 (56.09) in the PVC championship.
Bangor is the clear favorite on the girls side to win the PVC Large School championship meet as they gear up to defend their Class A state title and attempt to win its fourth in a row.
Brewer has a couple of top athletes, as well.
Lauren Vanidestine is seeded second in the triple jump with a jump of 34-10.5. The sophomore is also second in the 100 (12.65), 200 (26.41) and the 300-meter hurdles (49.72).
Easnadh Nobel To’olo is Brewer’s top jumper and is the top seed heading into the long jump (17-4) and triple jump (35).
In the PVC Small School championship meet, Colson of Sumner will look to put on a huge performance in the distance races.
Colson leads in the 400 (52), 800 (1:54.81), 1,600 (4:19.77) and the 3,200 (10:02.28). The junior leads the state of Maine in both the 800 and 1,600.
Washington Academy’s Kenori Simmons leads the conference in the 100 (11.27) and the 200 (22.93).
The Orono boys team will be a favorite in the conference and Class C state meet. This Saturday, the Riots will have many different athletes heading in as the top seed in different events.
Owen Conner-Self leads the 110-meter hurdles (15.99) and the long jump (21-6.75), Will Francis leads the high jump with a top jump of six feet, Alex Maheu leads the pole vault with a vault of 12–06, Noah Parker is the top shot putter with a best throw this year of 45-8.5 and Zane Roggenbuck leads the race walk (8:22.34).
White is the star of the girls meet, leading the 800 (2:26.45), the 1,600 (5:07.23) and the 3,200 (10:33.57). White is one of the top distance runners in Maine’s history and will have a chance to improve on her 1,600 time before the Class C state meet where she will have a rematch with Houlton sophomore Teanne Ewings, who bested her last season in the event at states.
Natasha Monreal leads all the jumping events for Bucksport, while Bangor Christian’s Veronica Mercier leads the 100 (12.83) and the 200 (27.01).
