LEWISTON — The York boys held on for their third title in four years and the Waterville girls won their fifth consecutive championship Monday in the Class B indoor track and field championships at Bates College.
York scored 71 points to finish 12 ahead of Old Town in the boys’ meet, and the Waterville girls collected 75 points to 59 for runner-up Greely.
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The triple jump made the difference in the boys’ meet. York took three of the seven places to total 12 points and clinch the title before the final event, the 800-meter relay.
Senior Jordan Pidgeon took second in the triple jump for York in 42 feet, 91/4 inches, senior Nate Bald finished fifth (39-71/2) and junior Matt Arsenault took seventh (39-21/2).
Tucker Corbett, a senior who won the 400 in 51.69 seconds, took second in the 200 (23.84) and ran a leg on the winning 3,200-meter relay (8:35.14), said the triple jump mirrored the entire team.
“We didn’t win with one guy taking a title, we won with a point here and a point there,” said Corbett, whose winning 3,200-meter relay team was seeded second. “In the 200, I was seeded third and took second. That always feels good.
“We competed really well. If someone didn’t do well, two other guys did better. That’s how we win championships.”
Coach Ted Hutch echoed Corbett’s praise.
“We had 12 people scoring,” Hutch said. “They’re a veteran group. And Tucker is so selfless. He started out with the relay and he’s all about, ‘What else do you want me to do?’ ”
York took the early lead with a victory by junior Colt Santoro in the 55 hurdles (8.04).
In the girls’ meet, Lake Region senior Kate Hall swept the three events she’s dominated for the past three years. She took her fourth state title in the long jump with a state-record 19-61/2, in the 55 with a time that matched her state-record time last year (7.05), and in the 200 with a state record of 25.17, breaking her mark of 25.36.
Although she broke her state record of 19-33/4 in the long jump, Hall was frustrated by falling short of her personal-best jump of 20-11/2 set Jan. 16 – the best jump in the nation this season.
“I was really looking forward to going 20 feet and because I wasn’t on the board, that didn’t happen,” Hall said. “One jump I was a good 18 inches (in front of) the board. So I was definitely jumping 20 feet. But I know I have the ability to jump 20 feet. I’m not disappointed. I know I can do it.”
With the New England championships Feb. 27 in Boston and the national high school meet March 17 in New York, Hall said she’s just starting to peak and expects her performances to improve at those meets.
“My goals were to try to set a state record and I did that, so I’m pretty happy,” Hall said.
The girls’ team title went to Waterville after a back-and-forth battle with Greely, which trailed by three points after 11 of the 14 events. Waterville was led by its winning 800-meter relay (1:54.42) and senior Kellie Bolduc, who defended her state title in the triple jump (36-61/2), and took second in the high jump (5-0) and third in the 55 hurdles (9.01).
Waterville also got two victories from Sarah Shoulta in the 55 hurdles (8.79) and the pole vault (9-6).
“It was crazy,” Bolduc said of the team title race. “It feels great to do it as a team. We’ve worked so hard.”
Greely freshman Izzy Evans said it was exciting being in the hunt for a title. After running the anchor leg on the winning 3,200-meter relay (10:24.99), winning the mile (5:38.47) and taking fifth in the 2-mile (12:11.29), Evans said she felt her team was getting ready to make a run at the team title in coming years.
“We did win states in cross country. I foresee in the future we could be in the hunt again in this meet,” she said with a confident nod.
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