HAMPDEN — It was a few minutes after Scarborough junior Sam Rusak sprinted across the finish line in the 200 meters at the Class A track and field state championships before Coach Derek Veilleux saw Rusak’s personal-best time and the fact Rusak had earned his fourth individual victory. Then Veilleux started whooping and sprinting toward Rusak.

Rusak ran to his coach and hugged him, feeling confident that after scoring 40 points for his team, the Red Storm were well on their way to a sweep of this year’s indoor and outdoor state championships. And since Scarborough also won the cross country title in the fall, they had earned what they called “the triple crown.”

The Red Storm finished with 84.5 points, easily defeating runner-up Falmouth (55) and third-place South Portland (54).

In the girls’ meet, Falmouth’s junior Adelaide Cooke won the discus and shot put to lead her team to its first outdoor state championship in 25 years and its first in Class A. The Yachtsmen beat Lewiston 85-62, while Cheverus finished third with 60 points.

Rusak set personal bests in the pole vault (15 feet, 6 inches), 100-meter hurdles (15.01) and 200 (22.82), and also won the high jump (6-0) to inspire an already motivated team.

“It’s the first time a school has won (indoor and outdoor track and cross country state titles the same school year) since Cheverus did in 1994. We knew with these five seniors we had a chance,” Veilleux said. “Winning never gets old for these kids. And Sam was incredible. It takes a special talent to win four events, and he’s a leader. He makes everyone else better, just by watching how hard he works.”

Rusak said while he’s been working toward improving in all of his events in the hopes of becoming an NCAA Division I decathlete, his efforts on Saturday were toward a team championship.

“We wanted the triple crown,” Rusak said. “It was definitely about the win today. I did it for the team.

“After I no-heighted at indoor states last year (in the pole vault), I realized I was making it like a job and it wasn’t fun. I’m more relaxed now. I talk to people, I have friends on so many teams. I just enjoy this.”

Colin Tardiff, one of Scarborough’s seniors, came up big with a personal best in the 2-mile that moved him from the eighth seed to second place (9:36.20). Tardiff also finished second in the 1,600 (4:23.36), and ran a leg on the second-place 3,200-relay team (8:05.96) and the fourth-place 1,600-relay team (4:15.40).

“I don’t think it’s really sunk in yet,” Tardiff said after the meet. “I think it will on the bus ride home, that we won the triple crown. We knew we had a great team this year during cross country.”

Also in the boys’ meet, South Portland’s Dan Guiliani set a state record of 67-3 1/4 in the shot put, erasing his record of 62-8 1/4 from last year.

Falmouth opened the girls’ meet by winning the 3,200 relay (9:57.93) with seniors Gina Pardi, Hannah Donovan, Alexa Hoffman and freshman Malaika Pasch.

Cooke won the discus with a throw of 131-0 – a personal best by 7 feet – and was also first in the shot put with a best mark of 39-11 1/2. She also placed second in the javelin (110-10) and fourth in the 100 hurdles (16.03).

“We’ve wanted to win a state title since we were freshman,” said Cooke, a junior. “We looked at this senior class and thought, if there were ever a year, this was it. What a day this was.”

Falmouth Coach Danny Paul said he and his coaching staff talked to the team Wednesday and told them this could be their year. Paul said several athletes set personal bests, including the 3,200 relay squad that ran 20 seconds faster than their seeded time.

“We were ready to do this, but we didn’t think it would be easy. Lewiston was a surprise. They had a number of big performances,” Paul said. “But the 2-mile relay set the tone, and everyone came up with perfect performances.”

Also in the girls’ meet, Cheverus junior Emily Turner set a state record in the 400 (56.57), erasing the mark of 56.87 set by Thornton Academy’s Alex Hart in 2015. Turner also won the 200 (25.92) and 100 (12.70). Bonny Eagle’s Elisabeth Redwood was second in all three events.

Deirdre Fleming can be reached at 791-6452 or:

dfleming@pressherald.com

Twitter: FlemingPph

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