LEWISTON — Travis Snyder said it wasn’t supposed to happen.

His commanding takedown of the 11-year-old pole vault state record looked anything but unexpected, however.

On his way to winning three individual events at the Class A track and field state championships Saturday at Lewiston High, Snyder broke the previous Class A record of 16 feet held by David Slovenski of Brunswick by clearing 16-01 on his first attempt. He then continued to soar with strength and skill as he cleared 16-05.25 on his first attempt, and then 16-09.25 — again on his first attempt — eclipsing Slovenski’s all-time Maine best of 16-09 set at the 2008 New England championships.

“The whole season wasn’t good. That was not supposed to happen,” Snyder said. “But I trusted my coaches that this could happen. The pole vault was the given. I was focused on every other event to help the team.”

Snyder fueled the Golden Trojans in a back-and-forth battle with Scarborough, but Scarborough prevailed by winning the final event – the 1,600-meter relay – to finish with 110 points, ahead of Thornton’s 98.

Snyder also won the 300-meter hurdles (40.70), in which he was seeded second, and the 110 hurdles (15.15) — taking that title just 15 minutes after finishing the pole vault. Earlier, Snyder ran back and forth while competing at the same time in three events — the 100 hurdles trials, pole vault and long jump, in which he took fifth place (20-7 1/2).

“The atmosphere helped in the pole vault,” said Snyder, who collected 33 points for Thornton. “The atmosphere at the meet and the adrenaline. It clicks when the adrenaline is going.”

Mt. Ararat and Brunswick tied for fifth with 46 points each.

Lisandro Berry-Gaviria of Mt. Ararat took the 1,600 (4:22.22) and 3,200 (9:35.17). The junior edged out Brunswick’s Will Shaughnessy (9:38.58) in the 3,200. 

Eagle Max Spelke was tops in the javelin with a throw of 170-04. He also finished fourth in the 300 hurdles. Mt. Ararat’s 4 x 100 relay team of Holden Brannan, Ethan Rac, Maximo Varela and Travis Nadeau placed sixth. Tyler Bernier, Spelke, Rac and Varela also took sixth place in the 4 x 400 relay. Bernier finished sixth in the 400.

Brunswick had many individuals place as Sam Cenescar was second in the high jump and Tyler Patterson placed third in the 800. Mitchell Leinert was fourth in 100 and also finished fifth in the 400. Hunter Parker placed seventh in the 200, while Michael McCrum was third in the pole vault event.

Brunswick’s 4 x 400 relay team of Wes Coffin, Patterson, Parker and Leinert was fifth.

Scarborough won its third title in four years behind the sprinting power of junior Jarett Flaker, who missed last year’s state meet because of a hamstring injury. Flaker captured the 100 (10.92), the 200 (22.49) and 400 (49.64).

His leg on the 1,600-meter relay clinched the team title – pulling the Red Storm from fourth to first in the last 150 yards for a winning time of 3:30.74

In the girls meet, sophomore Victoria Bossong won three events and set two Class A meet records to power Cheverus to its third straight Class A championship with 100 points, ahead of Gorham’s 71.

Bossong won the 100 in 12.31 seconds, then captured the 400 with a Class A record time of 55.54, erasing the mark of 56.57 by Emily Turner of Cheverus in 2016. She smashed another Class A record in the 200, as her time of 24.80 beat the record of 25.33 set by teammate Emma Gallant in 2017.

None of her times were personal bests, but Bossong said she was running for the team title and hopes to improve her times significantly in two weeks at the New Balance nationals, where she has been invited to compete in the championship 400.

“My best in the 400 is 55.27 from indoor nationals. I was really hoping for a PR today,” Bossong said. “It was pretty good. It’s important to me to PR, but I know to some people a state championship is their dream. So I try to appreciate it. It feels just as great as when we won it last year.”

The Cheverus girls also got 26 individual points from senior Emma White, who won the triple jump (37-10), and finished second in the long jump (17-02.50) and 100 hurdles (15.50). Gallant, a junior, scored 24 individual points by taking second behind Bossong in the 100 (12.46), 400 (57.90) and 200 (25.06).

Falmouth sophomore Sofie Matson was a double winner in the 1,600 (4:59.29) and 3,200 (10.33.05), which she won by 30 seconds.

Mt. Ararat finished 16th with 12 team points. The 4 x 800 relay team of Sara York, Jackie Brochu, Holly Temple and Camila Ciembroniewicz finished fourth with a time of 10:18.68. The 4 x 400 squad also placed fourth, led by Ciembroniewicz, Wyley Fitzpatrick, Katie Lynch and York.

Fitzpatrick also took fifth in the 400, while Ciembroniewicz finished seventh in the 800.

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