Ava Dowling, Hampden Academy junior: Dowling placed sixth in Class A as one of only nine girls in the day’s three championship races to break 20 minutes at Twin Brook. She placed fourth in the Class A North regional. At the New England meet in Connecticut, Dowling finished 106th.
Lila Gaudrault, Cape Elizabeth junior: Gaudrault successfully defended her Class B state championship by a 48-second margin at Twin Brook after winning both the South Regional and Western Maine Conference titles. She also earned all-New England honors for the second year in a row by placing 17th, second among Maine runners.
Lydia Gilmore, Bangor senior: Gilmore won the Class A North title before placing fifth at the state meet at Twin Brook. At the New England meet, she was 38th, the fifth Maine finisher. Her best time was 19:07 at the Festival of Champions in Belfast.
Delaney Hesler, Bonny Eagle sophomore: Hesler placed fourth in Class A to lead the Scots to their second straight state championship and sixth in eight years. She also finished 39th in New England – sixth-best among Maine runners. Her best time was 18:32 at the Southern Maine XC Classic.
Sofie Matson, Falmouth junior: A three-time choice as Runner of the Year, Matson followed her third Class A state title with a New England championship. She was the only Maine girl to break 18 minutes over a 5K course this fall, and did so every time she raced until the Foot Locker regionals, including a personal-best 17:29 at the Southern Maine XC Classic in September.
Erin McCarthy, Bangor junior: After a runner-up performance at the Class A North regional, McCarthy placed eighth at the state meet. A week later, she finished 69th at the New England meet, 10th among runners from Maine. Her best time was 19:38 at the regional race in Belfast.
Karley Piers, Falmouth junior: Piers placed second in Class A to teammate Sofie Matson after a third-place finish at the South regional. She was 29th in New England, third among Maine runners. Her best time was 18:13 at the Southern Maine XC Classic. Piers was the second Mainer, and fourth overall, at the Festival of Champions.
Olivia Reynolds, Maine Coast Waldorf junior: For the third year in a row, Reynolds won the Class C state championship. She also placed 47th in the New England meet, eighth among Maine runners. Her best time of the season was 18:42, when she finished fifth – third among Maine runners – at the Festival of Champions.
Kate Tugman, Gorham senior: Tugman placed third in Class A after a runner-up performance in the South regional. At New Englands, she was 31st, fourth among Mainers. Her best time this fall was 18:45 in Belfast at the Festival of Champions. She intends to continue her running career at Florida State.
Kayla Werner, Scarborough sophomore: Werner finished seventh in the Class A state meet in 19:59. A week earlier, she placed sixth in the South regional. Earlier in the season, she established a personal-best time of 18:50 as runner-up to Bonny Eagle’s Delaney Hesler in the ninth- and 10th-grade race at the Southern Maine XC Classic.
COACH OF THE YEAR
David Dowling, Greely: In his 23rd season, Dowling guided the Rangers to their third Class B state title in six years by overcoming an impressive seven-runner pack from Northern Maine champion Mt. Desert Island. Greely held off MDI by eight points because Marin Provencher, Charlotte Taylor and Abby Hollis finished among the top eight, Katie Hankinson was 18th and Elsa Dean-Muncie 53rd. Dowling also coached Greely to the Class B boys’ state title.
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