OAKLAND — The number of competitions remaining in the 2022 season might be dwindling, but there won’t be a busier week on the central Maine track and field circuit than this one.

Area track and field teams are set to compete in four conference championship meets over the next three days. The competitions will begin with the Mountain Valley Conference championships Thursday, followed by three  Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference meets. The KVAC Small School championships are Friday at Cony High School. The KVAC Medium School (Cony) and Large School (Messalonskee) championship meets are set for Saturday.

The MVC championships will see 13 teams clash at Lisbon High School, including Carrabec, Hall-Dale, Madison, Monmouth Academy, Mt. Abram and Winthrop. The meet is back as a single competition again this year after separate North and South meets were held in 2021.

The Greyhounds have high hopes of sweeping the MVCs, especially on the girls side, where they have held their own even against Class A opposition this year. The Winthrop girls, who are led by an elite thrower in Ellie Folsom and a top jumper in Autumn Gerry, will also be in contention.

“The Lisbon girls are just so stacked; they have a couple of the best jumpers and hurdlers in the state, and we’re going to see some really great performances from them,” said Hall-Dale head coach Jarod Richmond. “You also have Kayden Ames from Boothbay doing some great things in the discus, and Iris [Ireland] and Karlie [Reith] are two great throwers from our team.”

Maranacook, Mount View, Maine Central Institute, Waterville and Winslow will be among nine teams competing in Friday’s KVAC Small School championships at Cony. Also competing are reigning boys champion Belfast, Leavitt, Lincoln Academy and Oceanside.

The Winslow boys enter Friday’s meet with some momentum after winning last week’s Community Cup in Skowhegan, and a Waterville girls team that’s won three meets this year will also be in the mix. They’ll face stiff challenges from the Leavitt boys and girls, both of which won the KVAC Medium School championships last year before dropping down to Small School status.

“There are a ton of strong performances across the board,” said Waterville head coach Katie Souviney. “If the girls team wants to be in contention, we’ll need strong performances from every individual on our team.”

The Medium School meet Saturday will feature Cony, Erskine Academy, Gardiner, Lawrence, Nokomis, Camden Hills, Medomak Valley and Morse. The Cony boys and girls teams look to be the favorites after posting strong regular seasons that included a pair of team Capital City Classic victories last week, but Gardiner and Camden are among other contenders.

“Cony is definitely up there as a competitor, and Camden is another good competitor in terms of distance people,” said Gardiner head coach Jenn Boudreau. “I think we’re going to do pretty well, too. I’m hoping to see our boys and girls come in second or third.”

Also Saturday, Messalonskee, Skowhegan, Mt. Blue, Mt. Ararat, Brunswick, Edward Little, Lewiston and Oxford Hills will compete in the Large School meet in Oakland. Strong Mt. Ararat and Lewiston boys teams look set to battle it out for the boys title, while Brunswick,

Lewiston and Edward Little should have strong days on the girls side.

Many athletes are still on the verge of achieving state championship qualification in one or more categories. For those athletes, the MVC and KVAC meets mark the final opportunities to extend their track and field seasons into June.

“I have a couple who are super close and are really knocking on the door,” Boudreau said. “It would be great if those kids can get over the top and make it to states so that they can experience what it’s like to be there.”

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