Noble High senior Maddox Jordan had already established himself as this year’s best boys’ distance runner in Maine with a Class A championship in cross country, following state titles in indoor and outdoor track as a junior.

Then on consecutive weekends this winter at Boston University’s fast, springy track, Jordan put himself in a whole different realm. He entered the best-ever-in-Maine conversation.

In fact, his times in the 800 meters and the mile are just that: The fastest indoor track times ever recorded by a Maine high school athlete.

“He’s made the jump from stellar athlete to one of the best that has ever come out of our state,” said Noble Coach Sarah Stowell.

Or as Jordan puts it, “This year, it really all came together and the races I’ve had in the past all led up to right now so I could make that big jump.”

Jordan continued to impress throughout the indoor season. At the Class A state meet, he won the 800, mile and the 2-mile – in his first attempt at the distance triple. He followed that effort with a win in the mile at the New England championships.

For his combination of fast times and championship victories, Jordan was an easy choice as the 2024 Varsity Maine Boys’ Indoor Track Athlete of the Year. In the fall, Jordan was named the Varsity Maine Boys’ Cross Country Runner of the Year.

The awards and acknowledgment are appreciated, Jordan said.

“It just makes me realize how gifted I’ve been with the coaching I’ve had and the supportive family, everyone who has helped me out,” he said.

Jordan took his big leap competing against collegians in a pair of open meets at Boston University.

On Jan. 27 at the John Thomas Terrier Classic, Jordan finished seventh in a mile heat with 14 college runners, posting a time of 4:11.19 – an 11-second PR compared to his junior-season best. That set a Maine all-time high school best according to Maine Milesplit, breaking the 1981 hand-timed record of 4:11 (4:11.24 when converted) set by Brian Pettingill of Cheverus.

On Feb. 3 at the Bruce Lehane Scarlet and White meet, Jordan was even more impressive. He set a Maine all-time mark in the 800 in 1:51.82, besting Scarborough grad Zachary Berry’s 2022 record by a full second. In his eight-person heat, Jordan was up against seven collegians. He nearly got pushed off the track while being boxed in on the rail with about 200 meters to go, but he steadied his stride, got outside, and then blew by half the field en route to the victory.

“Getting that all-time record in the 800, that was definitely my highlight,” Jordan said.

One of the few times this year when a race didn’t go Jordan’s way was when he went to the New Balance Nationals, at the New Balance track in Boston. Jordan was in the fast heat and was seeded fourth. He finished 15th despite running his second-fastest 800, in 1:53. The winning time was 1:48.

“It was one of those days where I was very confident going into it, but as soon as the gun went off, I wasn’t in the right state and I didn’t get out fast enough and was so far behind,” Jordan said.

Jordan has committed to run for the University of Rhode Island, where he intends to study aquaculture. “I’d like to work with coral restoration,” he said.

Being in the outdoors fits Jordan. He is a lifeguard at Ogunquit Beach in the summer, often running the beach for his workouts. He is also an avid snowboarder. Jordan said he went snowboarding every weekend during the season.

“Sometimes as a coach, that’s hard to accept because of the injury risk,” Stowell admits. “But in terms of Maddox, he’s been active his whole life. He’s not one of those kids that’s just a linear, train-to-run-in-a-straight-line. I think that helps in preventing overuse injuries and maintaining fitness in a well-rounded way.”