Biddeford's Ben Drummey, a senior at the University of Southern Maine, will attempt to win his third national title in the pole vault at the NCAA Division III indoor track and field championships in Rochester, New York. Photo courtesy of USM athletics

For five Mainers among the best NCAA Division III indoor track and field athletes, it’s hard to call any of their paths to nationals conventional. 

Emma Burr had to branch out, going beyond her favorite sprinting events; Ben Drummey had to overcome a major injury; Ethan Shain saw track as a secondary sport in high school; Khalysa Hammith and Joey Richards are freshmen who didn’t necessarily expect to reach this stage so quickly.

In any case, the five are still competing as mid-March arrives. On Friday, Thomas College’s Burr and the University of Southern Maine’s Drummey, Hammith, Richards and Shain will compete in the national championships at Nazareth University in Rochester, New York.

“I think we’re all really excited,” said Hammith, who qualified in the women’s long jump. “I think it’s amazing how Maine produces so many great athletes. … I’m looking forward to getting the experience, knowing what the big stage feels like and seeing other great athletes compete.”

Burr, now a sophomore at Thomas, was one of Maine’s most dominant high school sprinters while attending Maine Central Institute. She set numerous school records and five state titles as a senior in indoor and outdoor track.

Sprinting, though, is only a small piece of what Burr does now. At Thomas, she competes in the pentathlon, which combines the 60-meter hurdles, 800-meter run, high jump, long jump and shot put.

“It’s very time-consuming, and you have to love the sport and be willing to put more time in than your other teammates,” said Thomas coach Ian Wilson. “She has the blend of a lot of different skills, and the ability to come and train for three hours is definitely one of them. She checks a lot of boxes.”

Between indoor and outdoor track, Burr holds Thomas records in 17 events. She’s excited for another crack at nationals after competing in the NCAA outdoor championships last spring.

Biddeford’s Ben Drummey, a senior at the University of Southern Maine, will attempt to win his third national title in the pole vault at the NCAA Division III indoor track championships in Rochester, New York. Photo courtesy of USM athletics

“Last year didn’t go as well because I wasn’t used to having that level of competition; I was so tight,” Burr said. “Now, I know going to this indoor pentathlon, I know what I’m getting into and what the competition level is.”

Drummey, a fifth-year senior pole vaulter from Biddeford, is quite familiar with competing for national championships. He won the NCAA indoor title in 2022 and 2023 and was the runner-up last year.

In September, though, Drummey had surgery after breaking his fibula and dislocating his ankle. He was initially told that he might not even be ready for the start of outdoor track season, but the injury healed exceptionally quickly, allowing Drummey to return for USM’s first competitive indoor meet on Jan. 11.

“I went in for a check-up, and my doctor said that it was essentially healed and that the pain I was going to feel is normal,” said Drummey, whose father, Mike, was a two-time Division II national champion vaulter at Central Connecticut State and is now a USM assistant coach. “It’s good to be back. It’s a fun meet, and I’m looking forward to jumping with all the guys.”

Shain is also making a return trip to indoor nationals after competing in the 60-meter dash last season. Although track was far from Shain’s primary sport at Sanford High, where his main focuses were football and basketball, USM coach Rob Whitten saw potential — and natural speed — in Shain.

“I wasn’t always the most committed in the first couple years, but as I worked harder, I started to see the potential (Whitten saw in me) and really enjoy the process,” said Shain, a graduate student who holds USM’s 55- and 60-meter records. “I’ve come to enjoy the journey more than the actual finish line.”

Hammith and Richards entered this season with no college track experience. Richards was a senior at Winslow High last year, while Hammith, who admitted she didn’t envision this kind of success as a freshman, was at Windham.

University of Southern Maine freshman Khalysa Hammith, a former standout at Windham High, will compete in the long jump at the NCAA Division III indoor track championships in Rochester, New York. Photo courtesy of USM athletics

As with Shain, though, Whitten saw natural talent in Hammith and Richards that quickly manifested. Hammith qualified for nationals in the long jump after setting a program record of 19 feet in the regular season. Richards qualified in the 400 and also established a new school record (48.07 seconds).

“They went through some growing pains, which happens — it’s not always going to come easy — but the natural competitive instinct and natural abilities have shone through,” Whitten said. “This is going to be a great experience for them because I think we’re only at the tip of the iceberg of what they can do.”

Other athletes from Maine colleges competing at nationals are:

• Ross Tejeda, Bates: men’s mile

• Truman Williams, Bates: men’s 400

• Carli Ciavarelli, Bates: women’s weight throw

• Kane Demers, Bowdoin: men’s 60 hurdles and 200

• Kennedy Kirkland, Bowdoin: women’s 200 and long jump

• Bowdoin men’s distance medley relay team (Matthew Servin, Adepoju Arogundade, Oliver Brandes, Will Goddard)

• Ren Zanze, Colby: men’s 400

• Kaitlyn Ewald, Colby: women’s 400

• Fiona Mejico, Colby: women’s 200 and 400

• Colby women’s 1,600 relay team (Tally Zeller, Kristina Pizzi, Kaitlyn Ewald, Fiona Mejico)

• Colby men’s 1,600 relay team (Peter Martel, Sam Graubart, Levi Biery, Ren Zanze)