Edward Little runner Sam Fletcher is making a name for himself.
By Kevin Mills
Staff Writer

AUBURN – He found himself bunched up at the back of the pack with little room to maneuver and little time to act. It was either settle back or do something drastic.

So Sam Fletcher did something. The Edward Little senior dug deep and mustered the energy and determination. He outran the rest of the field and nipped them at the finish line to win the 1,000-meter run in February’s New England Indoor Track Championships in Boston.

His win that day only typified the turnaround Fletcher has made.

A little more than a year ago, he finished seventh in the 800 in the indoor state meet. This season he won the same event at states, setting the stage for his New England win. He followed that up with a fifth-place finish in the Nike Indoor National Championships in Maryland just over a week ago.

“Sam ran eleven seconds faster this year than he did in the 800 state meet (last year),” said EL track coach Dan Campbell. “He had a horrible year last year. He was going through a lot of transition stuff, and this year, he’s getting it all together.”

His time in states broke the Class A record, beating his brother Ben’s mark by two seconds. After following that up with the New Englands and Nationals, he’s at the top of his game, physically and mentally, as the outdoor season kicks off this week.

“I used indoor more to get ready for outdoor, but I had one goal – to break the 800 state record,” said Fletcher. “I did that and it opened up some doors, which led to New Englands and Nationals. So after all that, I’m looking forward to outdoor even more.”

Fletcher enters the spring season with a whole new mindset. He’s already targeted the 800 and 1,600 state records as goals to shoot for.

A year ago, he might not have imagined such lofty goals, but his recent success is indication how things have changed.

“He went from being seventh in the state meet in the 800 to fifth in the Nationals,” said Campbell. “That’s a little bit of difference. That’s because of a lot of miles he’s run over the summer time and this winter and the work he’s put into it.”

Fletcher decided to rededicate himself to the sport last summer. He has been chasing that challenge ever since. The fact that he follows the jogging steps of Ben and his sister, Emily, both of whom had tremendous years at EL, only elevates his standards.

“I just really like to succeed and win,” said Fletcher. “There’s always a lot of pressure put on me because my brother is such a good runner. I want to break away from his shadow.”

The outdoor state records that Fletcher has his sights set on – guess who holds those marks?

“It’s tough because I’ve always been compared to my brother, but it helps because it keeps me motivated,” said Fletcher. “My brother was so good, I always have someone to look up to and try to match.”

Campbell says Ben and Sam have the same talent for running, but their approach is different. Ben was more goal-oriented while Sam is more passion-oriented.

“You have to coach people differently,” said Campbell. “I found that Sam was more highly motivated, and I had to show that he could be a champion. Ben was just a hell of a racer. He didn’t like to train. He just loved to race. Sam loves to train but was afraid to race. When he found that he could race and stay with the best of them, that’s when he broken loose.”

Fletcher is starting to make a name for himself and his recent success has played a huge role. After meeting his goal during the indoor season, Fletcher went to the New Englands in Boston where he won in 2:32.37.

“I was really going down there to win it,” said Fletcher. “There were three or four guys who had similar times. So I knew it was going to be a close race. We went out pretty slow. So I got caught in the back. With about 300 left, I was in last place. So I finally decided to go and just passed everybody and won by like a second or so.”

His state record attracted the notice of organizers of the National meet in Maryland. He finished fifth in the 800 in 1:55.80.

“The top six are All-Americans,” said Fletcher. “So I really was just trying to go down there and be in the top six so I could be a Nike All-American. I also wanted to go down there and ‘PR’, which I did. I achieved both my goals. So I’m really happy.”

Campbell says in his 21 years of coaching, Fletcher is the first Lewiston-Auburn athlete he recalls to earn All-American status and one of just a few in the state to have that honor.

Fletcher admits that his indoor season was just a precursor to his outdoor season, but now it has his juices flowing.

“I didn’t take it all that serious,” said Fletcher. “It was really good to get a few races in and kind of gear up toward outdoor. My primary focus is the mile. So I’m really excited to see how my 800 translates in the mile.”

His performance at nationals drew interest from the University of Virginia. He’s also considering Delaware.

After stellar performances in his last few outings, he knows the sky is the limit. It very well may be that the pack will be chasing him from here on out.

“It takes a lot to come back like he has,” said Campbell. “A lot of people counted him out. Through adversity comes growth.”