The former Lewiston standout is peaking heading into the America East track and field championships.
The weights are heavier now, and the competition tighter, but former Lewiston High School tack and field standout Andre Dubois is still finding his way to a familiar place – the top of the podium.

With the America East Championship looming just over a week away, Dubois has positioned himself as one of the top throwers in the league. He cemented that status over the last two meets, winning both the shot put and the discus at the Crusader Invitational, hosted by Holy Cross, and also at a dual meet with New Hampshire.

“Without Andre, we wouldn’t have many points in those throwing events,” Maine coach Jim Ballinger said. “We have some younger people there now who have the chance to get to the level that Andre is at now, but they are still young.”

In his third season competing for Maine (he red-shirted during his sophomore season in outdoor track only), Dubois has earned his coaches’ respect and a solid reputation as a go-to athlete for points in big meets.

“It’s been different here,” Dubois said. “It’s not like at Lewiston where I can go out and be a superstar at every meet, or score all the teams points.”

During his senior season at Lewiston, Dubois andteammate Robbie Dion accounted for nearly all of their team’s points at the Class A state meet. The Blue Devils finished eighth.

The first thing Dubois had to re-learn during his freshman campaign is how to throw the shot put. His technique was never in doubt, but the fact that he was now throwing a 16-pound weight instead of the 12-pound rock he slung in high school took some getting used to.

“The biggest adjustment he had to make was with the weight of the shot,” Ballinger said. “It took him a year to really figure that out, and that is normal. He’s done a lot of lifting, though, and his strength has improved tremendously.”

In four years of training, Dubois has set personal records almost every year. During the indoor season last winter, he hurled a shot put 48 feet. In the previous two meets this outdoor season, he tossed the shot an average of 46 feet. In the discus, his two recent wins were throws of an average 144 feet.

“He’s a spin thrower,” Ballinger said. “He’s had some issues with fouling in the past, but I think we’ve solved those issues, and now he is turning in some great throws this year. I think the last two meets have set him up well for the America East meet.”

Having red-shirted for a one season, Dubois could return to Maine next year and again compete for the outdoor track team. His eligibility for indoor track, however, has been used up.

“We certainly would love to have him back on the team,” Ballinger said. “I don’t know what his plans are, because I know that he can graduate this year. If he is back in school, he will of course be welcome here.”

Dubois himself still hasn’t decided what he will do next year.

“I will be done this year, but I could always come back to pick up another minor,” Dubois said. “I will have a degree in biology and a minor in math, but I could come back for another semester next fall and finish a minor in chemistry, too. Also, my girlfriend still has another year left and she is from the Midwest, so I may stick around here for another year and then maybe follow her back out there.”

For now, though, Dubois remains focused on the America East Championship meet and on the New England meet, which are on consecutive weekends at the beginning of May.
jpelletier@sunjournal.com

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