RALEIGH, N.C. – Lisbon’s Troy Clark came within eight seconds of capturing a gold medal in the national high school one-mile racewalk at the Adidas Outdoor Track and Field Championships this past weekend.

Clark’s time of 6:38.20 was good enough for a strong second-place finish, over a minute better than third-place finisher. Dresden’s Padric Gleason finished in fourth with a 7:48.21 and Lisbon’s Justin Cornell finished sixth at 8:06.22.

Each of the Maine walkers earned an Adidas High School Track and Field all-American award, the first such award for both Gleason and Cornell, and the sixth All-American award in two years for Clark who has been given a full scholarship.

Clark and Cornell are champion high school level wrestlers, and join Ellsworth’s Ben Shorey and Caribou’s Danny Campbell as fellow all-Americans who both racewalk and wrestle. Elan’s Greg Pola, in his first national race, was right behind Justin Cornell, in seventh place, and MCI’s David McLeod took eighth.

In the women’s race, New York walkers overpowered the Maine women, but Boothbay’s Lauren Forgues kept contact and finished with a sixth-place medal, good enough for her second all-American award this year, followed closely by Eastport’s Helen Pottle. New Sharon’s Carly Lochala, battling a respiratory illness, still managed a ninth-place finish (out of 18 competitors), and Caribou’s Marisa Hessert followed closely behind for 10th place. Lisbon’s Shelby Cunningham walked a fine race for her first national competition.

In 11 years of walking at the high school level in Maine, 34 racewalking athletes from 21 schools (from Caribou to Scarborough) have earned 109 all-American track and field awards (Nike, Adidas, Footlocker, USATF).

Four athletes have made it to the Olympic trials. One athlete has finished ninth in the women’s 2000 20k Olympic trials (Gretchen Eastler), one has qualified for the 2004 20k women’s’ trials in July (Anne Favolise) and another finished sixth in the 2004 50k Olympic trials and qualified for the 20k men’s trials in July (Ben Shorey).

Kevin Eastler has finished second in the 2000 men’s 20k trials, won the 2004 national 20k and 30k championships, finished 18th in the world championships, and will be competing in the Olympic trials.

Maine is sending five athletes to the USATF Junior National Track and Filed Championships in College Station, Texas this weekend.

All athletes will race at 10k in an attempt to make the USA Junior Team. The following athletes have qualified for the national race: UMF’s Kate Dickinson of South Berwick; Mt. Blue’s Carly Lochala of New Sharon; St. Joseph’s Danny Campbell of Caribou, Hall-Dale’s Padric Gleason of Dresden; and Lisbon High School’s Troy Clark.