AUBURN – The Auburn Running Club girls’ team captured the state crown in the Maine Junior Olympic Youth Track & Field Championship held recently in Augusta. It was the fourth consecutive year that Auburn has won the girls’ title.

A total of 70 athletes ages 6-14 represented the ARC. The 9-10 Girls and 13-14 Girls also won their respective age group competitions.

In the combined boys and girls competition, Auburn scored 395.5 points, to place second overall, 9.5 points behind the winning club from Windham. Poland (370) was third, followed by York (201) and Scarborough (187).

Among the Auburn individual winners were Kerri St. Denis, Girls 9-10, 800m and 1500m, and Steven Giorgetti, Boys 13-14, 100m and 100m hurdles. Giorgetti also placed second in the high jump and turbo javelin. Other individual champs: Morgan Knowlton, Girls 8-under, 400m racewalk; Emma Byrne, Girls 8-under, long jump; Katherine Mawhinney, Girls 9-10, 800m racewalk; Kory Norcross, Girls 9-10, high jump; Jackie Masters, Girls 13-14, 1500m racewalk; Hailee Mulherin, Girls 13-14, triple jump and second in long jump; Letisha Brooks, Girls 13-14, turbo javelin; Brooks Layman, Boys 9-10, shot put.

The Auburn Running Club is sponsored by the Auburn Parks and Recreation Department. Members are from Auburn, Turner and neighboring towns. Tom Menendez is the head coach, assisted by Adam Steier, Carolyn Court, Carl Schwinn, Cassandra Kirkland, Kim Visbaras, Angie Giorgetti, Murial Schwinn, Theresa Ranucci, Steve McCarthy, Laura Gardner, Amanda Burgess and Josh Murphy. There are many other volunteers.