Soaring above his state, conference and regional competition is nothing new for Jeff Ramos.

His track and field performances give the impression that Ramos, a sophomore from Turner, hardly noticed the transition from Leavitt Area High School to the University of Maine. Ramos continued his domination of America East last weekend by capturing his second straight outdoor conference championship in the high jump.

Ramos elevated 6 feet, 6 inches Sunday to top the field on his home track in Orono. It is Ramos’ third straight America East title, in all. He claimed the indoor crown in February.

Last year’s spring breakthrough led to a second-place finish at the New England meet. Ramos will attempt to grasp that final rung on the ladder when the six-state competition gets underway Friday in Durham, N.H. He placed sixth in New England during the winter campaign.

In his senior season at Leavitt, Ramos also swept the state and New England titles in his favorite event.

Representing the Maine women at the America East championships, Allyson Thomas of Auburn (Edward Little) finished fourth in the pole vault.

Big dog

Thomas College didn’t have a dominant baseball team this spring, but there was no question that the Terriers flaunted the most feared hitter in the North Atlantic Conference.

That distinction clearly went to Mike Chamard, a junior outfielder from Livermore Falls who was named NAC Player of the Year last week.

Chamard’s numbers were too stout to ignore. He topped Thomas (12-19) in every major offensive category, including batting average (.400), home runs (two), RBIs (24), hits (48), runs (31), triples (six) and stolen bases (12). His fielding percentage was a sterling .974.

Bright spot

Corey Provencher of Rumford (Mountain Valley) capped his career at the University of Maine at Farmington by earning a spot on the NAC honor roll.

Provencher, who played both outfield and shortstop during his four years as a starter for the Beavers, received honorable mention after snagging a second-team spot in 2007. That drop might be attributable to Farmington’s record (5-22), because there was no dip in Provencher’s performance. He batted .329 with 13 RBIs, five doubles, a team-high 15 walks and 11 stolen bases.

Two local players enjoyed promising freshman seasons for the Beavers. Batting leadoff throughout, Russ Schmelzer of Winthrop led UMF with 18 steals. Pitcher Will Griffiths of Mechanic Falls (Poland Regional) paced the pitching staff with 10 appearances in 27 games.

Well-rounded former Falcon soars

Excellence on the basketball court and in the classroom have earned Isaac Stickney of Rumford recognition as Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year at the University of New England.

Stickney, a graduate of Mountain Valley High School, provided four years of low post presence for the Nor’easters. He led the team in field goal percentage as a senior, sinking 58 percent of his attempts while averaging 13.9 points per game.

The 6-foot-6 forward/center also led UNE (15-12) in rebounds and blocked shots, helping the team triple its 2006-07 win total and capture more victories than in his sophomore and junior seasons, combined.

In the team’s final regular-season game, Stickney became the 29th man to cross the 1,000-point threshold at UNE.

Away from the gym, Stickney wields a 3.88 GPA as a psychology major. He has been named to the Commonwealth Coast Conference all-academic team three times. Stickney also was a member of the golf team at the Biddeford school.

Lake thrives by the ocean

Senior attacker Garrett Lake of Farmington (Mt. Blue) earned second-team laurels for his campaign with the men’s lacrosse team at Maine Maritime Academy in Castine.

The Mariners finished 5-7, falling to Mount Ida in the NAC semifinals.

Family ties

A high school baseball player with local roots has earned a baseball scholarship at Vanderbilt University.

Matt Marquis, a center fielder from Annandale, N.J., is also considered a possible selection in June’s Major League Baseball draft. He batted .443 as a junior at Immaculata High School.

Marquis’ father, Al, is a 1971 graduate of Edward Little High School. His grandparents live in Sabattus.

Maine ties run deep at Vanderbilt, a Southeastern Conference power and one of the top programs in the country. Ryan Flaherty and Andrew Giobbi of Portland (Deering High School) start for the Commodores.