KVAC

Athletes to watch: Boys — Connor Harris, EL (Jumps); Darnnell Hairston, EL (hurdles); Lucas Bourget, EL (dist/RW); Roger Charest, EL (sprints); Bryan Ring, EL (misc); Sully Jackson, MB (dist); Dustin Staples, MB (jumps/dist); Dustin Thompson, MB (jumps); Izaiha Tracy, MB (sprint); Justin Tracy, MB (dist); Zach Veayo, MB (RW); Mohamed Barre, Lew (dist); Rudy Pandora, Lew (throws); Leo Gaghan, Lew (throws); Nick Ross, Lew (throws); John Peters, Lew (throws); Jake Dumas, Lew (jumps); Mostafa Elfham, Lew (jumps). Girls — Jaclyn Masters, EL (sprints, PV); MaryKate Masters, EL (sprints); Emily Hartnett, EL (hurd); Kelly Philbrook, EL (jav, jumps); Hannah Carrier, EL (throws); Danielle Demers, EL (jumps); Audrey Bennett, EL (dist); Abby Dunn, EL (RW); Lizzie Stauffer, EL (dist); Taylor Coutts, EL (throws); Addie Cullenberg, MB (dist); Katherine Gunther, MB (dist); Miranda Nicely, MB (mid-dist); Maryam Norton, MB (dist); Kiana Thompson, MB (jumps); Alissa Staples, MB (sprints); Nicole Court-Menendez, Lew (RW, mid-dist); Mary Turmel, Lew (PV); Natalia Atkins, Lew (throws); Olivia Norton, Lew (sprints); Faith Shaw, Lew (dist).

Overview: The annual question in the KVAC, ever since Edward Little moved here, is: What team can step in and defeat the Red Eddies? On the boys’ side, it’s been next to no one. This year, assuming health and academic hold up, Lewiston may give the Eddies a run.

Edward Little is again loaded from top to bottom in most events, and is deep everywhere. The Blue Devils are particularly strong in the distance events, and in the throwing events, and have a few scattered athletes elsewhere that could serve to break up the Eddies’ depth.

Mt. Blue has several top-notch individual athletes, and will be more of a factor when more teams participate in a meet given the smaller size of the team relative to the bigger Class A schools.

Oxford Hills will continue to produce athletes that should contend for some individual honors.

On the girls’ side, not only is EL one of the favorites in the KVAC, but the Eddies are loaded to the point where they are thinking state title. Eleven seniors dominate this roster, and equally impressive is nearly twice that many freshmen are on the squad. There is depth everywhere, in all events, and the Eddies are poised to dominate.

Again, much like with the boys, the Cougars at Mt. Blue have a lot of talent, but with a bit of a smaller team, it will be the larger meets where they will shine. The Lewiston girls continue to build, with a few individuals aiming for record times and state meet berths this season, the same with Oxford Hills.

In KVAC Class B competition, Leavitt has some new coaches and the Hornets are still trying to get a feel for the team as the young season approaches, but they should have several KVAC and state meet qualifiers back from last season looking to once again make a push toward individual honors.

MVC

Athletes to watch: Boys — Joe Daigle, Lis (mid-dist); Keenan Grover, Lis (PV); Alex Hall, Lis (PV/RW); Morgan Reeves, Lis (jumps, PV); Andrew Smith, Lis; Zach Splude, Lis (sprints); Garrett Starr, Lis (PV, mid); Shane Tanguay, Lis (hurdles); Matt Bryant, Mon (dist); Brian Nugent, Mon (dist); Ben Bailey, Mon (sprints); Nikolas Foulke, Mon (throws); Nick Tozier, Mon (throws); Jacob Freeman, SM (jumps, sprints); Alwayne Uter, SM (throws); Ethan Hutchins, SM (hurdles); Brett Beauchesne, MV (jumps); Nick Woods, MV (dist); Andrew Child, MV (jumps); Garrett Carver, MV; Will Cunningham, MV (mid-dist); Patrick Lachance, SD (RW); David Dean, SD (400); John Tuttle, SD (sprints/jumps). Girls — Angie Bulgin, Lis (throws); Maranda Eveson, Lis (hurdles); Erin Marquis, Lis (PV); Meagan Thomas, Lis (dist); Lindsey Whitney, Lis (RW); Hannah Hall, Lis (hurdles); Melissa Brassard, Mon (hurdles); Tiffany Pease, Mon (hurdles); Kaitlyn Kerrigan, Mon (sprints, mid-dist); Tamu Cushman, Mon (throws); Molly Menice, Mon (throws); Lindsey Jacques, SM (sprints/jumps); Erin Gats, SM (sprints, jumps); Shauna Damboie, SM (throws); Samantha Glover, MV (sprints, jumps); Jamaica Ford, MV (jumps); Kaitlyn Burgess, MV (jumps); Marley Byrne, SD (sprints); Kayla McLellan, SD (mid-dist); Kelley McLellan, SD (mid-dist); Sarah Small, SD (dist).

If you feel like the best in the MVC continue to get better, you’re not alone. Any conversation in the past decade that has involved the Mountain valley Conference track and field community invariably turns to talk of the Lisbon Greyhounds — in boys’ and girls’ events. This year will be no different. The Greyhounds’ boys’ and girls’ teams will each be building on a sixth consecutive MVC crown, and both squads are as deep and talented as ever, across all events.

Monmouth and Spruce Mountain aren’t going to go lightly. The Mustangs placed second in the girls’ MVC race last season, coming from seemingly nowhere to do so. They won’t so easily sneak up on the field this time around. The Monmouth boys’ squad was third a year ago, and is also stronger, and perhaps even younger, than a year ago. This program has come far in a short time.

The Phoenix combine a Livermore Falls team that placed fifth in the girls’ MVC meet a year ago with a Jay squad that had several top individuals. Numbers, with the combining of the teams, are up, and they are striving for a top three finish in the conference this year and will serve as serious competition for Monmouth and even Lisbon in key events.

Dirigo last year squeaked into sixth position in the MVC meet with a lot of depth in the middle places, and should challenge again in that capacity.

Two teams with smaller rosters that will be effective in larger meets where there is more displacement are Mountain Valley and St. Dom’s. In only their third year of existence as a squad, the Saints have a few top-notch athletes that will make waves conference-wide, while the Falcons will also be strong individually.

Mt. Abram and Telstar, with smaller teams, will have several solid athletes looking to place high in individual events at the larger meets.

WMC

Athletes to watch: Boys — Will Shafer, GNG (dist); Sam Miklovich, GNG (sprints); Everett Bertrand, Poland (sprints, throws); Matt Russell, Poland (throws); Cam Morrell, Poland (dist); Tony Whalen, Poland (jumps). Girls — Emma Turton, Poland (hurdles); Sophie Spiller, Poland (sprints, jumps); Amanda Gagnon, Poland (dist); Ashley Marchesseault, Poland (RW); Amanda Peterson, GNG (sprints); Jasmine Turner, GNG (hurdles, jumps); Audrey Garcia, GNG (dist).

The Western Maine Conference is littered with teams with state title aspirations at all class levels, from York and Greely to Yarmouth, Falmouth and Sacopee Valley. Often, it’s been hard for Gray-New Gloucester and Poland to carve a niche in this tough-as-nails conference. This year won’t be much different, The Patriots have a fairly small but deep team, and one with a lot of youth. Look for these athletes to grow in the system and be a force individually as the spring wears along, and down the road as a complete unit. The Knights, meanwhile, are still young, but several of their individual athletes will also be in the running for top spots.

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