It’s been a long couple of years for Edward Little sprinter Roger Charest.

“There’s certainly been a depth issue on the team, which is a good thing,” EL boys’ track and field coach Ryan LaRoche said. “This year, though, we’ve had to have some people step up and fill roles that some graduated seniors filled last year.”

Charest has been one of those athletes.

“He’s coming out of the shadows of those other guys and he’s really started to prove himself,” LaRoche said.

Already this season, Charest is in the top 10 in the KVAC in the 200- and 400-meter dashes, and is on the verge of breaking into the top 10 in the 100. He’s also part of the school’s 4×100-meter relay, which is ranked first in the conference.

“Indoor, he had a really solid season for us,” LaRoche said. “His indoor time in the 400 moved him into fifth all time for our team.”

At a recent meet with Leavitt and Mt. Blue, Charest took home the 100- and 400-meter dashes, and placed second in the 200 to Leavitt star athlete Jordan Hersom, who he edged in the 400.

“It will be interesting to see how his times improve as the season goes on, as we get into the harder workouts.”

The Eddies have won all three small meets in which they’ve competed to date, and are, according to LaRoche, on the right track, so to speak.

“I think we’re right about where we want to be at this stage,” he said. “We’ve seen Brunswick and Mt. Ararat, two teams who are traditionally strong.”

Strong start no surprise

Edward Little coaches knew Jaclyn and MaryKate Masters were going to be solid this season. Jaclyn, in her first full season outdoors as a sprinter, is already proving just how good this combination will be.

“She’d never run the 100 or the 200 in the shape she’s in now,” EL girls’ coach Rebecca Hefty said. “The scary thing is, I don’t think she’s even close to what she can eventually do.”

Jaclyn Masters has posted a 12.68 in the 100-meter dash, leading a stable of five EL sprinters with the capacity to break the 13.8 mark.

But perhaps even better than Jaclyn and MaryKate’s ability to push forward and star in the sprint events is the emergence of a handful of other athletes in a few other events as Hefty and her staff try to mold the team into a state title contender.

“We have some girls throwing in Hannah Carrier and Eraleena Hairston, they haven’t thrown before, or they hadn’t thrown far, and they’re winning events and setting personal bests,” Hefty said.

In the hurdles, Avery Chisholm has started to come into her own, finishing second in both hurdle races behind Emily Hartnett in the team’s most recent race.

Hartnett, meanwhile, has already qualified for the state meet in five different events, the 100-, 200- and 400-meter dashes, and in both hurdle events. As a hurdler, Hartnett owns some of the fastest times in the state.

Peterson chooses Wheaton

One of the most decorated track and field athletes at Gray-New Gloucester High School will continue to run in college.

Amanda Peterson will run for Wheaton College next season after choosing the school over several others, including URI, UMass and New Mexico State.

Peterson has won three state titles in sprint events, and she was selected All-Conference 1st Team for the 2010, 2011 and 2012 indoor track and field seasons.

She will join former Gray-NG standout Ben Miklovich at Wheaton. Mikovich is a top-10 sprinter in Division III.

Top performers

Kyle Sheehan of Lisbon was a star for the Greyhounds at their meet on April 24 against a bevy of MVC rivals. His 17.8-second run in the 110 hurdles was better than the race runner up by two full seconds, and his time in the 300 hurdles (45.8 seconds) was nearly five seconds better than second place … In that same meet, Telstar flexed its muscles in the distance events. Led by Joseph Holt-Andrews, who won the mile and two-mile races, the Rebels earned the top three places in both races, as well as first place in the 4×800-meter relay and the 4×400-meter relay … In a four-team meet, Gray-New Gloucester’s Jasmine Turner took home first place in the 300-meter hurdles, winning by nearly five seconds. She also placed third in the high jump … The Lewiston boys flexed their muscles in an April 26 meet, posting a 20-point victory over Bangor, while Brunswick also attended. Hassan Mohamed blazed the track in the sprinting events, posting an 11.84 time in the 100, better than teammate Mostafa Elfaham’s 12.11. Mohamed also ran a 23.98 in the 200 for the Blue Devils.

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