LISBON — When Nicholas Harriman got out of class Tuesday, his immediate thought was to change into his track uniform and head to the bus for yet another road meet. 

It wasn’t until a fellow teammate told him there was no reason to head to the bus that it dawned on the Lisbon junior distance runner that, for the first time in his career or any of his teammates’ careers, the Greyhounds were hosting a track-and-field event. 

For the first time in 14 years, Lisbon didn’t need to board a bus to reach its destination. Instead, the Greyhounds were just walking distance from Tuesday’s venue, the same venue that had a new track installed during the off-season. Hosting an event was something new, but what the Greyhounds did was anything but out of the ordinary. Both the boys’ and girls’ track and field teams, each nine-time defending Mountain Valley Conference champions, dominated their competition in the early-season meet. 

“It is probably one of the most humbling things,” Harriman said. “You understand now what it’s like now to be at home and want that win. It’s not like anything else I’ve felt before whether it’s states or MVCs. It’s totally different.” 

The boys won 11 of the 19 events and accumulated 269 points, well ahead of second place Hall-Dale (86) and third-place Mountain Valley (85). Mt. Abram (64) took fourth, followed by Telstar (60.5) to round out the top five. Dirigo (45), Richmond (7) and Oak Hill (3.5) capped off the eight-team field on the boys’ side. 

The girls took the top spot in nine events and finished with 168.5 points. Dirigo placed second with 105 points. Mountain Valley (90), Hall-Dale (77) and Mt. Abram (69.5) rounded out the top five. Telstar (38) and Richmond (25) took sixth and seventh, respectively. 

Harriman led the charge in the distance events for the boys, winning both the 1,600- and 3,200-meter run in convincing fashion. He crossed the finish line of the 1,600 in 4 minutes, 53.81 seconds. Harriman said he thought he started the first 200 meters too fast and believed Hall-Dale’s Chris Pomerleau was right behind him the entire way, forcing him to maintain a faster pace. 

But Pomerleau was nowhere near him. The Hall-Dale senior finished in 5:16.29 and didn’t enter the final straightaway until Harriman crossed the finish line. 

“I thought he was right on my heels,” Harriman said. “I thought I had maybe 10 or 15 yards until I passed the line and saw him on the end of the straightaway. I was astounded.” 

Harriman finished the two-mile run in 10:47.91, 35 seconds in front of teammate Jordan Cole. 

There were close moments for the Greyhounds, specifically in the boys’ 400 relay. Running second behind Mountain Valley going into the final leg, Lisbon junior Henry Adams tracked down Mountain Valley’s Isaac Therrien in the final moments to secure the Greyhounds’ victory. Lisbon completed the 400 relay in 47.93, with Mountain Valley coming in at 48.30. 

“I knew I had to pick up some slack because we were down,” Adams said. “The only thing I could think of is winning because once you get that little bit of doubt in your head, you’re going to lose. I just kept pushing myself and pushing myself and ended up passing him and winning the race.” 

The Lisbon boys swept all three relays, Charles Adams won both the 110 and 300 hurdles and Jeff Willey won the racewalk by more than a minute. 

Chase Collier and Bree Sautter led the Lisbon girls. Collier placed first in the 100 dash and 100 hurdles and won the long jump by more than a foot with a distance of 15-feet 11-inches. Sautter took the 400 and 800 crown. 

The girls won four of the seven field events with Hannah Berube, Emily Brewer and Mia Durgin winning their respective events. Sydney Douglas held off Dirigo’s Rachele Knight in the racewalk. 

Lisbon coach Dean Hall said there’s still room for improvement despite the early-season success. 

“We need heat on this track to make it faster,” Hall said. “These are good times, but not great times. Still early in the season. I tell the kids that every time you win an event here you’re setting a new meet standard.” 

The Greyhounds dominated the meet, but competitors from visiting teams made their presence felt. Telstar’s Gabi Stone ran down Hall-Dale’s Emma Wilson in the girls’ 1,600. With 100 meters to go, Stone let loose a final burst of energy and passed Wilson in the final few strides. 

“At the beginning, I said I wanted to put what I can into this race and the last 100 I was just going to go for it and see if I can get her,” Stone said. 

Stone finished in 6:15.02, with Wilson coming in at 6:16.25. Stone’s teammate, Kaitlyn Brown, took third in 6:21.48. Brown was part of Stone’s motivation to finish strong. 

“My teammate was right there on the last lap and I’m like, ‘I can’t let her beat me’ so I had to go,” Stone said. “I saw Emma on the last stretch and said why not try for it?” 

The Dirigo girls won the second-most events with five. Sabrina Daud won two of those in the 200 and 300 hurdles. The Cougars went 1-2-3 in the 200. 

Mountain Valley’s Kyle Farrar and Telstar’s Maverik Griffin won multiple events on the boys’ side. 

Copy the Story Link