WATERBORO — Lewiston senior Kayla Allen put the finishing touches on her one-person dynasty by winning her fourth consecutive 1,600-meter racewalk state title at the Class A track and field championships at Massabesic High School on Saturday.

“It’s exciting to win all four years,” Allen said. “Not a lot of people can do that.”

Allen was one of five tri-county area athletes to earn a Class A state championship, joining Lewiston teammate Jenny Martin, Edward Little’s Zion Gurney and Oxford Hills’ Jadah Adams and Dawson Stevens.

Cheverus won the girls’ team title, while Scarborough claimed the boys’ crown.

Allen put Saturday’s race away fairly early, grabbing the lead from the start and building a big gap before her first lap was completed. She finished in 7 minutes, 26.64 seconds, which was more than a minute ahead of second-place Moxie Flanagan of Hampden (8:41.84).

“My legs were a little tight, but I feel good about how it happened,” Allen said.

“I was hoping to get a state record, which is 7:19 (held by Mt. Blue’s Caitlin Bonney). Unfortunately I was a little bit off, but I gave it my all.”

The racewalk isn’t an event at the New England championships, so Saturday was the last high school event for Allen (she also ran the 3,200), but she’ll continue to travel throughout the country competing in the racewalk, and next year she’ll join the team at Friends University in Wichita, Kansas.

“It’s kind of bittersweet,” Allen said. “I’m excited to go onto college and meet new people and go to new races, but it’s sad to leave my high school team and all my friends.”

Gurney clears 6

Dating back to last season, Gurney has had an obsession with the 6-foot mark in the high jump. His pursuit even caused an injury last year that caused him to miss the postseason.

It continued through this season when he kept reaching 5-10, but couldn’t go beyond. Until Saturday, when Gurney, a senior, finally cleared 6 feet.

“It’s crazy. I’ve been working for this for a long time, and I’m so excited,” he said.

Gurney was one of three jumpers to reach 6 feet along with Scarborough’s Sam Rusak and Brunswick’s Samuel Cenescar. But since Gurney needed less attempts at 6 feet than the other two, he earned the state title.

But nothing beats that 6.

“I think the 6 feet (is more exciting), for sure, because that’s been my barrier,” Gurney said. “But the state championship just makes it that much better. I can’t believe it.”

Martin gets mad

Martin won the 2016 state championship in the 300 hurdles, but entered the Saturday’s meet with her eye on the 100 hurdles because she was seeded second in that event compared to fifth in the 300.

The 100 hurdles were held earlier in the day and didn’t go well for Martin. She ended up fourth and nearly a full second behind first-place Nina Tasker of Noble.

“I was kind of mad from my 100. I kind of took it all out here, on the 300,” Martin said.

The Lewiston senior has battled injuries since the indoor season, but she ran the 300 hurdles like it was 2016 again, repeating as state champion with a time of 46.75 seconds.

“I definitely thought I had a better shot in the 100,” she said. “But it feels nice to know I’m better at the 300 again, because I’ve been really struggling all year.”

Martin stayed near the front the entire race and then pulled ahead and away within the last few hurdles.

“My goal really was to sprint out of the box and see how it went,” Martin said. “And then I saw she was getting tired, I decided to go for it.”

Martin also placed fourth in the 100 and teamed up with Taylor Chamberlain, Chelsea Beaudry and McKayla Ball to take fourth in the 4×100 relay.

Vikings sweep the jav

Adams and Stevens claimed a javelin sweep for Oxford Hills and both had personal-best throws, but their state titles had a major difference: One was expected and one was not.

“The whole goal was to be a state champion,” Stevens said.

The junior was a fairly heavy favorite in the boys’ javelin, and he more than followed through, winning by 19 feet.

His first throw went farther than 169 feet, which was close to his personal record of 170-10 and would have been enough to win the state title.

Then, his second throw went 177-01. Before it even landed, he pumped his fist and celebrated.

“As soon as I released it, I felt it was a good throw. I was so excited,” Stevens said.

Dawson also placed in the 100-meter dash, taking sixth, and was five-hundredths of a second from also reaching the podium in the 200.

Meanwhile, in the girls’ javelin, Adams was seeded seventh, which wasn’t even the highest on her own team.

She shattered her personal best on one of her first throws to immediately put herself in the mix. Then, in the finals, she out-threw two-time defending state champion Britanee Nouchonthavong of Edward Little with a 115-02.

“I was expecting to throw in the 100s, but I didn’t think that (I’d do this well),” Adams said. “Obviously, Britanee from EL, she’s a great competitor, she won states last year, I have a tone of respect for her as an athlete.

“I’m kind of walking beside myself right now because as a sophomore, I didn’t really think that this was possible.

“But Coach D (Nate Danforth), he’s an amazing coach, he’s always had confidence in me when I didn’t even have confidence in myself. He just told me to send it, and I sent it.

“It feels really good,” Adams added. “It still hasn’t hit me yet.”

John Bowen, left, of Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School, Jon Bell, center, of Skowhegan, and Kyle Bouchard of Falmouth compete in the 200-meter dash at the Class A track and field championships in Waldoboro on Saturday.

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