Class A indoor track and field: Lewiston’s Makenna Drouin wins three state titles

GORHAM — Makenna Drouin said she went to bed early Sunday, wanting to do everything she could to be ready for the final Class A indoor track state championship of her standout high school career.

“When I woke up I had a feeling it would be a good day,” she said.

It sure was.

Lewiston’s McKenna Drouin celebrates at the finish line after winning the 55-meter hurdles during the Class A track championships at the University of Southern Maine in Gorham on Monday. Carl D. Walsh/Portland Press Herald

Drouin, a Lewiston senior, won three events Monday and ran the fastest indoor 55-meter dash by a high school girl in Maine not named Kate Hall, with a winning time of 7.08 seconds. That was .03 faster than the Class A meet record Drouin had set in her 55 heat of 7.11. Hall’s all-time best in the 55 dash was 6.94 set at the New Balance Nationals in 2015.

Drouin also scorched the 55-hurdles in a personal-best time of 8.41 and later won the 200 meters (26.04) on Monday at at the University of Southern Maine.

Drouin’s fast 55 times surpassed Bangor’s Anna Connors’ Class A-best 7.12 from 2022. The last two seasons, Connors and Drouin were often dueling with Connors usually in front at the big meets.

“That gives a little extra spice to it,” said Drouin, who credited her coaches at Lewiston and said that this year she has felt more comfortable and relaxed than she did last spring after she transferred to Lewiston from nearby Edward Little.

Jenni Flynn took second in the girls long jump and fourth in the 55 hurdles for the Blue Devils, who were fifth with 45 points.

LEWISTON BOYS 3RD

Drouin was not the only record-setter Monday at the University of Southern Maine, which also featured tightly contested team battles eventually won by the Scarborough girls, with a 63.5 to 57 edge over Bangor, and the South Portland boys, led by record-setting triple jumper Arnaud Sioho. South Portland scored 53 points — getting 15 in the triple jump, the final event to be completed. That edged Mt. Ararat (48.5) and pulled the Red Riots ahead of Lewiston (46), Portland (45) and Gorham (43).

“It’s a great feeling to win states. We were seeded fourth or fifth and now we get first. It’s amazing,” Sioho said.

Marshwood junior Andre Clark set the meet record in his 55-dash heat, running 6.45, one-tenth of a second faster than the 2019 mark by Jarrett Flaker of Scarborough. Then he came back in the final and ran 6.38 — which broke his own all-time Maine time set nine days ago at the SMAA Conference meet.

“It’s only by a hundredth of a second, but it still feels good,” Clark said. “I won states last year with a decent time, a 6.58 or something, and I knew I could run faster. I got out of the weight room and really focused on honing my fundamentals and form.”

Skowhegan’s Billy Albertson set the boys long jump meet record by one inch when he leaped 22 feet, 7.5 inches on his first attempt. Sioho also broke the old record (by a half-inch) to finish second in 22-7.

“It’s not a PR. My PR is 22-9 and three-quarters,” Albertson said. “So I was very close. And that doesn’t mean it still wasn’t a super fantastic day for me. The competition was great.”

In the triple jump, the roles were reversed. Albertson also had a jump that surpassed the old mark held by Peter Phelan (Brewer) of 45-11.75 since 1996 with a second-place jump of 46-1, which for about a minute was the state record until Sioho jumped 46-3. Sioho had four jumps over 46 feet.

Gorham got wins from Griffin Gammon in the high jump (6-6) and Aidan Lee in the 55 hurdles. Lee, who had also placed third in the high jump, had multiple reasons to celebrate after he crossed the finish line in the hurdles.

“It was a big PR, by a half-second. It was my first state championship. I’ve finished second three times and third three times,” Lee said. “And I’m most excited about helping my team.”

Lewiston was in the lead by a point over Portland after taking second in the 800 relay, the final event on the track.

Four runner-up finishes highlighted the Blue Devils’ day. Josia Katroli equaled Gammon’s height (6-foot-6) and placed second in the high jump, Ryker Paradis was second in the shot put (51-9) and the 4×200-meter relay placed second.

Katroli also took third in the 55 dash. Ahmed Abdow was fourth in the high jump and long jump, and Enzo Giampaolo finished fourth in the 1-mile run.

Portland was paced by its distance runners, which produced a second in the 3,200 relay, and Nathan Blades and Benjamin Prestes were second and third in both the mile and 800 behind Noble’s Maddox Jordan, who won all three distance events.

Jordan, ranked fourth nationally in the high school 800, had never attempted the distance triple. While his PRs in the mile and 800 are well below the meet record, he missed setting marks on Monday by about a second in both races. Then he won the two-mile, similarly pulling away with a strong finish.

“I didn’t know how much I had left in me for the two-mile. Then the last few laps I went out and give it whatever I had left. I guess I found out there’s always more,” Jordan said.