READFIELD — Midway through the boys javelin finals, Jacob Feith had to hurry over to race in the 100-meter dash.

The Winthrop senior recorded a personal best in the 100 with a time of 12.38 seconds and placed 16th in a field of 24 runners at the Mountain Valley Conference track and field championships Wednesday. 

“It was weird,” said Feith. “I didn’t think I was going to do very good in the 100 because I hardly got to warm up, but I don’t know, maybe that’s what I should have been doing all along. Who knows?”

That feat was a small part of a successful final conference championship meet for Feith, who defended his title in the javelin with a mark of 159 feet, 8 inches and finished fourth in the discus at 113-2. His efforts contributed to the Ramblers securing the boys team title. 

“It’s my second meet back from injury … just trying to get back in the rhythm, get back on track to peak at states,” Feith said. “So I threw all right today — 159. My PR is 176, so I want to get back up into the 170s for states, but it was a good day.”

Feith plans to play quarterback for the Husson University football team. He said some of the arm strength he uses to throw the ball translates to the javelin.

“I think being a quarterback definitely helps with (arm strength for javelin),” Feith said. “So, I mean, I’m going to play college football, so it’s more arm strength, I guess.”

Ramblers are champs

It wouldn’t be a stretch to say Winthrop’s track and field program has become synonymous with the term “runner-up” over the past few years. 

Heading into this year’s meet, the Winthrop boys placed second in the MVC championship four seasons in a row (and third the last two years on the girls side). 

It took until the final race of the day — the boys 1,600-meter relay — but Winthrop finally claimed the MVC championship. 

The Ramblers’ relay squad, made up of Alfie Cognata, Travis Donovan, Connor Hachey and Brock Dewar, finished with a time of 3:43.69, beating Lisbon/Oak Hill by almost three seconds.

“As a program, we’ve been building for a bunch of years,” Winthrop coach Ed Van Tassel said. “We were three points short last year. We left this meet very disappointed as a boys team. And then to pull it off, just a flood of emotion.”

Winthrop, which finished with a score of 114 points, was propelled by many performances throughout the meet. 

Aside from Feith’s first- and fourth-place showings in the javelin and discus and the 1,600 relay team’s victory, the Ramblers’ foursome of Ben Cheng, Gianni Haefele, Sam St. Germain and Keenan Libby also won the 3,200 relay (9:05.67). Lucas Rice placed first in the 100 and third in the 200, and Donovan was second in the 400.

“It was a full team effort,” Van Tassel said. “We were grabbing points everywhere. We were scrapping for seventh place in events and squeaking people in finals, so it was just a whole team effort and I could not be happier for them. We are going to enjoy this tonight.”

The Lisbon/Oak Hill boys were second with 109 points. Mountain Valley came in third with 101.

Racewalking back to the top

Nothing showcased Branwyn Obptande’s dominance in the racewalk more than what transpired after her decisive victory in the event. 

After congratulating the other finishers herself, Obptande was met with praise from an athlete from a different school. 

“It’s just so nice because everybody’s so nice and all of the team is really supportive,” Obptande said. “Even other people from other teams that I’ve met from winter track and stuff, they were just cheering me on right there. There was a girl from Monmouth that I did the 2-mile with my first year, and she was right on that corner, and it just helps so much when your team cheers you on because you know you have people behind your back and stuff.”

Obptande, a sophomore, finished with a time of 9:02.16, winning her second straight MVC racewalk title. Her performance helped Lisbon/Oak Hill claim the girls championship.

Obptande will have a chance to win the racewalk again next week at the Class C state meet in Winslow.  

“Even though I did win states and MVCs last year, it’s different people,” Obptande said of the state meet. “Different people are coming in, different people have left, but it’s still the same mindset because you still have to do as best you can, you know?”

 The Greyhounds were dominant, racking up 149 points, almost double of second place Hall-Dale (77 points) and third-place Maranacook (76).

Tayen Smith won the long jump (15-1½) and pole vault (7-6) for Lisbon/Oak Hill and ran a leg of the first-place 400 relay (54.66) along with Ava Francis, Makenzie Ranta and Abygael Burch. Jillian Smith (triple jump, 34-4) and Riley Kuietauskas (shot put, 29-7¼) also won events for the Greyhounds

Repping the Black Bears at home

Evelyn Stevenson’s love for home-track meets and competing at the Ricky Gibson Field of Dreams was on full display Wednesday.

The Maranacook junior won the 100 (13.19) and the 100 hurdles (16.19) and tied for first with teammate Ella Giles in the high jump (4-10). 

“I love meets here because it’s my home place, I’m comfortable here, I love everything here,” Stevenson said. “It’s just such a good environment and I’m just used to all the stuff here.”

Stevenson finished first in the high jump and seventh in the 100 hurdles at the Class C championships last season.

“I’m very excited for states because I’m going to have more competition, which I’m really looking forward to,” Stevenson said. 

Other girls winners

• Annabelle Carlton, Monmouth girls: 300 hurdles (50.92)

• Bryanna Hagopian, Madison girls: 1,600 (5:23.07), 3,200 (12:08.54)

• Leah Harper, Madison girls: 800 (2:35.17)

• Ava Landry, Madison girls: javelin (100-2)

• Olivia Rittal, Boothbay/Wiscasset girls: 200 (27.33), 400 (1:02.79)

• Jessie Willey, Hall-Dale girls: discus (111-6)

• Hall-Dale girls (Halle Fortier, Maya Hammonds, Clare Sturtevant, Jessie Willey): 4×400 relay (4:28.53)

• Kents Hill girls (Scout Woodcock, Ana Fabbricante, Blythe Denison, Summit Woodcock): 4×800 relay (11:11.52)

Other boys winners

• Logan Bourne, Boothbay/Wiscasset boys: shot put (40-6.5)

• Logan Crews, Mountain Valley boys: 300 hurdles (42.22), triple jump (39-2)

• Cai Dougher, Spruce Mountain boys: high jump (6-2), long jump (19-7¼)

• Isaac Fanslau, Boothbay/Wiscasset boys: 400 (53.13)

• Rally Freise, Maranacook boys: pole vault (10-6)

• Ben Gapski, Boothbay/Wiscasset boys: 110 hurdles (16.56)

• Ryan Hanlon, Lisbon/Oak Hill boys: racewalk (7:32.41)

• William Morris, Dirigo boys: 800 (1:59.05), 1,600 (4:23.76), 3,200 (10:00.85)

• Henry Tarbuck, Maranacook boys: 200 (23.52)

• Isaiah Trott, Monmouth boys: discus (124-11)

• Mountain Valley boys (Ryder Harding, Colton Gallant, Diquari Thompson, Cash Provencher): 4×100 relay (46.29)