For his first three seasons as a member of the Freeport boys cross country team, Alex Gilbert was a steady contributor on three Class B state championship squads.

This fall, Gilbert was front and center for the Falcons.

Gilbert won the boys race at the Festival of Champions in October before sweeping the individual titles at the Western Maine Conference, Class B South and Class B championships.

“I’m definitely happy with the season,” Gilbert said. “I’m really happy with how I went out, especially in Maine.”

For his success, Gilbert has been chosen as Varsity Maine Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year. Henri Rivard of Marshwood was also considered.

“He’s put a lot of time, energy and effort into his craft,” Freeport coach Matthew Greear said. “It’s great to see that hard work pay off. His leadership, the last couple of years, has been really important. He really puts the team before himself, so I think it was nice for him to have all the individual successes that he was able to have this year. All the credit goes to him for following the training plan and running smart.”

Gilbert started strong, winning the Freeport Falcon 4K challenge with a time of 12 minutes, 33.30 seconds on Aug. 28. He showed how much of a factor he would be this season at the Festival of Champions in Belfast, which includes runners from throughout New England and the Canadian Maritimes. Gilbert won with a time of 15:45.82, about eight seconds faster than runner-up Enzo Giampaolo of Lewiston (15:53.49).

“I would say that’s when I kind of solidified my success and my role,” Gilbert said. “The Southern Maine Classic, I feel like that was my breakout race because I won by a decent margin. To win Festival, I think that’s what solidified my success during the season and gave me the confidence for regionals, states and New Englands.”

Gilbert carried the momentum into the postseason. He cruised to a victory (16:12.00) at the Western Maine Conference championships Oct. 16 in Naples. He then battled Levi Riggs of Morse at the regional and state championship meets. Gilbert won the Class B South title in 16:16.11, then the state title in 16:35.14. Riggs, the runner-up in both races, helped push the pace.

“(Gilbert) was really aware with how other people were doing,” Greear said. “There were many great runners in Class B, but there’s a lot of great runners across the state. You get to kind of look and see how others are doing, but courses are also different.”

Gilbert will run for the University of Rhode Island next year, joining former Maine track and field standouts Maddox Jordan of North Berwick (Noble) and Arnaud Sioho of South Portland.

“I love running, especially the longer distances,” Gilbert said. “It helps clear my thoughts. It just makes me feel, especially during the season, I have a goal that I like to set. I love being competitive, but I also love the team environment. Everything that goes into it, I’m just such a fan of. Running is just something that I found throughout middle school. It’s a good way to exercise and to clear your mind.”