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In the fall, Henri Rivard made history. This winter was about doing what he couldn’t a year ago.

Rivard was primed for a big Class A indoor track championship meet in 2025 before an illness derailed his chances. After becoming Marshwood’s first cross country state champion in the fall, his next goal was to capture the titles he missed out on last winter.

“My goal this year was to come back and get a little revenge after I couldn’t win any championships last year,” said Rivard, now a senior. “It felt good to be able to do that and win two state titles. … It came together pretty nicely for me.”

Rivard followed his Class A titles in the 800 meters and mile by winning the mile at the New England championships. For that, the Marshwood senior is the Varsity Maine Boys Indoor Track Athlete of the Year.

In the buildup to last year’s state championship meet, Rivard, who had expected to compete for multiple distance titles, came down with the flu. He tried to battle through the sluggishness but finished 21st in the 800, 20th in the mile and 14th in the 2-mile.

That set the stage for Rivard to make a grand comeback, and the senior delivered by winning the 800 in 1 minute, 55.50 seconds and the mile in 4:19.06. He also won the SMAA 800 (2:02.18) and 600 (1:23.95) titles.

“He’s really evolved as a competitor and as a leader on our team,” said Matt Sanzone, Marshwood’s track and cross country coach. “As an athlete, he just really stepped up this year and brought it to a level where he hasn’t been all throughout high school.”

In the Class A 800 race, Rivard went toe-to-toe with Winthrop junior Alfie Cognata. Rivard trailed Cognata, who was competing as part of the Cony co-op, before outpacing him over the final 200 to win by 1.16 seconds.

The mile was a similar story. Lewiston’s Enzo Giampaolo got out to a hot start, leading the race until the halfway point. Deering’s Ellis Wood took over until the three-quarter-mile mark before Rivard passed him and held him off to win the race by 0.72 seconds.

“With his mindset, if he’s in a position where he’s close with a lap to go, he’s going to be a tough out,” Sanzone said. “He’s spent a lot of time in training working on his speed and his finishing kick. That’s something we’ve worked on for a few years, and it’s really paid off for him.”

At New Englands, Rivard finished in 4:22.39 to beat Josiah Conley of Concord (New Hampshire) by 0.54 seconds.

“It was another chance I knew I had a chance of winning, so I had to do what I could to stay in it mentally,” Rivard said. “Physically, I knew I could do it, so it was the same plan I had gone into every meet with prior: Stay in mentally and hope that I can outkick people.”

In all, Rivard won 15 of the 16 solo races he ran this winter, garnering victories in the 200, 400, 600, 800, mile and 2-mile. The only race he didn’t win was at an invitational meet in Boston, where he placed second in the 600.

This spring, Rivard will try to defend his Class A title in the 800. Starting in the fall, he’ll compete in cross country and track at the NCAA Division I level for the University of Rhode Island.