POLAND – The Panther Track Club captured the Maine USA Track and Field state championship for the first time in its 19-year history on Saturday, August 9.

The squad is comprised of 118 athletes between ages 5 and 14. While many of the youth hail from Poland, students from New Gloucester, Casco, Bridgton, Naples, Mechanic Falls, Minot, Oxford, Paris, Gray and Harrison also participate in the program.

Thirty-one other teams from around the state competed for the title. The Panthers’ score of 496.17 easily outdistanced runner-up Windham (350.5) and third-place Auburn (298).

Many previous Panther athletes have won age or gender division titles. The Panthers also came close to capturing the team crown on several other occasions prior to this breakthrough.

Highlighting the title-winning performance as individual performers:

Maighread Laliberte – Gold, high jump; Silver, shot put; Silver, 200 meters.

Kate Hall – Gold, 100; Silver, long jump; Silver, 200.

Kelynn Laliberte – Gold, triple jump.

Anthony Whalen – Silver, high jump; Silver, triple jump.

Jagger Ware – Silver, high jump.

Will Shafer – Gold, 3,000; Gold, 1,500 (state record); Silver, discus.

Alissa Gosselin – Silver, 800 racewalk.

Carley Ware – Gold, 200; Silver, 100.

Ryan Gullikson – Silver, 1,500; Silver, 400; Bronze, 800.

Jamie Gullikson – Gold, 800; Silver, 1,500; Bronze, pole vault.

Cody Gullikson – Silver, 400; Bronze, 200.

Eric Wilcox – Gold, 800; Silver, 400.

Jamie Keisman – Gold, 400.

Emma Jane Turton – Gold, 400; Silver, 800.

Haylee Chute – Bronze, shot put.

Benin Laliberte – Bronze, ahot put.

Austin Chute – Bronze, discus.

Sophie Spiller – Bronze, long jump.

Lucy Wilcox – Bronze, 3,000.

Sara Kennison – Bronze, 800 racewalk.

Sarah Moody – Bronze, 800 racewalk.

Tyler Truman – Bronze, 100.

Hannah Keisman – Bronze, 200; Bronze, 400.

Michael Adams, Tyler Davis, Matt Dostie, Andrew Emerson – Gold, 4,x100 relay

Jacob Hall, Talin Rowe, Everett Bertrand, Forrest Todd – Gold, 4×100 relay.

The Panthers’ head coach and prpgram director is Dan Roy, Individual team coaches are Ed Doane, Alice and Jack Ware, Michelle Perron, Ed Gagne, Alexa Doyer, Eli Murphy, Gail Keisman, Karen Gurney, Rick Kramer, Robert Jewell, Jack Laliberte, Carl Wilcox.