Avery Bariteau, Fryeburg Academy sophomore: Bariteau was at her best on the biggest stage, posting the fastest 200-meter dash time in Maine this season (26.10 seconds) at the Class B meet. She placed third in the 55-meter dash (7.47) at states and 10th in the 300-meter dash (41.14) at New Englands.

Shealyn Brochu, Morse senior: Brochu set a KVAC Class B championship meet record in the 1-mile run (5:00.81), beating the record she set last year by nearly five seconds. She then won the state title in 5:04.03 before posting her best time of the season (5:00.13) in the event to place third at New Englands.

Sophia Chase, Bangor junior: Chase was the only girl to win three state titles this year, topping the podium in the 200-meter dash (26.30), 400-meter dash (1:00.65) and long jump (17 feet, 8 1/4 inches) in Class A. She was also a member of a 4×200 relay team that set a state record (1:45.72) at New Balance Indoor Nationals.

Ashley Connolly, Gorham senior: Connolly stole the show at the SMAA championships, winning the 55-meter dash (7.46), 200-meter dash (27.07) and 400-meter dash (1:00.70). She then claimed the 55 title in 7.32 at Class A states, where she also finished runner-up to Chase by only 0.01 second in the 200.

Laurel Driscoll, Scarborough junior: Driscoll was a top runner in the 1-mile for Scarborough, winning Class A (5:04.01) and SMAA (5:11.21) titles in the event before earning sixth place at New Englands (5:04.33). She also placed second in the 2-mile run (11:24.84) at Class A states for the runner-up Red Storm.

Teanne Ewings, Greater Houlton Christian senior: One of the state’s premier distance runners regardless of the season, Ewings dominated the Eastern Maine Indoor Track League once again this winter. At Class B states, she defended her title in the 2-mile run (11:13.39) and placed second in the 1-mile run (5:06.61).

Jacqueline Franklin, Greely senior: Franklin claimed Class B (1:02.02) and Western Maine Conference (1:01.99) titles in the 400-meter dash and was part of Greely’s state runner-up 4×200-meter relay team (1:52.15). She helped the Rangers win their 17th state championship.

Isabella Harmon, Scarborough junior: Harmon was one of Maine’s most exceptional field athletes this winter, winning the Class A high jump (5-6) and pole vault (10-0) state titles for the Red Storm. At a Jan. 9 meet, she cleared 11-2 1/2 in the vault, the second-best mark by a Class A competitor statewide since 2014.

Samantha Moore, Portland senior: After posting Maine’s second-best 800-meter run time since 2014 (2:13.53) at the Riverhawk Invitational, Moore defended her Class A title in the event with a time of 2:21.27. She was also state runner-up in the 1-mile (5:04.66) and placed sixth in the 1,000-meter run at New Englands (2:58.50).

Tayla Pelletier, Windham senior: Pelletier claimed Class A titles in the triple jump (36 feet, 8 1/2 inches) and 55-meter hurdles (8.46 seconds) and later placed third in the long jump at the New England championships (19-1). She also won all three events at the SMAA championships (35-8, 8.59, 17-3 1/2).

Coach of the Year

Alan Mosca, Bangor: Mosca had already built the Rams into a juggernaut, and this year, his program cemented itself a full-fledged dynasty by winning its fourth Class A state title since 2020. In addition to Chase’s wins at the state championship meet, Bangor also won the Class A crown in the 4×200 relay (Madeline Thai, Jalynn Williams, Gabby Goding, Bayley Fryer). The Rams earned points in 13 events, enough to beat a strong Scarborough team for the title.

Copy the Story Link