| PREVIEW |
FORT FAIRFIELD — For a Class D school of about 200 total students, Fort Fairfield High School has consistently been able to field very large track and field squads.
This enthusiasm and interest has translated into consistently solid performances at both the individual and team levels year in and year out. Coach Kerrie Alley has 17 years of experience coaching track and field, and she is looking forward to yet another positive coaching season.
With the diversity of events in track and field, it is important to have quality assistant coaches. Fort Fairfield is fortunate in that department as well, with a number of well qualified assistants. Rachel Tomlinson is serving as an assistant coach, while volunteering are Kelly Koziol and Brad Goshorn. Alley is also helped by managers Brooke Parady and Katherine Lemoine.
The Tigers bring back a number of athletes who were outstanding last year, and look to improve on those efforts in the upcoming season.
Leading the way for the boys will be senior Andrew Lewis. Lewis is a talented young man with a varied skill set. He won the discus in last year’s state meet with a throw of 138 feet, 2 inches, and has already surpassed that in the early going for a school record distance of 146-10. He will also compete in the high jump and again in the early going broke a 23-year-old record — previously held by Kent Willette in 1990 with a jump of 6-1 — by leaping to a height of 6-2. He has added a school record triple jump of 42-3 and has already qualified for the states in the shot put as well.
Sophomore Caleb Daigle is also solid in the early going, having qualified for the states already in the pole vault, discus, and the 400-meter dash. He competes in the 4×100 relay as well, and shows improvement across the board nearly every time out. Sophomore Johnny Theriault is a speedster who will give the team points in the 1,600 meter, the 800 meter, the 110-meter hurdles, and the 300-meter hurdles. Theriault is also a member of the 4×800 relay squad which broke the school record in the first meet of the season. That relay team also includes Lance McKenney, Brandon York, Robbie Watson and alternate Carter Shaw.
Other boys who should be able to compete and add points include senior Spencer Campbell and junior Noah Bernard in the sprinting events, and sophomore Robbie Watson in the throwing and jumping events.
Other members on the boys’ side include Dyllan Love in throwing events, Steven Wentworth in the racewalk, Devin Ireland in throwing events, Jacob Bynion-Cullins in the throwing events, and Matthew Guimond in the middle distance events.
Newcomers include Hunter Beaulieu, Vincent Campbell, Lance McKenney and Josh Ricker.
The girls’ squad has a bevy of experienced and well-regarded athletes. The junior class is particularly well represented across the board. Logan Bubar, Nicole Giberson, Jessica Goshorn, Janae Libby and Whitney McNamee have already each qualified for the States.
“These five young ladies will lead our girls’ team to a strong showing this year,” stated Alley.
Bubar will compete in javelin, discus, shot put, and the 4×100 relay team. She is a captain and a peer teacher among her teammates. Giberson is strong in the 400-meter dash, having finished fifth in the state last season, while also competing in the javelin and the 200 meter dash. Goshorn is a solid point earner in the jumping events, while Libby is strong in the pole vault – placing fourth in the state last year — and holds the school record in the 300-meter hurdles. McNamee is solid in the shot put, as well as earning points in the discus.
Sophomores Shyla Bouchard, Megan Jellison, Megan Kennedy, Toni Libby, Becky Theriault, Sarah Owens and Kalena Pearce are all working hard to improve and and giving quality efforts. Bouchard will compete in middle distances and discus. Jellison is shining in the throwing events. Kennedy will compete in both throwing and running events. Libby is a sprinter, while Theriault will compete in jumping and middle distance running events. Owens is a sprinter and hurdler, while Pearce is continuing to improve in the javelin and triple jump.
Newcomers to the girls’ side include Melissa Hotham in the throwing events, Lillian Ashby in middle distance and triple jump, Hanna Langworthy in middle distance and javelin and Teresa Maynard in jumping events. Maynard has already qualified for States in the high jump.
Alley is upbeat regarding her outlook for the upcoming season.
“We look for the athletes to improve each meet,” she said. “Our strength as a team is in the field events and we are working each day to become more competitive in the running events.
“Each meet we compete against teams of all classes which gives us motivation to compete at the highest level we can,” she added.
