CARIBOU, Maine — It was a big day for the host Vikings at Friday’s Aroostook League Track and Field Championships.
Caribou dominated on both the girls’ and boys’ sides to claim team championships and Emilio Garcia of the Vikings recorded the most points in the boys’ competition to earn the Emery Plourde Award.
“We are extremely pleased with the leadership our seniors have shown and how focused our athletes were,” said Viking coach Roy Alden.
Carsyn Koch of Washburn repeated as the Howard Lello Award winner as the girls’ top scorer with 32.5 points.
The Viking girls tallied 244 points and were followed by Presque Isle, which scored 104. Fort Kent was third with 85 and Washburn had 66. Fort Fairfield (47), Limestone-MSSM (13) and Greater Houlton Christian Academy (8) followed.
“It was a solid effort by the entire team,” Alden said of the girls’ performance, noting that Simone Michaud, Eileen Patton and Sarah Doak were the standouts.
The Caribou boys won with 239 points and the Wildcats were next with 128. Fort Fairfield took third with 70 points, followed by Fort Kent with 51, Limestone-MSSM with 49 and Houlton with 22.
Alden said Keith Draper, Kameron Manter and Garcia were the stars of the boys’ meet. Garcia was particularly impressive as he improved his personal best in the long jump by well over a foot to win that competition and ultimately the Plourde Award. Alden said Manter showed his competitiveness in the 400, 200 and 100 and Draper put together his best effort of the season. The coach also said Tsion MacLeod (1,600) and Nate Wall (shot put) compiled “breakthrough performances.”
On the girls’ side, Koch defended her points total by coming in first in the 800-meter run in 2:37.04 and the 1,600-meter run in 5:29.49. The senior was victorious in the high jump by clearing 5 feet, 5 inches and was also part of the 4×100 relay team, along with Tori Koch, Joan Overman and Tyra Shaw, that prevailed with a time of 53.29 seconds.
It was a busy stretch of competitions for Carsyn Koch, who after running the 1,600 immediately proceeded to the 4×100 for her leg in that relay. After a five-minute break, it was onto the 800 and immediately after that the high jump.
“I went into the meet knowing my competitors and knowing exactly what I needed to do to beat them,” Koch said, who added the ideal weather aided her cause. “Each win was bittersweet, knowing I would never compete against this group of girls again.”
Regan Nelson of Presque Isle won three throwing competitions, the shot put, javelin and discus, for a 30-point total to grab runners-up honors in the total scoring. Freshman Tori Koch of Washburn, who took the 100 and long jump and was third in the javelin in addition to her contribution in the relay, was third with 28.5 points and Caribou’s Michaud, also a ninth-grader, was fourth with 27.5. Michaud was victorious in the 200 and 400, was part of the winning 4×400 relay team and placed third in the 100.
“Simone had an outstanding day and her 1:03 in the 400 as a freshman is impressive,” Alden said. “She is the best freshman sprinter we’ve had since Lindsay Burlock, who went on to win five individual state championships and qualified for the New England Championships three times.”
Garcia, a sophomore, was what Alden called “a surprise” in taking top honors in the boys’ meet with 32.5 points. He took first in both hurdling competitions, winning the 110-meter event in 17.35 seconds and the 300-meters in 44.3 seconds. Garcia placed first in the long jump with a mark of 19 feet, 2 inches. He and running mates Ben Ezzy, Matt Caron and Austin Griffeth were members of the 4×100 relay team that came in first place in 50.55 seconds.
In a close competition, Fort Kent’s Matt Toussaint and Mitchell Ayotte of Presque Isle both tied for 32 points, only half a point behind Garcia. Toussaint ruled the distance running races, taking first in the 800 as well as the 1,600 and 3,200. His 4×800 relay team placed second. Ayotte took the high jump and the triple jump, was second to Garcia in the long jump and came in fourth in the discus.
Caleb Daigle of Fort Fairfield, by winning the 100 and 400 outright and tying for first in the 200, was right behind with 29 points and was fourth in the points race.
Fort Fairfield coach Kerrie Alley said she was proud of Daigle and the entire team at Friday’s competition.
“We had great performances by everyone. Many placed and had personal bests,” she noted.
Limestone-MSSM coach Kirk Cote lauded the great day turned in by Grier Osterman, who scored two second-place performances in addition to his tie for first in the 200. He said all of his team’s athletes placed in at least one event, “so it was a pretty good meet for us,” Cote said.
First-place winners Friday were the following:
Girls
100-meter dash: T. Koch, 13.28; 200-meter dash, Michaud, 28.96; 400-meter dash: Michaud, 1:03.97; 800-meter run: C. Koch, 2:37.04; 1,600-meter run: C. Koch, 5:29.49; 3,200-meter run: Mandy Graham, Presque Isle, 13:31.22; 100-meter hurdles: Jordan Tanguay, Fort Kent, 18.0; 300-meter hurdles: Patton, 51.78; 4×100 relay: Washburn, 53.29; 4×400 relay, Caribou (Michaud, Elise Gudde, Emilee Susi and Patton), 4:38.56; 4×800 relay, Caribou (Kendra Furber, E. Gudde, Madeline Gudde and Robyn Larrabee), 11:27.4; high jump, Koch, 5 feet, 5 inches; pole vault, Furber, 6 feet, 6 inches; long jump, T. Koch, 14 feet, 5-1/2 inches; triple jump, Kaitlyn Ring, Caribou, 29 feet, 11-1/2 inches; shot put: Nelson, 30 feet, 3-3/4 inches; discus: Nelson, 90 feet, 4 inches; javelin: Nelson, 90 feet, 11 inches; and race walk, Alissa Irving, Caribou, 8:25.66.
Boys
100-meter dash: Daigle, 12.04; 200-meter dash (tie), Daigle and Grier Osterman, Limestone-MSSM, 24.68; 400-meter dash: Daigle, 54.13; 800-meter run: Toussaint, 2:06.75; 1,600-meter run: Toussaint, 4:42.04; 3,200-meter run: Toussaint, 10:26.26; 110-meter hurdles: Garcia, 17.35; 300-meter hurdles: Garcia, 44.3; 4×100 relay: Caribou, 50.55; 4×400 relay, Caribou (Manter, Alex Losieniecki, Riley McDuffie and Richard Newland), 3:49.54; 4×800 relay, Caribou (Caleb Hunter, Lucas Kinney, Losieniecki and MacLeod), 9:12.71; high jump, Ayotte, 5 feet, 6 inches; pole vault, Kyle MacCallum, Presque Isle, 9 feet, 6 inches; long jump, Garcia, 19 feet, 2 inches; triple jump, Ayotte, 39 feet, 4 inches; shot put: Elyjah Crockett, Houlton, 42 feet, 4 inches; discus: Crockett, 120 feet, 5 inches; javelin: Draper, 126 feet, 5 inches; and race walk, Mitchell St. Peter, Caribou, 7:41.99.
