CARIBOU, Maine — With New England Championships qualifier Kayley Bell returning, along with a strong group of freshmen joining the squad, 18th-year coach Thomas Beckum is excited about the potential of the Caribou girls’ cross country team this fall.
Beckum’s team placed second in the Penobscot Valley Conference meet a year ago and fourth in the Class B regionals to qualify for the state meet for the 11th consecutive year the event has taken place. The state championships were canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19.
Kayley Bell, a senior, joins sophomore Kate Bechtel as the only competitors returning for the Vikings.
Bell is currently ranked third in the state and she and her younger sister Maggie, one of the six freshmen, “have had a great summer of training and are in great shape,” according to Beckum.
Kayley Bell recorded the highest placement in a state meet for any Caribou runner since he began coaching the team in 2005, coming in fifth a year ago. Abigail Wimmer had the previous top finish when she placed sixth in 2017.
Bechtel ran in either the No. 5 and No. 6 positions for the Vikings for much of 2021 and Beckum said Bechtel is looking to improve this season.
The coach expects freshmen Madison Thibault, Caela Day and Phoenix Arce to be strong competitors in rounding out the top spots for Caribou.
Ninth-graders Rin Lapointe and Jayla Keegan are the Vikings’ other newcomers.
Caribou will open its season at the Laliberte Co-Ed Invitational Meet at Cony High School in Augusta Friday, Aug. 26. The Ellsworth Invitational follows on Sept. 3, prior to local meets at Presque Isle Sept. 10 and at the team’s home course at the Caribou High School trail Sept. 16. Three other regular season meets follow, including the highly-competitive Festival of Champions in Belfast, before Caribou hosts this year’s PVC championships Oct. 15.
“I’m really excited about the upcoming season with our returnees and incoming runners,” Beckum said. “Our focus is still the same — to place as high as we can in the PVC and qualify again for the state meet.”
