Hall claims 3 state track titles; FA boys place fifth overall

SP 39 kate hall

TRIPLE CROWN WINNER — Lake Region junior Kate Hall of Casco won state titles in the 55 meters, 200 meters and long jump at the Class B State Indoor Track & Field Meet held Monday at Bates College in Lewiston.

 

By Wayne E. Rivet

Staff Writer

LEWISTON — Kate Hall’s defense of three titles was almost easy, at least according to the numbers.

The Laker junior won her three events at Monday’s Class B State Championships held at Bates College in Lewiston. Kate was the only Laker competitor, but her 30 points was good enough for fifth place in the team standings.

Kate broke state records in all three events. She eclipsed her state record in the long jump a few times. Her fifth jump was her best (19 feet 3.75 inches).  The state runner-up finished at 16-feet 10-inches.

Kate broke the 55-meter record in the trials with an effort of 7.11 seconds. Logan Crane of Freeport set the former record in 2004 (7.13). Kate then broke her trials time in the finals winning in 7.05 seconds. The Number 2 runner posted a 7.59.

Kate ended her day by breaking her state record in the 200 meters with a winning time of 25.36 seconds. Again, the runner-up was hardly close by at 26.42.

In an interview Tuesday night, Kate talked about the state titles and what is ahead:

BN: What were your goals heading into the State Meet?

KH. My goal for the state meet was to break all three state records. Each record seemed somewhat attainable going into the meet, although I knew just even the slightest of mistakes could change everything. The key for me was to not over think my events, and to just take things one event at a time. I knew that if I could just relax and do that, then things would fall into place.

BN. Did you change your approach at all?

KH. It’s hard to approach an event differently when you’ve been doing it a certain way all year. Most people, including me, would usually agree that It’s a bad idea to introduce something new so late into the season. However, I did make one change that I realized could positively affect the outcome of one of my events if done correctly and consistently. The past three years my long jump mark (where I take off from on the board) has been very inconsistent and is often behind the board. I adjusted my mark several times every meet, trying to make it possible for me to take off from the board instead of a foot behind it. It seemed like every time I moved it, I would still be behind, or I would foul. I found out just a few weeks ago that I should never have to adjust my mark; if I’m having a problem with where I’m taking off, it’s the approach that needs to be adjusted in some way, not the mark. After realizing this, I made sure I exploded from the very beginning of my approach and tried my best to relax while I ran down the runway towards the board. Making sure I was as powerful as I could be from the start enabled my mark to be much more accurate and consistent. I tried this slightly new approach out at States, and I barely even had to adjust my mark once. Sometimes it is good to take chances and attempt new things if the outcome could be beneficial.

BN. You hope at the big meet you are pushed by the competition, but when you are not, what gives you that added drive?

KH. I wouldn’t change a thing in terms of who I compete against. Yes, I love having competition, but all of the track athletes in Maine are so friendly and fun to be around. It’s without a doubt an honor to compete against athletes who are so amazing inside and out. For these bigger meets, I just tell myself I’m running against myself and my personal bests. I’m not concentrating so much on winning, but rather on improving upon my previous performances. Thinking about this gets me motivated to run faster each week and break more records.

BN. What do you attribute your continued success to, and what is next (as well as what are you goals)?

KH. I love running, I love the atmosphere of running, I love the people who I run against, I just love everything about the sport. Even while I’m continuing to improve, my love for the sport is growing and improving as well. However, I still feel like the same girl I was my freshman year before track even started. It’s not a matter of trying to force myself to remain humble, but rather just having fun, and simply enjoying and loving what I do. Who I am in this sport is not what I’ve accomplished, but how many lives I have changed. It’s not the records that make me happy, but the people who have approached me and told me I’ve inspired them to work harder and to better themselves. That’s what this sport is all about for me, and I know that will never change.

Strength training is the key. I have no doubt that if I wasn’t as strong and as stable as I am now, I wouldn’t be nearly as fast. My trainer has taught me endless amounts of exercises throughout the years that have completely changed how I run and how powerful and explosive I am.

The next step is New England’s (March 1 at the Reggie Lewis Center in Roxbury, Mass.). I hope this year I can maintain my New England champion title in the 55m, and hopefully attain my first in the long jump. There will be a lot of competition at this upcoming meet, and I am absolutely thrilled about going and competing again.

Big moments for Raiders

SP 29 fa track anna lastra (color)

ANNA LASTRA of Fryeburg Academy placed sixth in the mile and seventh in the two mile at the Class B State Indoor Track & Field Championships held at Bates College in Lewiston Monday. (Photo by Brea McDonald)

Although Fryeburg Academy athletes were just short capturing titles, the Raiders made a strong showing at the state finals.

The FA boys finished fifth of 24 teams with 29 points.

The 4x800 relay started the day with a hard-fought second place finish and a new school record of 8:31.75 (Ellsworth won the title in 8:29.75). The foursome was made up of TJ Rose, Tyler O’Keefe, Eric Hannes and Jared Schrader.

In the 400 meters, Forrest Stearns finish second in 53.10 (winning time was 53.08). Forrest also picked up a fourth place in the 200 meters, running 24.01 (wt 23.26).

Jared Schrader captured a third place finish in the 800 meter covering the distance in 2:05.98 (wt 2:02.78).

Rounding out the scoring for the Raiders was the 4x200 relay. The boys picked up a fifth place finish after a rough first hand off, finishing in 1:40.21 (wt 1:37.23). The foursome included Forrest Stearns, Njemile Phillip, Elijah Thompson and Jared Schrader.

On the girls’ side, the Raiders finished 16th out of 27 teams with 9 points.

Scoring for the Raiders were:

Bailey Friedman was fourth in the shot put with a throw of 32-feet 9.75-inches (wt 37-0.50).

Anna Lastra was sixth in the mile at 5:37.51 and seventh in the two mile with a 12.20.26.

“Only a sophomore, Anna continues to run very impressive times and to make the podium in both events speaks to this young lady’s dedication to the sport,” FA Coach Kevin McDonald said.

Oriagna Inirio made the finals in the 55-meter dash and then the podium with a blazing 7.82 time, good for sixth place.

“This may not be the end of the season for some of these athletes as the New England Championships will be held on March 1 in Boston. At this time, it looks like there will be invitations coming to the Raiders,” Coach McDonald said. “That would be a great way to end the season.”