Maine news, sports, weather | Kennebec Journal, Augusta, Maine

HIGH SCHOOL TRACK AND FIELD: Lundquist pulls away in tight race

By Bill Stewart bstewart@centralmaine.com
Staff Writer

AUGUSTA -- Cony High School senior Will Lundquist didn't hear the footsteps, but he knew the gap was closing, and closing fast.

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MISERABLE CONDITIONS: Cony’s Sarah Nims, left, takes the baton from teammate Melissa Petersen in the 4x800-meter relay Friday during the Cony Invitational in Augusta. The annual under the lights meet started in a downpour.

Staff photo by Joe Phelan

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TEAM SCORES

Girls

Lisbon 164.7; Erskine 116; Cony 91; Winthrop 68; Hall-Dale 61; Maranacook 56.33; Monmouth 54.5; Gardiner 49.5; Boothbay 37; Kents Hill 14

Boys

Maranacook 148.5; Lisbon 121.83; Cony 106.5; Erskine 94.17; Winthrop 87; Monmouth 57; Boothbay 44.5; Hall-Dale 44; Gardiner 34.5.

"My whole goal going into it was to see if I could run the Winthrop kid into the ground," Lundquist said. "I heard he had a really solid kick. I gave a little look-back, and there he was. He was coming hard, so I said, 'It's time to go.' "

And off Lundquist went Friday night in the mist, winning the 1,600-meter run over Winthrop junior Kameron Souza in the annual Cony Under the Lights meet at Alumni Field.

The 1,600 was among the more closely contested races of the meet, which drew nine teams and more than 400 athletes.

Lisbon won the girls title with 164.7 points, while Erskine was second with 116 and Cony third with 91.

Maranacook won the boys crown with 148.5 points, followed by Lisbon (121.83) and Cony (106.5).

It was also a showdown of top runners who don't ordinarily compete against each other. Cony competes in Class A while Winthrop is a challenger in Class C.

Cody Whitcomb, of Class B Gardiner, finished third in the 1,600.

"It was a good chance for me to race against some Class A schools," Souza said. "It was a lot faster than I thought it was going to be. The last 200 meters of the race I thought I could pull, but (Lundquist) can pull, too. He smoked me all right."

Lundquist finished in 4 minutes, 42.55 seconds. Souza checked in at 4:44.80 while Whitcomb was third in 4:44.96.

"I led the first 400 and (Cony's Alex Smith) led the next 600," Lundquist said. "Then I took it in the last 600. It was a good race for a lot of these guys to throw down with the big boys. They were fast. It was a good race."

Inclement weather has made it difficult this spring for teams, giving athletes fewer opportunities to qualify for conference and state championship meets.

Rain threatened to wash the meet out Friday, but organizers were determined to get it in.

The meet also provided athletes recovering from injuries to compete a final time before the postseason.

Maranacook junior Abby Mace, the defending Class C state champ in the 1,600, 3,200 and 800, is recovering from a knee injury suffered in the fall.

Mace, who returned to competition a little more than a week ago, won the 1,600 and 3,200 Friday.

"I haven't had any pain in awhile," she said. "It's been very frustrating. I thought it would go away in the winter, but it didn't. I felt I might not actually be able to compete at all this spring."

Mace, who ran the 1,600 in 5:27, said she is running about 20 miles a week now.

"Usually I am running 30 to 35 this time a year," she said.

Maranacook junior Taylor Watson, meanwhile, was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his back in October.

He just returned to hurdling in the last two weeks.

Watson won the 110-meter hurdles in 16.19 Friday night, the first time he's competed in the event all spring.

"I started hurdling at the beginning of the month," he said. "It feels good. I've spent a lot of time this spring staring longingly at the hurdles at practice."

Watson is the defending Class C state champ in the 110 hurdles and 300 hurdles.

Elsewhere Friday, Cony sophomore Erin Bolduc won the 300 hurdles in 48.03.

"I tried to go out as fast as I could for the first 300 and then hang on for the last 100," she said. "I like distance events. It's my favorite one."

Cony sophomore Luke Dang won the 400 in a blistering time of 52.89, shaving nearly two seconds off his previous best time.

Dang, a sprinter, picked up the event for the first time this month.

"When I first tried it, I was like, 'this is going to (stink),' " Dang said. "But now I don't hate it as much. I don't love it, but I'm getting more accustomed to it."

Bill Stewart -- 621-5640

bstewart@mainetoday.com