Track
Track stars shine at New England Championships
By Kevin Higgins
YORK - On Friday, March 2, seven athletes from the York Indoor Track team braved a snowy and rainy mess and headed to the Reggie Lewis Center in Roxbury, Mass., for the 20th Annual New England Indoor Track Championships.Well rested from the three extra hours of sleep granted by the snow day, the Wildcats competed against the very best of high school athletes from across New England.
The 4x800 relay was, as usual, the very first event of the day.
In a fit of nostalgia, the York guys donned the old track uniforms with the Wildcat on them. They equaled their time from the state meet, which earned them 23rd place in a very fast field.
Kevin Higgins got things rolling, running a personal best of 2:06 minutes. Nick McMahon stayed right in the thick of things. Higgins and McMahon, senior captains, both have plenty of New England experience in the 4x800. However, for junior Ryan Means and freshman Alex Moser, this was a totally new experience.
The underclassmen fought gamely, earning their place among the ranks of New England elite.
As the relays circled the track, high jumpers contested on the infield.
York's Regan Cleminson cleared opening height on her first attempt, which was considered a pretty good feat, considering one-third of the field never clears this height of 5 feet, 1 inch, and it is within an inch of her personal best.
Cleminson did not stop there, though. She went on to clear 5 feet, 3 inches - a new school record. Unfortunately, it took her one try more than another girl, bumping her down to seventh place, and just one spot away from medaling.
The next runner-up for York was Lacey Cartier, competing in her eighth New England meet for York High School. This year, she ran the 600 meter. In Maine, the rough equivalent of this race is the 400, in which Cartier qualified at the state meet. However, most other New England states run the 600, so this is the race run at the regional competition. Not daunted by the unfamiliar distance, Cartier placed 19th and set a new school record.
Once the high jumpers had all finished up, the infield was clear to commence the hurdles and 55 dashes.
Chelsey Tewell ran both races. She placed 10th in the 55 dash, with the fastest Maine time of the day. She placed 13th in the hurdles.
After 14 weeks, nine meets and countless miles, the indoor track season has finally run its course.
This Thursday evening. March 8, is Sports Awards night for all York teams. There, the track athletes will gather in Hawaiian shirts to celebrate the season, hand out awards, announce next year's captains and eat hundreds and hundreds of brownies and cookies.
