POLAND — Qualifying for the state championship meet is nothing new for Poland indoor track sprinters Leah Desjardins and Evan Gallagher. Doing so in the opening meet of the season was nonetheless a surprise for the two seniors a week before Christmas.
The two runners, who assistant coach Dan Roy called the team’s best athletes, both qualified for February’s Class B state championship in the 55- and 200-meter dashes.
Desjardins won the senior 200 dash in a Western Maine Conference meet at the University of Southern Maine in Gorham, and finished runner-up in the 55. Gallagher did the opposite, taking first in the 55 and second in the 200.
“The 200 is my least favorite event that I do, so I was really surprised to win that one,” Desjardins said. “Now that I’ve qualified I like it more.”
Desjardins said she used to run out of steam at the end of the 200 meters, but was still at full speed when she crossed the line in 28.49. No other girl broke 30 seconds.
While Desjardins was happy to get the victory in the 200, the second-place finish in the 55 left her wanting more.
“I was ahead of the first-place winner for the first half of the race, and so I was kind of disappointed to come in second,” Desjardins said of finishing behind Yarmouth’s Emma Egan by .06 seconds. “But it gives me a goal to work towards.”
The 55 is the race Desjardins has her eyes set on the most.
“My biggest goal is to be state champ in the 55,” Desjardins said. “It’s a pretty high goal, but it’s something to work towards.”
The 55 is also Gallagher’s top priority. He had his top time ever in the event to open this season, finishing in 6.93 seconds for the win. It was the first time he broke seven seconds since his sophomore year. Not doing so last year “annoyed” Gallagher.
“That’s been a goal, to get back sub-7,” Gallagher said. “And now I’m just hoping to build off of that and try to get into the 6.8s.”
Gallagher’s junior season left a bad taste in his mouth. He said he “plateaued” last year, and the biggest disappointment was finishing ninth in the 55 at the WMC championship — one spot out of making the finals in the event.
Gallagher pointed to his starts as what helped him get off to a good start this year. He has improved his form and technique out of the blocks, and is reaching his top speed quicker.
Still, Gallagher doesn’t want to stop at just having a good start.
“I don’t want to plateau and I don’t want to fall back,” he said. “I just want to do whatever I can to decrease my time, and continue just a positive streak.”
Gallagher added to his haul by anchoring the winning 4×200-meter relay team, which clocked in at 1:40.07 — nearly nine seconds faster than second place. And that came with sloppy handoffs throughout, according to Gallagher.
The Poland boys won the meet, with Gallagher helping contribute 28 of the Knights’ 158 points.
The senior sprinter said he thinks the relay team could “make a dent in states” in the event. He hopes to do the same in his individual events. Same with Desjardins.
They checked off qualifying for the state championships earlier than they had anticipated. It shouldn’t be a surprise for a pair of runners who are used to do things fast.
Gallagher is the fastest runner on the team. Desjardins is the fastest on the girls’ team, and she said she “can try” to keep up with Gallagher at practice.
Both runners said they aren’t satisfied just yet with their respective performances. They were both happy to start the season in the styles that they did, but they’ve got their sights set on bigger things come February.
“I still have a whole lot more that I want to give,” Gallagher said.
wkramlich@sunjournal.com
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