Edward Little Red Eddies
Coach: Keith Weatherbie (first year)
Class: A; Conference: KVAC
Last year’s results: Boys: ninth KVACs, ninth regionals; Girls: 12th KVACs.
Returning athletes: Boys: Seniors — Matt Syphers, Carter Shaw, Alec Lawson; Sophomores — Cameron Langlois, Devin Smith. Girls: Senior — Jillian Richardson; Sophomores — Lily Vincent, Johanna Corey
Key losses: Russell Allen, Reece Rodrique, Oliver Sabin.
Promising newcomers: Junior — Emily Libby; Sophomores — Jimmy Pawlina, Molly Vincent, Hannah Olcott; Freshmen — Cooper Dunn, Mason Jones, Leo Caron.
What to expect: Edward Little’s girls’ team will be led by senior Jillian Richardson, who looks to improve on her excellent 2017 season in which she qualified for the New England championship meet. The boys have a small-but-strong core that shows promise for the future.
Gray-New Gloucester Patriots
Coach: Adam Zukowski (11th year)
Class: B; Conference: WMC
Last year’s record: Boys: 10th WMCs; Girls: 10th WMCs.
Returning runners: Boys: Parker Morse, Raymond Woodworth. Girls: Erica Schlichting, Abbey Chandler, Alison MacDonald, Ruby Pfeifle, Lily Wilson.
Key losses: Ethan Ray.
Promising newcomers: Boys: Will Maines; Girls: Abby Dulac.
What to expect: Both teams have their eyes set on qualifying for states. The girls’ team is making a run at regionals behind Schlichting and Chandler.
Leavitt Hornets
Coach: Neal Rioux (first year)
Class: B; Conference: KVAC
Last year’s results: Boys: sixth KVACs, 12th regionals.
Returning athletes: Boys: Junior — Chase Rowe. Girls: Sophomores — Abby Lavoie, Ellery Macgregor, Jaidyn Negley, Eryn Ryan.
Key losses: Justin Cabral, Isaac Dionne, Ben Hodgkins, Taylor Crosby, Megan Lynch, Jill Rombalski.
Promising newcomers: Freshman — Molly Sirois.
What to expect: Leavitt lost 10 runners from last season’s team, but a young core gives the Hornets promise.
Lewiston Blue Devils
Coach: Rebecca Dugan (fifth year)
Class: A; Conference: KVAC
Last year’s results: Boys: seventh KVACs, sixth regionals, 10th state; Girls: 10th KVACs, ninth regionals.
Returning runners: Boys: Seniors — Maurice Beaulieu, Gabe Labonte, Gabe Escobar; Junior — Elijah Escobar. Girls: Senior — Zaid Teklu; Juniors — Juliet Bolduc, Zeneit Teklu, Cece Racine, Melina Masselli.
Key losses: Abbas Muktar, Jenna Burton.
Promising newcomers: Senior — Brooke Cloutier; Junior — Calvin Dundore.
What to expect: Upperclassmen look to lead Lewiston on both the boys’ and girls’ teams. The girls are looking to improve on their KVAC result from a year ago and qualify for the state meet, while the boys’ team looks to continue to grow from last year.
Lisbon Greyhounds
Coach: Jeremy Williams (fifth year)
Class: C; Conference: MVC
Last year’s results: Sixth in MVC, 13th regionals.
Returning athletes: Seniors — Geoffrey Shambarger, David Schlotterbeck; Juniors — Alex Cole, Corbin Hall, Michael Ray, Dave Poulin, Izaya May, Kadrian Rugullies; Sophomore — Max Boulet.
Promising newcomers: Senior — Gregory Morris; Freshman — Aidan Laviolette.
What to expect: Lisbon returns its entire 2017 team while also adding a couple of new runners. Schlotterbeck comes off a strong outdoor track season to lead the team, which hopes to compete for an MVC title. Lisbon will not field a girls’ team this season.
Monmouth Academy Mustangs
Coach: Tom Menendez (18th year)
Last year’s results: Boys: Second MVC, eighth regionals; Girls: First MVC, fifth regionals, ninth states.
Returning runners: Boys: Kyle Gunnells, Joe Crocker, Ben Storey, Jason Kulinski, Hayden Luce. Girls: Kaitlin Hunt, Amber Currie, Chloe Dwinell, Lydia Roy, Jocelyn Coffin.
What to expect: The Monmouth girls’ team is returning to defend its 2017 MVC title, however low numbers on both teams sets up the Mustangs for a more difficult season. Menendez said there is potential on both teams and that it will be up to the runners to step up and develop throughout the fall.
Mt. Blue Cougars
Coach: Kelley Cullenberg (26th year)
Class: A; Conference: KVAC
Last year’s results: Boys: Fifth KVACs, fifth regionals, 13th at states; Girls: eighth KVACs, 10th regionals.
Returning athletes: Boys: Seniors — Jesse Dalton, Jacob Mealey, Wyatt Viles, Colbey Goozey; Juniors — Aubrey Hoes, Ethan McIntosh; Sophomores — Charlie Eng, Lucien Hammond. Girls: Seniors — Maeve Hickey, Annaset Jackson, Beth Nicholas, Makenzie Seaward, Makinzy Whitney; Junior — Kahryn Cullenberg; Sophomore — Grace Dalton.
Key losses: Amr Bakkar, Enrico Echevarria, Jon Lesko, Zeke Robinson, Meg Charles, Kayla White.
Promising newcomers: Juniors — Riley Drummond, Laura Gunter, Julia Hatch, Allison Hodgdon; Sophomores — Logan Holmes, Daphne Giampetro; Freshmen — Isaiah Doscinski, Sam Goodspeed, Alex Hardy, Sam Judkins, Emma Charles, Brynne Robbins, Abbie Cramer, Yana Hupp.
What to expect: The Mt. Blue boys’ team is entering a rebuilding season in 2018 and looks to jell as a team to improve on last year’s results. The girls’ team is showing great potential according to head coach Kelley Cullenberg heading into the season. A big group of newcomers will help the girls’ team improve on their eighth-place KVAC finish in 2017.
Oxford Hills Vikings
Coach: Luc Roy (12th year)
Class: A; Conference: KVAC
Last year’s results: Boys: 10th KVACs, 10th regionals; Girls: 11th KVACs, 11th regionals.
Returning athletes: Boys: Senior — Alexander Wood; Juniors — Riley Smith, Payton Sherbinski; Sophomores — Jamison Abel, Liam Childs, Cooper Hall. Girls: Senior — Halle James; Juniors — Isabelle Thomas, Ashley Childs, Marla Tanous, Rachel Chase, Kaylynn Johnson, Kara Moxcey, Jade Martel-Bixby.
Key losses: Dominic Sclafani, Cameron Bancroft, Issac McNutt, Graham Huckins, Erin Childs, Maddison Bangs.
Promising newcomers: Senior — Elisabeth Sanborn; Sophomores — Alden Timm, Harrison Hartnett, Cole Timberlake, Christain Hayer, Emma Alder; Freshmen — Cole Timberlake, Joseph Dawson, Logan Reynolds, Issac Roy, Ayden St. Laurent, Henry Swift, Trevor Ward, Joseph Dawson, Andy Wynott.
What to expect: Oxford Hills brings in 15 new runners this season to replace a couple of key losses from 2017. The girls’ team brings back a lot of experience and seeks to build off its solid 2017.
Poland Knights
Coach: Sean Galipeau-Eldridge (17th year); assistant coach: Ray Lafreniere
Class: B; Conference: WMC
Last year’s results: Boys: 10th WMC; Girls: 10th WMCs.
Returning runners: Boys: Seniors — Jacob Gagnon, Magnus Sibley, Tristin Whyte; Juniors — Cole Cushman, Matt Walker; Sophomores — Timmy Brienza, Kason Dalton, Alex Mitchell, Lucas Moulton, David Salmons. Girls: Juniors — Nevaeh Longchamps, Alanna Myshrall, Olivia Ouellette, Mia Turkington; Sophomores — Emily Boenig, Pam Piirainen, Elizabeth Young.
Key losses: Gaeb Bouchard, Gabe Crosby, Gavin Russo, Sean Shanahan, Sam Stone, Samantha Halmos, Aaliyah Hamel, Anna Marr.
Promising newcomers: Boys: Sophomore — Nolan Winslow; Freshmen — Domenic Antonelli, Keagan Becvar, Colin Crosby, Riley Day, Lucas Frechette, Thomas Marchesseault, Zackary Oak, Jake Twigg. Girls: Sophomore — Miranda Maung; Freshmen — Isabelle Averill, Abby Clark, Montana Lobb, Evelyn Miller, Lily Moreau, Jaylen Stickney, Emma Turkington.
What to expect: Nearly half of Poland’s cross country teams are made up of freshmen. While state-qualifiers Jake Gagnon and Olivia Ouellette will lead the Knights, the teams’ youth shows a promising future while also looking to make an impact in 2018.
Spruce Mountain Phoenix
Coach: Jessica Ellingwood-Simpson (fourth year)
Class: B; Conference: WMC
Last year’s record: Girls: Fifth in MVC.
Returning athletes: Boys: Senior — Joel Soper; Junior — Eugene Lindsey. Girls: Junior — Bailey Coates.
Key losses: Anneka Dubord, Caitlin Chaousis.
What to expect: Spruce Mountain returns few runners after losing two seniors from 2017. The Phoenix’s goal for both teams is to recruit enough runners to have both the boys’ and girls’ teams scoring with five runners apiece.
St. Dominic Academy Saints
Coaches: Josh Brown and Krista Brown (fourth year)
Class: C; Conference: WMC
Last year’s results: Boys: Seventh MVCs, sixth regionals, 10th states; Girls: fourth MVCs, third regionals, sixth states.
Returning runners: Boys: Senior — Nick Welsh; Junior — Mark D’Alessandro; Sophomores — Liam Levasseur, Owen Mitchell. Girls: Seniors — Bugsy Hammerton, Emily Gerencer, Abbie Zanoni; Sophomores — Sarah Brown, Grace Girardin.
Key losses: Julian Rogers, Kyle Blaich, Caroline Gastonguay, Dasha Fons, Katya Fons, Skye Rogers, Mia Leslie, Charlotte Gastonguay.
Promising newcomers: Boys: Sophomores — Max Comis, Nick Homan; Freshmen — Carlo Cabrera, McKenzie Lagerson. Girls: Senior — Madeline Firnkes; Sophomores — Julia Karan, Flaminia Cinotti; Freshman — Eleanor Russell.
What to expect: The St. Dom’s coaches predict rebuilding years for both teams in 2018. The boys will be led by senior Nick Welsh as well as top-20 finishers at the state meet, Mark D’Alessandro and Liam Levasseur.
Telstar Rebels
Coach: Heath Booth (first year)
Class: C; Conference: MVC
Returning runners: Boys: Dillon Smith, Ricco Call. Girls: Emily Hanscom.
Key losses: Marta Opie, Gaelan Boyle-Wight.
Promising newcomers: Girls: Sophie Hanscom.
What to expect: Telstar looks to build a base under first-year head coach Heath Booth. The Rebels must replace Boyle-Wight, a top runner in Class C a year ago.
Winthrop Ramblers
Coach: Ed Van Tassel (seventh year)
Last season’s results: Boys: Fifth MVC, ninth regionals; Girls: Second MVC, seventh regionals.
Returning returners: Boys: Juniors — Zak St. Germain, Arthur Lynn; Sophomores — Chase Keezer, Aiden Mitchell. Girls: Seniors — Makayla Wilbert, Sylvia Ryan; Juniors — Sam Allen, Maya Deming; Sophomore — Madison Forgue.
Key losses: Vincent Scott, Kelly Stratton, Kathryn Ross.
Promising newcomers: Boys: Junior — Loal Vance; Freshmen — Justin Fergeusson, Chris Searles. Girls: Junior — Alexis Emery; Freshmen — Autumn Gerry, Juliette Gomez Lawson.
What to expect: The growing boys’ team at Winthrop is looked solid in the preseason as it brought in three new runners. The girls’ squad is looking to take the next step and win the MVC championship after finishing as the runner-up in 2017.
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