Casco native Kate Hall, of the University of Georgia followed her 2017 outdoor long jump championship up with a win Friday night at the 2018 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships, jumping a personal best 22 feet, one inch.
Hall earned All-American honors as the leader of a 1-2-3 Georgia finish in the women’s long jump, a feat never achieved before in the indoor event at the NCAA championships. Hall also finished third overall in the 60-meter semifinals after finishing second in the first prelim heat. The 60-meter final will take place Saturday at 5:40 p.m.
On the men’s side, Lewiston native Isaiah Harris, of Penn State, finished first in the first of two 800 meter heats to qualify for Saturday’s final. Harris’ time of 1:47.87 seeds him fourth for the final that will take place at 6:30 p.m.
Bates women’s track and field crowned two All-americans on the first day of the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships at the Birmingham CrossPlex. Katherine Cook took third place in the 5,000 meter (16:38.72), breaking her team record. Cook will also run in the 3,000 on Saturday where she is seeded eighth. Ayden Eickhoff qualified for the finals of the 800 meter which guarantees the junior an All-American spot. Eickhoff finished fourth overall and will run the final at 4:50 p.m. on Saturday.
Sally Ceesay is the second seed in the triple jump that takes place at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
Jack Kiely advanced to the finals of the mile run with a time of 4:13.37, finishing in ninth. The final will take place at 3:50 p.m. Saturday. Adedire Fakorede finished in 11th in the 35-pound weight throw.
College hockey
The University of Maine took a quick two goal lead by way of two Tim Doherty goals, but Josh Wilkins scored a late-game goal to give Providence the 4-3 win in game one of the best-of-three quarterfinal in the Hockey East tournament.
Doherty scored his two goals off of Nolan Vesey assists to get Maine off to a strong start. Providence counter-punched with two goals within a minute, started by Erik Foley 11 minutes in, followed by Bailey Conger just 41 seconds later.
In the second period Veli Tiuraniemi scored off a shot from the upper-right corner from the left circle to give the Black Bears a 3-2 lead 12:43 in. Providence had a counter again as Scott Conway tied the game for the Friars.
With 3:10 remaining in the game, Providence winger Josh Wilkins scored to win the first of the best-of-three series.
Maine goalie Jeremy Swayman saved 37 shots, while Providence’s Hayden Hawkey made 21 saves.
College wrestling
Sophomore Peter Del Gallo of the University of Southern Maine completed his first tournament run at the 2018 NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament hosted by the Cleveland Public Auditorium in Cleveland, Ohio.
Opening with a 15-7 major decision win against Wartburg’s Brennen Doebel, Del Gallo posted a 1-2 record in his first NCAA bid. Del Gallo’s second match of the tourney pitted him against fifth-ranked Carlos Fuentez of Wheaton (Ill.). De Gallo forced sudden death but fell 8-6. Still alive and in the second round of the consolation wrestle back, Del Gallo drew the top-seeded wrestler and 2017 runner-up and All-American CJ Pestrano of Central. De Gallo was taken down with three seconds left and was knocked out of the tournament.
Del Gallo finished with a 40-3 record, earning All-Region honors for the second time in his career, placing second at the 2018 Northeast Regional Championship.
College softball
CLERMONT, Fla. — The Bates College softball team picked up two more wins on Friday, beating the University of Northwestern Eagles 4-3 and scoring 10 runs in the sixth inning to defeat Wheelock 15-1.
The Bobcats (7-1) are off to their best start since 1994. Their six-game winning streak is the Bobcats’ longest since they set a program record with nine straight wins in 2012.
Messalonskee grad Kirsten Pelletier continued her hot start with another win in the first game, scattering seven hits and walking no batters in the complete game victory.
High school track and field
Nyagoa Bayak of Westbrook, Jarett Flaker of Scarborough and Cayden Spencer-Thompson of Mattanawcook Academy broke unofficial state records Friday at the New Balance Indoor Nationals in New York.
Bayak, a junior, twice improved on Maine’s all-time best mark in the girls’ triple jump while winning the emerging elite division. She jumped 38 feet, 11 inches in the trials, then went 39-1 in the finals. The previous record was 38-6 1/2, set by Shelby Tuttle of Waterville in 2008.
Flaker, a sophomore, placed fifth in the emerging elite 400 meters with a Maine all-time best of 49.24 seconds, beating the 2009 standard of 49.59 by Bangor’s Ben Sinclair.
Spencer-Thompson, a junior who did not compete at the state championships because he plays basketball, won the emerging elite long jump with a distance of 23-10 1/4. Four of his five attempts surpassed the previous all-time best of 23-0 1/2 set by Brett McIntire of Brunswick in 2001.
All three athletes are entered in the championship division in other events. Bayak, the New England long jump champion and state record-holder, competes in that event Friday night. Flaker will run in the 200 trials on Saturday, and Spencer-Thompson competes in the triple jump on Sunday. Bayak ranks fifth in the country in the high jump, and Spencer-Thompson ranks ninth in the triple jump.
Other Maine athletes entered in championship division events include Thornton Academy’s Travis Snyder in the pole vault and Jason Montano in the shot put (both on Saturday), and York’s Jacob Martin in the pentathlon (Saturday).
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