BRUNSWICK — Lewiston indoor track coach Steve Virgilio wasn’t sure freshman sprinter Shukri Deqow would remain with the team through the entire season.
Getting to and from practices became a daily struggle for her due to a lack of transportation. But she found away to make it work, and she ended up leading the way for the Lewiston girls to the KVAC Class A indoor track and field championships Saturday at Bowdoin College.
Deqow won the 55-meter dash and the 55 hurdles, while also placing second in the triple jump. The Lewiston girls scored 108 points to Mt. Ararat’s 101.5.
Deqow, a freshman, was the Class A girls athlete of the meet.
“It is awesome; it is excellent,” Virgilio said of Deqow’s impressive performances. “She is just starting and she is definitely getting into it. She has tremendous potential, and it has become apparent this season.”
The Winslow girls, meanwhile, claimed their third consecutive KVAC B championship.
The Black Raiders, led by athlete of the meet honoree Carly Warn, won their third straight Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class B indoor track and field championship and fourth overall on Saturday at Bowdoin College. The Raiders held off Cony and secured the crown in the 4×200-meter relay, the final track event of the afternoon.
“I’d like to hope the fun continues,” Winslow coach Ken Nadeau said. “Cony is a really good team. There were a lot of other good teams, too, that had girls in lots of good spots. The fact we can come out and compete at a high level year after year is just a testament to their hard work and their commitment to the team and the school.”
The Class A boys conference championship went to Brunswick in convincing fashion over Mt. Ararat and Lewiston, while Lewiston topped Mt. Ararat and rival Edward Little for the girls Class A title. Belfast held off a late push from Leavitt to win the Class B boys championship.
Warn was one of two individual conference champions for Winslow. She won the long jump and triple jump events, and she also placed second in the 55-meter dash.
“I was really happy with how I did, and it kind of surprised me with the 55,” said Warn, a junior competing in her first season of indoor track. “(Winning KVACs previously) kept the team going, it kept all the girls motivated because they’d already won it in the past. I think we have a good connection and we motivated each other.”
Winslow outscored Cony, which dropped down from Class A this season, 83-78. Winslow junior Olivia Tiner’s win in the 2-mile helped close the early-meet gap on the Rams.
Cony got strong efforts from Anna Reny, who won the 55 hurdles, and Grace Kirk, who took the mile.
“It was just about the kids competing, and getting those sixth- and seventh-place spots where you can,” Nadeau said. “We always hope they hit their seeds or slightly better. They work hard, and hard work usually pays off. It’s just a testament to those girls.”
The Brunswick boys were led by the two-man tandem of Will Shaughnessy and Mitchell Lienert, each of whom won a pair of events en route to the Class A team title. Shaughnessey won the 800 and the mile and finished second in the two-mile, while Lienert was victorious in both the 200 and the 400 and finished runner-up in the 55 dash.
The Dragon seniors were named co-athletes of the meet.
“On paper we were expected to score well, but we knew we had to hold our seeds in order to secure the championship,” said Brunswick coach Dan Dearing. “Our middle distance and distance runners really stepped up big. They were all challenged to run three events, and that put us over the top.
“When you look at guys who are coming in seeded to win and holding on to that, that’s not easy to do. (Shaughnessy and Lienert), that’s two guys who scored 56 points between them which is incredible.”
The Dragons also took the top spot in the 4×800 relay and the high jump, thanks to senior Sam Cenescar’s leap of 6-6.
The Messalonskee girls finished fifth overall in Class A. Senior distance runner Alexa Brennan won two events, the mile and the two-mile.
The Nokomis boys finished third in Class B with senior Law Hinkley winning the 200 and finishing second in the 55. The Warriors also won the 4×200 relay.
Winslow enjoyed a one-two finish in the boys 400, with sophomore Levi Olin edging teammate Evan Watts by 0.64 seconds. Olin won with a time of 54.10 seconds.
Cony’s Conor Morin was a multi-event winner in both the high jump (5-8) and triple-jump (41-11.25).
Kristin Jackson of Lawrence was the lone shot putter to clear 33 feet, and her throw of 34-0 handed her the Class B championship in that event.
In the Class A boys, Skowhegan’s Thomas Cesak was the champion in the 55 dash in a time of 6.59 seconds. Cutter Warger’s throw of 44-04.75 earned him the shot put title, and Skowhegan’s 4×200 relay team also won the conference championship over Brunswick.
Messalonskee earned an individual title from Cam Croft in the pole vault (12-0).
Send questions/comments to the editors.
