Laura Chapman led the combined Wiscasset-Boothbay Region girls high school cross country team as it took an impressive win Sept. 22 at the Mountain Valley Conference (MVC) Mid-Season Classic at UMaine Augusta. Overall, the team won with 44 points and an average 24:42-minute time against six teams.  

This is the second meet in a row the girls took first following their Sept. 15 home win. Coach Nick Scott said it was a fantastic meet, and their performance showed they are contenders for the MVC championships. He said meets are always competitive when the entire conference races against one another, and the finishing times did not represent just how hard the athletes ran on the challenging course.  

“The Boothbay/Wiscasset team turned in an incredibly strong performance and showed that when they return to (UMaine Augusta) in October for the MVC Championships it should be a closely contested match,” he said. “Equally impressive in their victory was that they ended up beating Brunswick High School, who had easily beaten us multiple times this season already.” 

Overall, the boys took fourth place against eight teams with 110 points and an average 21:46-minute time. Brunswick High won with 19 points and an average of 18:19 minutes. The Seawolves tied for third in the overall meet but were bumped down to fourth after a tie-breaker with Winthrop. The boys took second place against MVC teams. 

Scott said the boys had a strong showing even though they lost two of their top runners. “However, those individuals who finished the race ran solidly on tough course conditions. I think as we move forward our boys' team will be competitive in the MVCs,” he said. 

Chapman led the girls with a fourth-place finish in 23:17.98 against 63 athletes. Other results were: Julia Truesdell, sixth, 24:16.31; Karen Higgins, ninth, 24:55.01; Sophia Mansfield, 12th, 25:26.16; Emily Gilliam, 15th, 25:36.01; Maddie Orchard, 19th, 26.49.39; Bella Orr, 26th, 28:44.79; Olivia Rittal, 29th, 29:00.61; Maddie Andreasen, 34th; Makayla Hodson, 35th, 30:11.28; Kate Campbell, 42nd, 31:22.05; and Sarah Harris, 48th, 32:38.49.  

Rodi Mayne finished 14th overall in 20:26.75 minutes. Other results were: Austin Trask, 20th, 20:55.68; Cleyton Splaine, 23rd, 21:01.83; AJ Crocker, 26th, 21:27.02; Ross Gaffney, 51st, 25:02.24; Chase Mansfield, 66th, 28:46.83; and Neal Baldwin, 75th, 35:09.93. Overall, 78 male athletes competed. 

Their next scheduled meet is the Festival of Champions Sept. 30 in Belfast.