Wed, 09/20/2023 - 8:45am

FRITZ FREUDENBERGER

The girls’ cross-country teams take off from the starting line Sept. 15 at Boothbay Harbor. FRITZ FREUDENBERGER/Boothbay Register

Laura Chapman crosses the finish line to win first place in the girls race. FRITZ FREUDENBERGER/Boothbay Register

Rodi Mayne at the finish line. Mayne led the Seawolves boys with a fourth place finish. FRITZ FREUDENBERGER/Boothbay Register

FRITZ FREUDENBERGER/Boothbay Register

The girls’ cross-country teams take off from the starting line Sept. 15 at Boothbay Harbor. FRITZ FREUDENBERGER/Boothbay Register

Laura Chapman crosses the finish line to win first place in the girls race. FRITZ FREUDENBERGER/Boothbay Register

Rodi Mayne at the finish line. Mayne led the Seawolves boys with a fourth place finish. FRITZ FREUDENBERGER/Boothbay Register

FRITZ FREUDENBERGER/Boothbay Register

Laura Chapman led the combined Boothbay Region High School and Wiscasset High School girls team with a first-place win in the cross-country race Sept. 15 at Boothbay Harbor. The “Seawolves” defended their home course with a first-place win for the girls’ team and second place for the boys against athletes from Richmond, Dirigo, Hall-Dale and Spruce Mountain.

“They did awesome!” coach Nick Scott said “... It was an all-around strong performance from our seasoned athletes to those that were running their first high school 5k.”

The girls won with 21 points and an average time of 24:33 minutes. The boys had 36 points with a 21:03-minute average and lost narrowly to Richmond which had 34 points and a 21:02-minute average.

Chapman won the girls’ race with a 22:41.10 finish. Other results were: Julia Truesdell, second, 24:02.60; Sophia Mansfield, fifth, 25:12.40; Karen Higgins, sixth, 25:21.10; Emily Gilliam, seventh, 25:29.00; Maddie Orchard, eighth, 25:35.80; Bella Orr, ninth, 27:04.90; Olivia Rittal, 16th, 28:57.60; Makayla Hodson, 17th, 29:18.80; Kate Campbell, 25th, 31:57.20; and Sarah Harris, 27th, 33.06.40. Overall, there were 32 runners.

Scott said his experienced racers on the girls team, including Chapman and Truesdell, had strong performances and a couple of freshmen “really stepped up as well.” He noted Mansfield had a significant personal record, and Higgins finished fourth in her first ever high school 5k. “These two were in addition to the really solid runners that we already have on the squad,” he said.

Rodi Mayne finished fourth in the boys’ race in 19:47.50; Other results were: Austin Trask, fifth, 20.14.20; Cleyton Splaine, sixth, 20:25.00; AJ Crocker, eighth; 21.32.80; Dominick Dow, 13th, 23:16.50; Alton King, 15th; 23:40.70; Ross Gafney, 19th, 25:50.80; Chase Mansfield, 25th, 28:12.60; and Neal Baldwin, 28th, 32:58.50. There were 30 runners overall.

Coach Scott highlighted performances by Mayne and Trask, and he noted Splaine has improved significantly over the course of the last year. He also gave a nod to Crocker who he said is off to a strong start in his freshman year.

The team’s next meet is at University of Maine at Augusta Sept. 22. Scott said it is arguably the most important regular season meet of the year. He said the boys will get a good indication of how competitive they will be at the Mountain Valley Conference (MVC) championships and the girls will get their first chance to compete against Class C South powerhouse Maranacook, who joined the MVC this year.

“The entire MVC will converge and compete against each other, so it is a great litmus test to gauge where we are as a team with just over a month left of the season,” Scott said.