LEWISTON — Travis Snyder said it wasn’t supposed to happen.
His commanding takedown of the 11-year-old pole vault state record looked anything but unexpected, however.
On his way to winning three individual events at the Class A track and field state championships Saturday at Lewiston High, Snyder broke the previous Class A record of 16 feet held by David Slovenski of Brunswick by clearing 16-1 on his first attempt. He then continued to soar with strength and skill as he cleared 16-5 1/4 on his first attempt, and then 16-9 1/4 – again on his first attempt – eclipsing Slovenski’s all-time Maine best of 16-9 set at the 2008 New England championships.
Thornton Academy senior Travis Snyder – after breaking the state record in the pole vault by clearing 16-1 and then 16-53/4 clears 16-9 3/4 on his first attempt… and he’s still going. The 11-year-old Class A state pole vault record was 16-0. #VarsityMaine pic.twitter.com/OgoCmk4NGd
— Deirdre (Fleming) Stires (@DeirdreStires) June 1, 2019
“The whole season wasn’t good. That was not supposed to happen,” Snyder said. “But I trusted my coaches that this could happen. The pole vault was the given. I was focused on every other event to help the team.”
Snyder fueled the Golden Trojans in a back-and-forth battle with Scarborough, but Scarborough prevailed by winning the final event – the 1,600-meter relay – to finish with 110 points, ahead of Thornton’s 98.
Snyder also won the 300-meter hurdles (40.70), in which he was seeded second, and the 110 hurdles (15.15) – taking that title just 15 minutes after finishing the pole vault. Earlier, Snyder ran back and forth while competing at the same time in three events – the 100 hurdles trials, pole vault and long jump, in which he took fifth place (20-7 1/2).
“The atmosphere helped in the pole vault,” said Snyder, who collected 33 points for Thornton. “The atmosphere at the meet and the adrenaline. It clicks when the adrenaline is going.”
In the girls’ meet, sophomore Victoria Bossong won three events and set two Class A meet records to power Cheverus to its third straight Class A championship with 100 points, ahead of Gorham’s 71.
Bossong won the 100 in 12.31 seconds, then captured the 400 with a Class A record time of 55.54, erasing the mark of 56.57 by Emily Turner of Cheverus in 2016. She smashed another Class A record in the 200, as her time of 24.80 beat the record of 25.33 set by teammate Emma Gallant in 2017.
None of her times were personal bests, but Bossong said she was running for the team title and hopes to improve her times significantly in two weeks at the New Balance nationals, where she has been invited to compete in the championship 400.
“My best in the 400 is 55.27 from indoor nationals. I was really hoping for a PR today,” Bossong said. “It was pretty good. It’s important to me to PR, but I know to some people a state championship is their dream. So I try to appreciate it. It feels just as great as when we won it last year.”
The Cheverus girls also got 26 individual points from senior Emma White, who won the triple jump (37-10), and finished second in the long jump (17-2 1/2) and 100 hurdles (15.50). Gallant, a junior, scored 24 individual points by taking second behind Bossong in the 100 (12.46), 400 (57.90) and 200 (25.06).
Falmouth sophomore Sofie Matson was a double winner in the 1,600 (4:59.29) and 3,200 (10.33.05), which she won by 30 seconds.
Scarborough won its third boys’ title in four years behind the sprinting power of junior Jarett Flaker, who missed last year’s state meet because of a hamstring injury. Flaker captured the 100 (10.92), the 200 (22.49) and 400 (49.64).
His leg on the 1,600-meter relay clinched the team title – pulling the Red Storm from fourth to first in the last 150 yards for a winning time of 3:30.74
“I was happy to be healthy. (On the relay), I definitely felt my hammy,” Flaker said. “But I needed to be mentally strong and trust I’ve done the rehab, and I’m ready to run. It came down to the (relay), and I knew I had to run hard the whole way. All those guys (running for Falmouth, Windham and Lewiston) were in the 400. They were not going to make it easy.”
Other multiple-event winners were Lisandro Berry-Gaviria of Mt. Ararat, who took the 1,600 (4:22.22) and 3,200 (9:35.17), and Thornton Academy senior Jason Montano, who won the shot put (59-7 3/4) and discus (164).
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