Less than two weeks have passed since the state indoor track and field championships, and the state’s top finishers now prepare for the regional championships that will draw athletes from the six New England states.
The New England meet will start at 4:30 p.m. today at the Reggie Lewis Track and Field Center in West Roxbury, Mass. This will the 12th year that Maine has sent individual entries to the regional competition.
“In past years the New England meet has been nearly three or four weeks after the state championships,” Thornton Academy Coach George Mendros said. “Now it’s 11 days.”
Maine has six entrants in each of the 12 boys’ and 12 girls’ events, including top-six seeds in two girls’ events — Nicole Kirk of Scarborough is fifth in the 300 and Randi London of Mt. Ararat is fifth in the shot put.
Kirk won the Class A title in the 200 (26.13 seconds) but will compete in the 300 today. Her pro-rated seeding time in the event is 41.03 seconds. Rebecca Robinson of Arlington, Mass., holds the top-seed time of 39.39 seconds.
London won her second Class A title in the shot put with a winning throw of 38 feet, 9 inches. Cherraine Davis of Southington, Conn., holds the top mark of 44-11/2.
Each event — six individual running events, three relays and three field events — will have at least 30 entries from around New England.
“You have kids from Maine who may not medal, but you want to push kids to develop so that they can go to the next level,” Mendros said.
“And with freshmen and sophomores, you may have one who placed well at states, and you want to bring them to this meet to show them how much better they can get.”
The New England meet won’t include competition in the triple jump and pole vault.
Only Maine and Connecticut have the pole vault as an indoor event.
In addition to the New England championships, the New Balance indoor nationals are scheduled for March 11-13 at the 168th Street Armory in New York City.
Qualification standards are on the basis of times and marks at meets throughout the season, including the New England championships.
Staff Writer Rachel Lenzi can be reached at 791-6415 or at:
rlenzi@pressherald.com
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