By Matt Pascarella
Windham High School’s outdoor track and field team had a strong showing at the Class A State Championship in Saco on Saturday, June 1 at Thornton Academy. The girls squad finished seventh with a score of 44.5, and the boys team finished 18th overall with a score of 11. |
| Windham junior Tayla Pelletier soars over a hurdle during the state track and field championship meet at Thornton Academy in Saco on Saturday, June 1. PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA |
Over the course of the 2024 season, the WHS girls’ team set or reset seven school records.
“The Lady Eagles had much more within them to put towards that all important team score,” said Windham girls’ track and field coach Jeff Riddle. “Taking negatives which were in the way and outwitting them all day, overcoming the obstacles is what went well. We are proud of them for taking the risks to get out there on that championship stage to give their best.”
Junior Tayla Pelletier was the state triple jump champion with a distance of 36-06.25 feet. She also finished second in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 15.36 seconds.
“I really wanted to defend my title of state champion and prove to myself I could do it,” said Pelletier. “I’m proud of my progress and the whole team’s progress and our commitment.”
Senior Khalysa Hammith set a new Windham High School record in the long jump when she placed second with a 17-04.00 distance. In the 100-dash she placed fifth with a time of 12.70.
“I put on a good mindset and just jumped,” said Hammith. “I knew I was capable of it, so pretty much just putting that mindset together is what got me there. I was a little nervous going into it, but I took a deep breath and [set a personal record]. I’m proud of putting in hard work ... that’s how I got to where I am today.”
In the 1600 racewalk, senior Jasmynne Heath finished fourth with a time of 10:15.99 minutes.
In the 800, senior Beth Bearce finished ninth with a time of 2:32.42.
Sophomore Addison Shanholtz finished 11th in the pole vault with a height of 7-06.00.
In the high jump, sophomores Kendra Eubanks and Nealie Morey jumped 4-08.00.
Junior Ava Gerrity placed 12th in the triple jump with a 32-10.00 distance. She placed 13th in the long jump, with a 15-06.25 distance.
In discus, junior Marina Schwarz threw 82-00.
The 4x400 relay team of junior Faith Dibiase, sophomore Emma Fox, sophomore Sydney Broadbent and Bearce finished 10th with a time of 4:25.37.
Boys
“The boys really had some great performances throughout the season and capped it off with a strong state meet,” said Windham boys’ track and field coach Paula Pock. “I'm proud of this team, they were great fun to work with and I was thrilled of how they all set personal goals and most of them were able to achieve them.”
The 4x800 relay team of freshman Mason Bragdon, sophomore Caleb Saucier, juniors Preston Stretch and Andrew Young had their best performance of the season with a time of 9:13.97.
“I’m really proud of everybody on the team, we had some really great results,” said Young. “The team’s gotten really close today, everybody’s helping out each other. It means everything to be here; a lot of us have been at this since we were nine or 10 years old, to get here is really a great experience.”
Junior Carter Engelman had a strong 110-hurdle performance for 11th place with a time of 15.92. Junior Rory Good finished the hurdles in 14th place at 16.72. Earlier this season Engelman set a new school record in pole vault with a 13-7.00 height.
In the 100-dash, senior Marcus Tillery finished sixth with an 11.27 time – a personal best – and right behind him was sophomore Karl Longstreth with a time of 11.32.
“As a team we have a better mentality this week compared to last week,” said Longstreth. “A lot of people last week were kind of upset the way they were running. I was upset because I had some hamstring things going on, but this week, we’ve had a really good practice all week, mentality’s been there, people have been there, sportsmanship’s been there; we’ve all been here and doing our best.”
Senior Aiden Hanson finished seventh in the 300-hurdles with a 41.65 time, a personal best.
In the high jump, sophomores Mason Arbour and Nick Verrill finished 10th with a height of 5-8.00.
Arbour finished 12th in the triple jump with a 40-8.50 distance, a season-best for him. <
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