Karen Higgins set two Lincoln Academy records and won three distance races at the KVAC championship meet on Saturday, May 30 in Oakland. (Mic LeBel photo)
Lincoln Academy’s Karen Higgins and Owen Card dominated the girls and boys distance events in unprecedented fashion at the KVAC track and field championship meet on Saturday, May 30 at Messalonskee High School in Oakland.
Higgins and Card both won the 800m, 1600m, and 3200m events on the way to being named KVAC Outstanding Athlete of the Meet.
“It’s the first time, for the girls or boys, that a Lincoln Academy athlete has won all three distance events at a conference championship,” said co-head coach Taylor Holmes.
Higgins, a junior, set a pair of school records while establishing her triple crown of distance victories. She reset her own school record in the 1600m with a time of 5:14.95 and in her next race broke Meredith Garey’s longstanding 1995 record (11:40.90) in the 3200m with a time of 11:35.26. Higgins also won the 800m with a time of 2:27.30 and ran a leg for the 4×400 relay squad that placed fourth.
Card recorded a personal best in the 3200m, winning the race with a time of 10:27. Card also won the 800m in 2:12.99 and the 1600m with a time of 4:50.31.
Lincoln Academy distance runner Owen Card won three races and was named the Outstanding Athlete of the Meet at the KVAC championships on Saturday, May 30 in Oakland. (Mic LeBel photo)
The boys 4×400 relay team earned a KVAC championship with a time of 3:45.42, with Isaiah Felton, Forest Storer, Bear Grandy, and Caleb McArdle each running a leg.
Girls results
The Lincoln Academy girls placed fourth out of the 12 schools competing at the meet. The Eagles scored 81 points, trailing first place Leavitt (129.5), runner-up Winslow (120), and MCI (86). Belfast rounded out the top five with 58.5 points.
In addition to the 31.5 points scored by Higgins, the Lady Eagles received points from Maggie Thompson, second in the javelin (86-8); Chloe Anderson, third in the 800m (2:39.02) and seventh in the 1600m (5:59.47); Ella Soucy, third in the 100m hurdles (17.15, a personal record); Annabel Garvan-Soto, fourth in the 3200m (12:13.86) and fifth in the 1600m (5:54.48); and Mercy Buchwalder, fourth in the 100m dash (13.57) and eighth in the 200m (29.28).
The 4×100 relay earned second place (52.96) with Lucy Wells, Soucy, Thompson, and Buchwalder each running a leg. The 4×400 relay placed fourth (4:41.52) with Anderson, Buchwalder, Higgins, and Thompson. The 4×800 relay placed seventh (13:35.02), with Olive Tomko, Hadley Spekke, Carmella Fraser, and Joslin Gladu.
Boys results
The Lincoln boys scored 97 points and placed second out of 12 teams at the meet. Lawrence earned the championship with 150 points, Leavitt was third (86), and Erskine and Winslow tied for fourth place (78).
In addition to 30 points contributed by Card and 10 from the first place finish by the 4×400 quartet, the Eagles also earned points from Cooper Powell, second in the long jump (19 3.75, a personal best), fourth in the triple jump (35-5), and fifth in the high jump (5-6); Alva Gandler, third in the 800m (2:15.48), and seventh in the 1600m (5:02.96); McArdle, fourth in the 400m (55.61) and fifth in the 200m (24.30); Holden Nehrboss, fifth in the 3200m (11:20.27) and eighth in the 1600m (5:05.01); Wilton Scott, sixth in the 800m (2:16.82); Felton, sixth in the 400m (56.46, a personal best); Storer, sixth in the 200m (24.52) and sixth in the long jump (18-0.25); Cole Brooks, eighth in the triple jump (32-10.5); and Grandy, eighth in the 200m (24.61).
