The Outdoor Season Is Almost Here. We Have Not Slept Since Indoor States.
Spring is in the air. The snow is (mostly) gone. Somewhere in Maine right now, a kid is lacing up spikes in a muddy parking lot behind a high school, and our gremlins at Analytics207 are already losing their minds about it.
For those who do not know us: we are a small team of number-obsessed Mainers who track every split, every mark, and every photo finish across the state. We do not sleep. We do not take days off. We sit in front of our screens at 11pm on a Tuesday waiting for meet results to post so we can update your kid's personal best before they even get home from the bus ride. It is a sickness, honestly. We love it.
But enough about our questionable life choices. Let us talk about who is coming back to dominate the outdoor season.
The Boys Who Did Not Graduate (And Should Scare You)
Ali Carter, Falmouth — This kid is not fair. A 10.75 in the 100, a 21.64 in the 200, and a 48.78 in the 400. That is three events where he was the best returning sprinter in the state, and he did it as a junior. He is back as a senior this spring, and if you are running against him, our advice is to enjoy the view of his back.
Jake Bassi, Bangor — If you hear a thud at a track meet this spring, that is a Jake Bassi throw landing. 54 feet 6 inches in the shot put. 177 feet 6 inches in the discus. As a junior. Those are absolutely disgusting numbers. We mean that as a compliment. Our gremlins flagged his throws so many times last year that we thought our system was broken. It was not broken. Jake is just built different.
Ellis Wood, Deering — Ran a 9:26 in the 3200 as a junior. For the non-track folks reading this: that is flying. He also posted a 4:23 in the 1600. Ellis is the kind of runner who makes the two-mile look easy, and that is terrifying for everyone else in southern Maine.
Conner Donahue, Foxcroft Academy — 21 feet 10 inches in the long jump. From Foxcroft. We love a kid from a smaller school showing up to the party and clearing the sandbox. Conner does not care about your classification. He just jumps far.
Bryce Holden, Mt. Ararat — Pole vaulted 14 feet 6 inches AND ran a 15.41 in the 110 hurdles. Multi-event athletes like Bryce are the ones who keep our gremlins up at night because they pop up in three different leaderboards at the same time. We respect the chaos.
Fernando Kele, Lewiston — 43 feet 6 inches in the triple jump. Also over 21 feet in the long jump. Lewiston's jump crew (Fernando, Basilio Mpaka, Nsungui Mankatu) might be the most entertaining group of athletes to watch at any meet this spring. When one of them lands, the next one wants to go further. Our team lives for that energy.
Jacob Feith, Winthrop — Threw the javelin 167 feet 7 inches. We had to double-check that one. Then triple-check it. Then our gremlins confirmed it. Jacob Feith is throwing a spear the length of half a football field, and he is coming back for more.
The Girls Who Are About to Run This State
Sophia Chase, Bangor — Where do we even start. A 15.50 in the 100 hurdles, a 46.97 in the 300 hurdles, AND an 18 foot 1 inch long jump. Sophia Chase does not pick one event and specialize. She picks three events and wins all of them. Our leaderboards had to make room.
Rowan Barry, Greely — A 2:13 in the 800 and a 4:51 in the 1600. A 2:13 in the 800 and a 4:51 in the 1600. Those times put her at the top of the returning class in Maine. Rowan is the kind of distance runner that makes you check if the clock is broken because the times seem too fast for a junior. They are real. We verified. Multiple times.
Karoline Gonzales, Mt. Blue — Ran a 12.61 in the 100 as a freshman. A FRESHMAN. That was good enough to lead all returning sprinters in the state. If she improves even a little this year, we are going to need a bigger leaderboard.
Elliette Musica, Brunswick — A 59.23 in the 400 as a sophomore, which means she broke the one-minute barrier before she could drive. Brunswick has a weapon on their hands, and she has got two more years after this one.
Daijha Grant, Hermon — 36 feet 6 inches in the triple jump AND 17 feet 9 inches in the long jump. She is a sophomore. These are senior-level marks from a kid who has still got two full seasons ahead. Our gremlins have her highlighted in about four different categories.
Margaret Tripp, Thornton Academy — Ran a 10:49 in the 3200. The two-mile is one of the most brutal events in track (do not let the distance runners tell you otherwise, they secretly love the suffering), and Margaret handled it better than almost anyone in the state. She is back as a senior.
Alyssa Mason, Poland Regional — Threw 119 feet 8 inches in the discus and nearly 37 feet in the shot put. As a freshman. From Poland. We keep saying "as a freshman" because it keeps being true and it keeps being absurd. Alyssa is the real deal in the throwing circle.
What We Are Doing at Analytics207
While these athletes are getting ready for the outdoor season, our small team is doing what we always do: staying up way too late, refreshing results pages, and feeding every performance into our system so that coaches, parents, and fans can see exactly where their athletes stand.
We track personal bests. We track progression over the season. We flag breakout performances and under-the-radar athletes that deserve attention. We build leaderboards that update as meets finish. We do all of this because we genuinely believe Maine high school track and field deserves the same level of coverage as any sport in the state.
So if you are a coach wondering how your returners stack up, or a parent who wants to see your kid's PR history, or just a fan who thinks 177 feet in the discus is as cool as we do, come hang out with us at analytics207.com. The gremlins are always awake.
Let us have a great outdoor season, Maine. We will be watching every single meet. Because that is what we do. And because we genuinely cannot stop.