Whitewater's LaBrie, Saco's Downing Win Titles at State Meet

The Saco track teams and Whitewater Track Teams saw success despite the numbers not being in their favor this past weekend at the State C Track and Field meet in Laurel.

The three day event that started on Thursday, May 25, and concluded on Saturday, May 27, featured the State A and State C Meet.

The meet ended up being a record breaking event for Whitewater students, as each one put their names in the school record books in all but one event that they competed in. Every time or mark was a new personal best.

"We had six events and everybody PR'd," Whitewater Head Coach Charlene Wasson said. "Honestly, these kids that we have are just competitive, they are focused, they know what they want to do, and that's just really nice when you can have that."

Led by sophomore Shelbi LaBrie, who earned the 2023 State C Girls 1600 title with a personal best of 5:15.36, Whitewater put up a total of 30 points, which was good enough for seventh. The time also improved her school record that she had set a few times this season.

"She had an awesome state track meet," Coach Wasson said. "She didn't feel like she was finished on Friday after taking second in the 3200 and fourth in the 800."

She had only run the 800 twice before state.

She also took second place in the 3200 with a personal best of 11:30.60, another improvement on her school record.

She set a new school record of 2:19.63 in the 800 and took fourth place. The previous record in the girls 800 was set by Kourtney Simonson in 2015.

"It's a pretty amazing weekend for her to be a sophomore and get on the stand three times in all of her events," Coach Wasson said.

It is Wasson's second individual champion that she has coached. Trace Simonson won the boys discus title in 2018.

Saco's Blaine Downing won the State C boys pole vault event by clearing 13-6 despite not being able to practice all week due to an injury he had received from ranching.

"We just kind of kept him safe so that he could compete," Saco Head Coach Barry Malone said. "He had a couple of ribs that were out of place from branding but he competed pretty hard and was able to pull it off."

Coach Malone was unable to be on the field during the pole vault, as all coaches are, but he remembers seeing Downing after he won the event.

"When I met him at the gate, he had the biggest smile on his face, and I called him Champ!" Coach Malone said.

Paige Wasson took second in javelin with a personal best and school record of 128-9.

"She has been throwing the javelin well all year long," Coach Wasson said.

Paige was disappointed in how the year ended.

"I told her to be mad," Coach Wasson said. "That's how you get fire and fuel for years to come. If you're not happy with it and you are not settled, that's a good thing too. But enjoy the medal, because not everybody gets to get on the stand."

Saco's Josie Brown placed fifth in the 200 with a time of 26.67.

She was eighth in the 100 finals, but nearly placed in the top four before falling near the finish line. She had a time of 12.78 seconds in the preliminaries.

"She is determined to come back even stronger next year," Coach Malone said. "She is very competitive."

The Whitewater girls' short relay team consisting of Kora LaBrie, Kendall Scheffelmear, S. LaBrie, and Wasson was seventh with a school record of 4:18.91.

They ran the race after a two-hour lightning delay.

After the rain and lightning delay at state, Coach Wasson said that the season had been one for the record books.

"With the slow start, not getting on the track until April 16th," Coach Wasson said. "The five girls that went to state are the only kids of ours that got four meets in before districts. The rest got two or three."

She also said that the Eastern C Divisional meet started off slow because of the smoke in the air. The meet ended at 9 p.m. and the team arrived home at 1 a.m.

"Then we went to state and had a little bit of a rain delay before the 4x400, so I guess we just needed to hang out and spend more time together," Coach Wasson said.

Scheffelmear was eighteenth in the 100 hurdles with a new personal best of 17.71.

Coach Malone has officially entered retirement from teaching at Saco School. He was asked what it meant to be a Saco Panther.

He gave credit to his athletes and coaches, saying that his athletes gave him their all.