Staff Writer
CARIBOU — With 27 individual state champions in the last 10 years, the Caribou High School Track and Field team knows success and this season should be no exception.
Last spring Caribou boys and girls captured the County Championship and placed tenth at the state competition. The Vikings also had two state champions in Christian Sleeper (800-meter run) and Emily Soderberg (1,600-meter race walk), both of whom graduated.
Back this season is senior Morgan Swan who set a school record in the shot put and has the potential to be a state champion in all the throwing disciplines, according to coach Roy Alden. Senior Sarae Sager is also a school record-holder in the 300-meter hurdles. Alden said she is one of the top hurdlers in the Penobscot Valley Conference and is an outstanding leader on the team.
Coach Alden also highlighted other girls who should do well this year.
“Junior Olivia Sleeper is one of the best sprinters in the state,” said Alden. “She has been our MVP the last two seasons. Senior Paige Small is one of the top race walkers in the state, finishing in the top-three last year. Junior Mackenzie Belyea is coming of an excellent cross country season and looks to be one of the top 3,200-meter runners this season. Senior Katie Plourde in the middle distance races and senior Sam Murchinson in the javelin and discus also should score points for us in the PVC and State Championships.”
Distance running should be strength of the boys’ team this season.
“We have a strong group of distance runners coming off a championship cross country season,” said Alden. Junior Ron Lund, senior Jessie Sandstrom and sophomore Lucas Kinney all should do well at PVC and qualify for States. Junior Brendan Wood is an outstanding hurdler who should also do well on the PVC and state level. Senior Josh Kovach is a state class race walker and senior Jake Maher is our best thrower. He competed last year in PVC in the discus. Senior Nick Pucci is having a great spring and should help us in the sprint events.”
Also on the boys’ roster this year are: freshmen Greg Martin, Mitchell St. Peter, Austin Griffeth, Colby Holdsworth, Taylor Thibodeau, Dylan Coty, Dustin Cote, Nathan Wall and Kris Michaud (mgr.); sophomores Derik Mchaud, Alex Losieniecki, Kameron Manter, Keith Draper, Alex Murchison and Tyler Strid; juniors Grahm Freme, Jebadiah Johnson and Sean Barbosa; and seniors Caleb Chapman, Charm Karunsari, Kjetil Rossignol, Cody Charette and Marc Sturzl.
Other members of the girls’ track and field team are: freshmen Sarah Doak, Chelsea Haney, Robyn Larrabee, Nerissa Larrabee, Kristin Macek, Kaitlyn Ring, Lauren Chapman, Mackenzie Deveau, Elise Gudde, Rebecca Page, Emilee Susi and Kendra Coffin (mgr.); sophomores Autumn Kavin, Alissa Irving, Jessika Kovach, Chaya Karunsari, Sara Hamlin, Taylor Hartley, Sophia Maile and Cindy Ketch; juniors Chelsea Bard, Meredith Sleeper, Haley Hunter, Alissa Randolph, Ginger Kieffer, Reanna Plourde, Hannah Hebert, Jubilee Macleod, Bekah Walker, Rachel Wasson, Alison Earle and Tiffany Bishop; and seniors Katrina McPherson (mgr.), Kelly Kashian, Erin Madore, Anni Collie, Elsa Thibodeau and Sarah Plourde.
“Track is hard work,” said Alden. “To be successful you have to be willing to put in the hours of training to build the strength and endurance.”
Caribou’s track and field program breeds that success and according to Alden it all starts by creating an atmosphere where all the student-athletes involved feel they have an opportunity to do something special.
“All four coaches, P.J. Gorneault, Todd Alley, Todd Albert and myself have experienced success in other programs,” Alden said. “We also have an excellent feeder program at the middle school. Even through the practices are demanding, the students enjoy being part of our program.”
