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By GARY HAWKINS
Staff Writer

Staff Writer

It may be too early to handicap high school cross country teams, but several individuals have returned to competition this fall and are in top form.

Waterville senior Hannah Bard took first place in a six-team meet Friday in Bangor, beating runner-up Caitlyn Wilson by 34 seconds. The Bangor is only 2.56 miles instead of the 3.1 at most schools, so it's tough to gauge overall progress, but Bard did look strong.

"She stepped up her training this summer," Waterville coach Koren Coughlin said. "So she's coming in in better shape."

The Waterville girls finished fourth behind Brewer, Cony and Hampden, all Class A teams. The boys showed good balance in finishing second against the same field.

Sam Wood placed sixth, Sean Cook eighth and Evan Vachon 10th.

"We have six senior boys and six senior girls," Coughlin said. "It's nice this year because all of them have been running since their freshman or sophomore years."

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Both the Mt. Blue boys and girls showed considerable improvement Friday on an Edward Little course they ran this time last season.

Senior Eric Marceau knocked nearly a minute in placing second to Lewiston's Mohamed Noor.

"He said he was disappointed in finishing second, but he had a heck of a race," Mt. Blue coach Kelley Cullenberg said.

Marceau, who placed fifth in the Class A state meet last fall, excelled in the outdoor track season despite battling illness.

"He qualified for the New Englands in the 1,600 (meters) and 3,200," Cullenberg said. "He got his mile time way down. I think it helped him in a lot of different ways."

Kelton Cullenberg placed fifth for the Cougars and, like Marceau, he broke 17 minutes. Overall, the boys finished second in the six-team meet, 20 points behind Lewiston.

The Mt. Blue girls showed even greater improvement in finishing 18 points behind defending Class A champion Brunswick. Sophomores Silver Hunt and Melody Lam placed second and fourth, respectively, while junior Marjorie hardy placed sixth.

"The Brunswick girls (beat us) last year by 78 points, this year by 18," Cullenberg said. "I think we're finally getting back to where Mt. Blue was a number of years ago, but we've still got a ways to go."

The Cougars host a small meet Tuesday that includes Messalonskee, Lawrence and Skowhegan, then head Saturday for the Great Glen Invitational in Gorham, N.H.

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Former Mt. Blue runner and 2005 Class A champion Adam Deveau is making a successful recovery from leukemia, according to Mt. Blue coach Kelley Cullenberg.

"He looks good," Cullenberg said. "He weighs 160 pounds and he has all his hair back."

Deveau, who plans to major in pre-med, will attend Acadia University this fall in Wolfboro, Nova Scotia. He's been lifting weights and running, Cullenberg said, and may someday return to running.

"He said he probably would be running again," Cullenberg said, "but he was enjoying weighing 160 pounds. He just really doesn't want to lose that weight right now. (The running) will come in time."

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Messalonskee senior David Currier placed second in a six-team meet last Friday at Winslow, two seconds behind Medomak Valley's Matt Poulin. Medomak won the meet by 20 points over Mt. Ararat while Winslow took fourth and Messalonskee fifth.

Mt. Ararat won the girls meet in which Messalonskee's Caitlin Wyman finished fourth.

Gary Hawkins -- 621-5638

ghawkins@centralmaine.com

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