The Boothbay Region High School cross-country team wrapped up a stellar 2024 season Oct. 30 in Cumberland. Led by Karen Higgins, who earned silver, the girls team took third place at the Maine Class C state championship. It was the highest girls team placement for state championships in school history, according to coach Nick Scott.  

“This was just a fantastic season overall,” Scott said. “The girls team performed historically. They are unequivocally the strongest girls program team that has gone through BRHS.”

The Boothbay girls took third place out of 10 with 84 points and a 22:28-minute average. Waynflete won with 57 points and a 21:28 average. Individually, Higgins took second place in 19:01.39 minutes. Other results were: Laura Chapman, 23rd, 22:31.89; Olivia Rittall, 25th, 22:50.15; Maddie Orchard, 30th, 23:30.43; Maddie Andreasen, 33rd, 23:37.32; and Sophia Mansfield, 62nd, 26:23.42.  

The boys team earned 10th place with a 19:58-minute average and 229 points. Orono took first with 32 points and a 17:36 average. In addition, they won the Southern Class C Good Sportsmanship Award.  

“(The award) is a real testament to the student athletes that are on the team and just the quality of young kids that participate in the program,” Scott said. “And that is as meaningful as any type of hardware that you win for performing well on the day of, too, because it gets to the meat and the reason why we all like to participate in athletics.” 

AJ Crocker led the boys with a 20th-place finish in 18:28.11. Other results were: Ethan Clark, 38th, 19:14.97; Lysander Lefevre, 75th, 20:32.91; Ross Gaffney, 78th, 20:47.42; Cleyton Splaine, 79th, 20:49,37; Thomas Hennessy, 80th, 20:50.34; and Alex Ross, 82nd, 20:56.30

Although the teams are finished for the season, Higgins’ performance earned her a chance to compete in the New England Championships Nov. 9. Scott said she is the fourth Seahawk to ever compete, and the third girl.

Looking ahead, he said the future could be even brighter.Most of this year’s team is made up of underclassmen, including Higgins, and this is the first cross-country season for many. Scott said the potential for growth is exciting as he expects much of the team to return next year, bringing their experience with them.

“It's sad to see the season come to an end. It's just been a lot of fun,” he said.“It's been really rewarding to watch student athletes grow, both as runners and as individuals, and just feel really good about how it all unfolded.”