**Northern Maine Championship Cross Country Meet: Hampden Academy and Others Claim Titles**
*BELFAST* — This year’s Northern Maine championship cross country meet lived up to its name. No school south of Hancock County produced a team or individual champion at the event held Saturday at Troy Howard Middle School.
**Class A Highlights**
Hampden Academy swept both the boys and girls team titles in Class A. On the girls’ side, Addison Elliott of Hampden Academy won the race for the second consecutive year, finishing with a time of 18 minutes, 31.79 seconds. Teammate Gretchen Plant, the 2023 Northern Maine winner, placed second in 18:59.44, while Brunswick’s Fiona Hallett secured third place in 20:17.99.
The Class A boys race was much tighter. Lewiston’s Enzo Giampaolo started strong but was soon overtaken by Bangor’s Samuel Bergmark, who clinched the victory in 15:57.70. Hampden’s Asher Valentine finished second in 16:02.51, followed by Edward Little’s Harper Borden (16:15.31) and Giampaolo (16:25.13). Reflecting on his win, Bergmark said, “I just stayed behind (Giampaolo) and focused on the back of him, and I slowly got closer and closer to him. I probably didn’t realize I could win it until 3 miles in when I was like, ‘Oh, wow; I’m in front.’”
Qualified runners and teams now advance to the state championship meet scheduled for next Saturday at Cony High in Augusta.
Camden Hills was runner-up to Hampden for both team crowns. The Broncos scored 28 points to Hampden’s 49 in the girls championship, and 44 to their 73 in the boys race. Bangor finished third in both boys (90 points) and girls (109 points) divisions.
**Class B Highlights**
On the girls’ side, Mount Desert Island (MDI) dominated, placing four of the top six scorers en route to 28 points, well ahead of runner-up John Bapst’s 71 points. MDI’s Kulani Granholm took first place with a time of 19:14.96, followed by Medomak Valley’s Ava Collimore (19:29.66) in second, and MDI’s Rebecca Rand in third (19:33.44). This victory marks MDI’s sixth consecutive Northern Maine title, as the Trojans prepare to vie for their fourth state title in five years.
MDI coach Desiree Sirois attributed the team’s sustained success to “teamwork, culture and hard work.” She added, “We have that history, and when someone signs up for a program that they know is about dedication and hard work, they’re committed from the get-go.”
In the boys’ race, Caribou’s Pierce Gorneault won with a time of 16:40.42. Caribou placed four runners in the top seven, scoring 33 points to MDI’s 63. John Bapst’s Beckham Rand finished second in 17:08.94, followed closely by Medomak Valley’s Colby Daigle (17:10.21) in third and MDI’s Chris Cooper (17:18.83) in fourth.
**Class C Highlights**
The Orono girls’ team boasted impressive finishes with Clara White leading in first place (19:01.75), followed by Ellie Arsenault in third (20:49.62) and Audra Brooks in fifth (21:29.09). Houlton’s Andrea Ross finished second (20:29.43), while George Stevens’ Bailey Townsend took fourth (20:59.25).
On the boys’ side, Orono’s Andrew Barrett won the race with a time of 16:59.74. Close behind were Lukas Pounder of Narraguagus in second (17:06.47) and Fort Kent’s Alden Reardon in third (17:08.69).
The competition between the Orono and George Stevens girls’ teams was intense. Orono’s Red Riots secured the win with 35 points, edging out the Eagles, who scored 46 points. The Houlton boys fielded a strong performance as well, placing five runners in the top 10 and scoring 25 points, compared to runner-up Orono’s 65.
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Runners and teams advancing from this highly competitive meet now set their sights on next week’s state championship, where Northern Maine’s finest will compete for state honors.
https://www.sunjournal.com/2025/10/25/northern-schools-dominate-northern-maine-cross-country-regionals/