During the past two weeks, members of the Seahawks' cross-country teams have broken personal records, defended titles, and earned a position high in the Class C rankings as they continue to soar through the season with their eyes focused on the gold.

UMA Conference preview

September 20 proved no departure from the norm, when the Seahawks showed up at the UMA campus ready to compete. With every team in the Mountain Valley Conference attending, the stage was set for an anticipated preview of the MVC championships that take place in mid-October. 

The small but steadfast girls team ran with true grit as they completed their best team race of the season, finishing second only to the dominant St. Dom's by a mere one point difference. 

Sophia Thayer, who has been tearing up the MVC circuit lately, snagged her third consecutive first place victory, accompanied by the tenacious efforts by Morgan Crocker and Hannah Morley, who captured the third and fourth overall spots, respectively, to close the gap and solidify Boothbay’s standing as a conference contender. 

The boys team maintained its prowess despite not having Alex Owen, a top runner, competing. Rounding off the top three scorers were Benn Scully, Robert Campbell and Matt Burnham, who all finished within 17 seconds of each other. 

Had it been the real MVC Championships, they would have all made the all-conference second team, a promising sign this far into the season. Also showcasing a standout performance was senior Sam Schwehm who broke the 20-minute mark for the first time in his high school career.

Festival of Champions

Coach Nick Scott summed up the Seahawks’ performance with an emphatic opening from his weekly email, “WOW,” an accurate assertion considering almost every Seahawk athlete ran faster than last year’s previous time. 

Every season, Belfast Area High School hosts the largest high school cross-country meet in the state, the Festival of Champions, which routinely draws 1,100 runners from 50 qualifying teams, seven state conferences, three states and Canada. This year's event was on September 29.

Boothbay finished in the top half of the field, with both boys and girls teams placing 27th in their respective races. More importantly, the Seahawks placed high among the Class C schools, with the boys ranking third, and the girls ranking second overall.  

Individually Jack Hasch, (eighth, unseeded boys), Hannah Morley, (seventh, freshmen girls), and Sophia Thayer, (nineteenth, seeded girls) all took home medals from the event.