BANGOR, Maine — For Anna Connors, it was an ending so poetic that Hollywood’s best couldn’t have scripted it any better.
The Bangor High School senior — performing on New England track and field’s biggest stage for one last time, in her home stadium — etched herself further in the lore of many great Maine track athletes who have come before her.
Connors, who will attend the University of Connecticut in the fall and who led her Rams to a third straight Class A state championship last weekend, blitzed the field in the 400-meter dash in a scintillating 55.25 seconds — a personal and state best at the distance — in what was one of many outstanding performances among Pine Tree State athletes at Cameron Stadium on Saturday.
“It’s amazing, I love being here in front of most of our home fans and seeing the whole stadium packed is such a new experience and so fun for my last New England’s,” said Connors, who later finished second in the 200-meter dash with a 24.28 clocking.
The usually aggressive Connors knew she had to employ that tactic in the 400 after Harriet Barber of Manchester Central, New Hampshire, posted a 56.42 in the prior heat.
“I knew I had a lot more competition, especially the girls ahead of me,” said Connors, who exploded out of the starting blocks and established a powerful pace.
“I knew if I took it out really fast like I usually do, I’d get the time that I wanted.”
Mount Desert Island junior Miles Burr had himself a special day in the sprints as well, picking up silver medals in the 100 dash (10.84), 400 (48.98) and 200 (21.67).
Like Connors, the Trojans’ junior took advantage of ideal weather conditions and explosiveness out of the blocks to post his runner-up finishes, a goal he had set coming into the day.
“I was definitely hoping to place as high as I possibly could,” Burr said. “It was a good day to do it. Today has been perfect.”
Burr, the Class B state champ in the 100 and 200 and runner-up in the 400, was coming off a state-record setting effort of 22.18 in the 200 and he obliterated that in his final race Saturday.
“I definitely felt prepared, but the competition is really nice,” Burr said. “It really pushes you. You always have the best races when you’re really getting pushed.”
Orono junior Ruth White, the top seed in a rugged girls’ 3,200-meter field, left no doubt that she is the best in New England at that distance.
White took command early in the first lap and never looked back, winning in 10 minutes, 30.49 seconds.
Although White came up just shy of her goal of breaking 10:30, she was happy with her performance.
“I was just trying to push it and see how hard I could push it and enjoy the race,” she said. “I was still happy.”
White was second in the 3,200 on this stage last spring.
“It means so much that there’s so many people from all the states supporting me,” White said.
Houlton/GHCA’s Teanne Ewings capped a fantastic sophomore year with a third-place finish in the 1,600, clocking in at 4:56.23, establishing her season-long goal of cracking that race’s elusive 5-minute barrier.
“My goal for this season was to break 5 but I wasn’t sure if it was going to happen,” Ewings said. “I was hoping to just get a good place.”
York’s Cary Drake, Ewings and White finished 2-3-4 in the event, all breaking the 5-minute mark.
MCI of Pittsfield’s Emma Burr concluded a dominating senior year in fine fashion in the 100-meter hurdles.
Burr, who was seeded seventh coming into the event, eked her way into the finals before finishing fifth in 15.11 seconds.
Burr, who swept the 100- and 300-meter hurdles at the Class C state meet, admitted her focus wasn’t where it needed to be in the prelims but managed to find a higher shift for the final.
“The prelims wasn’t as great because I was focused on the other people instead of myself,” Burr said. “I feel like I got better with it once I got into finals.”
Brewer sophomore Lauren Vanidestine earned a fifth-place finish in the triple jump with a mark of 36 feet, 6 inches.
In the boys’ meet, Hampden Academy senior Charlie Collins, who is headed to the University of Maine, emerged on the podium in a deep 1,600-meter field, clocking in at 4:11.60, good for fourth place, just behind Maddox Jordan of Noble.
“I just wanted to be top six, that was the big goal,” Collins said. “Realistically, I felt like I was in 4:15-4:16 shape, and I hit 4:11, I can’t complain about that. It’s unreal.”
Connor Morin of Cony and Corbin Flewelling of Old Town finished 1-2 in the triple jump while Billy Albertson of Skowhegan earned second in the long jump and Flewelling fourth.
