Just like she had hoped, Lake Region sprinter Sarah Hale is peaking at the right time.

Hale has battled injuries and ailments all season, and as a result, she has struggled to find consistency. At Saturday’s Western Maine Conference meet, she found it.

Hale tied her personal best time of 7.61 while winning the senior 55. The Lakers finished seventh as a team (31 points) behind Greely (186), York (99), Falmouth (88), NYA (59), Cape Elizabeth (51) and Poland (32).

“I usually do peak at the end of the season for states and Western Maines, so I feel like I’m getting right where I’m supposed to be,” said Hale, who also finished third in the senior 200.

Hale began getting back spasms midway through the season. When the pain spread to her hamstrings she decided to take a week off and rest. Eventually, her back and hamstrings got better, but then she came down with a cold.

But Hale isn’t complaining now. She’s primed and ready for Monday’s state meet.

“I’m definitely going for the 55,” she said. “With (Freeport’s Logan) Crane injured and out of the picture, there’s one Greely girl that should be relatively close, but I beat her at the New Year’s Classic so I can get her again.”

The Lakers also got strong performances from Taylor Kemp and Tabatha Titzer on Saturday. Kemp was third in the junior shot put, and Titzer was third in the open one mile.

Meanwhile, the Lake Region boys were led by long-distance runners Miles Bartlett and Kevin Floster. Like the girls, the boys also finished seventh (42 points), behind Falmouth (161), York (112), Wells (93), NYA (51), Greely (51) and Cape Elizabeth (49).

Bartlett fought through a nagging stomach cramp to overtake Falmouth’s Jon Wilson late in open mile and win with a time of 4:24.22. With the cramp still lingering, Bartlett went on to beat Wilson again in the open two-mile.

Floster took third behind Bartlett and Wilson in the two-mile and won the open 800. Brandon Hall finished fourth in the junior shot put.

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