A trio of talented seniors won all of the points that Lake Region’s teams were able to gather at Monday’s Class B state track meets at Bates College in Lewiston.

The Lakers’ Miles Bartlett won both the mile and two-mile runs and finished second in the 800 to teammate Kevin Floster, who also finished fourth in the two-mile.

On the girls side, Sarah Hale won the 55 and took third in the 200.

The boys totaled 42 points, which tied them with York for third behind Falmouth (66) and Wells (60). The Lady Lakers finished with 16 points, which put them in 11th place in the 24-team field.

In the days leading up to the meet, Hale had misgivings about how well she’d do in the 55, despite the fact that her major competition – state record holder Logan Crane of Freeport – was out of the competition with a hamstring injury.

“I was ranked first in the 55, but I was nervous about it all week. It got to me so bad,” said Hale. “But when I got here I said, ‘I can win this; I want to win this; I’m going to win this.’ So I ran my prelim and ran my best time ever. I didn’t have the greatest start in the finals, but I definitely made up for it at the end.”

Hale, who plans to run for USM next year, was seeded ninth in the 200, so her third place finish was a pleasant surprise.

“She really put her heart into it,” said Lake Region coach Scott Donahue.

Bartlett and Floster are the Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig of their school’s program. Whether it’s indoor or outdoor track, or cross country, they’re always among the top finishers.

Bartlett, a state champ in cross country, has been trying to break 4:20 in the mile all winter. He tried a new strategy, called “negative splitting,” at states. It didn’t work out as he hoped, but he still won the race.

“I went out way too slow,” he said. “They hung with me and then it was basically just a kicker’s race.”

Bartlett is going to attend UMaine next year and run for the Black Bears. The Casco resident is ranked in the top five in his class and plans to study sports medicine.

Before going off to school, he and a couple of his friends have plans.

“We’re going on a road trip this summer,” Bartlett said. “We’re working on an RV. We bought one and we’re fixing it at my friend’s shop.”

Floster, who set a record in the 800 at last year’s state meet, was trying to break his own mark this year, but fell short.

The Bridgton native is looking at BC, Bowdoin and Bates for next year.

“I’m interested in history and political science,” he said. “I want to be a teacher.”

An Eagle Scout, Floster said that he comes from a political household and that he’d consider running for a position in local government someday.

Over the past four years they’ve pushed each other to become the best athlete possible.

“It’s good to have a teammate like (Kevin),” said Bartlett, “because when you’re out there practicing, and you feel like stopping, it’s great to have someone there to say, ‘No, let’s do a couple more.'”

“We motivate each other,” said Floster. “I know he motivates me, keeps me honest in the workouts, and I try to do the same for him. It’s good to have somebody to talk track with.”

Donahue said that Bartlett and Floster are “excellent athletes and students,” and that people from other teams often have good things to say about the pair.

“They’ve brought encouragement to younger athletes on the team,” the coach said. “There’s potential that (the underclassmen) can pick up the same work ethic, and that’s what put Kevin and Miles where they are: a very hard work ethic. They’re always doing their best, on and off the field.”

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