Massabesic’s Syeira New, front, finishes with a personal-best time in the 300 meter hurdles at the Class A State Championship at Lewiston High School on June 3. (Courtesy photo)

WATERBORO — At the beginning of each outdoor track season, Massabesic High School coach Scott Carbone has each of his athletes write down the goals they hope to achieve that year. 

So when senior Syeira New wrote that she wanted to win the 300 meter hurdles at the Class A State Championships it was music to his ears. 

Behind Carbone’s mentorship and New’s unfaltering work ethic, New not only met her goal but she set a personal-best mark of 45.50 seconds at the state meet at Lewiston High School on June 3. 

She also finished seventh in the 100 hurdles (16.06), eighth in the 200 (26.88) and 10th in the long jump (15 feet, 9 inches). For her efforts, the Massabesic senior has been named the Journal Tribune’s Most Valuable Player of the 2019 girls’ outdoor track season. 

“When I told (Carbone) I wanted to win (a state championship), he said, ‘OK, keep that mentality,’” New said. “I wanted to come in as the underdog … It went a lot better than expected.” 

The reasoning behind Carbone’s preseason goal-setting exercise is that it’s one method he’s found productive in keeping his athletes and himself accountable for taking the right steps during the season. It’s also a confidence-boosting technique, he said. As a junior, New finished fifth in the 300 meter hurdles, and Carbone told her that chasing a title wasn’t going to be easy. 

“I knew she was a little disappointed with last year … She didn’t compete the way she wanted to,” Carbone said. “When she said she wanted to win (a championship), I said ‘OK, but don’t get mad at me when practices stink and aren’t fun. If that’s your goal, that’s the way we’re going to approach training.’” 

The decision to compete in four events at this year’s state championship, which Carbone said can be mentally and physically exhausting, was one New made alone. 

She traded in her varsity soccer cleats in exchange for a spot on the cross country team in the fall, and she also added more running to her routine during the offseason. New said she felt those extra miles helped her feel less fatigued as the outdoor season progressed. Then, as the spring season approached, New started to incorporate weightlifting into her regime.

New consistently dropped her time in the 300 throughout the spring, chopping it down from 51.44 in April to 46.51 on May 25 to win the Southwestern Championship. It was around that point that her coach realized his senior was peaking at the right time.

“(The progress) was awesome,” Carbone said. “ At the beginning of the season, most athletes aren’t going to be in the best shape … So when she ran what she did at (Southwesterns), it was a very encouraging sign heading into states.”

New will attend Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina, in the fall with a new goal: to become a wildlife rehabilitator. While she’s unsure if she’ll run at the next level, her family is filling out paperwork for a potential walk-on opportunity, because she admits she might feel the itch to get back on the track once she’s on campus.

“I just love competing,” New said. “It’s so much fun.”

MEET THE 2019 ALL-STAR TEAM

MVP: Syeira New, Massabesic: At the Class A championships, New won the 300 meter hurdles (45.70), finished seventh in the 100 hurdles (16.06) eighth in the 200 (26.88) and 10th in the long jump (15-09). A week later at the New England championships, New finished ninth in the 300, running 46.35 seconds.

ROY: Mia Claire-Kezal, Thornton Academy: Coming in as the No. 4 seed in the 800 meter race at the Class A championships, Claire-Kezal surprised the field to win in a personal-best of 2:18.82. She finished third at the Southwestern championships a week prior in 2:23.97. Her time at the Class A championship finished as the third fastest in the state this season.

Julia Allen, Sanford: The junior won the javelin at the Class A championships in a personal-best throw of 118 feet, 3 inches, which was the fourth best distance in the state this season.

Kylie Bedard, Thornton Academy: Only a sophomore, Bedard took third in the 300 hurdles (46.84) at the Class A championships. She ran a personal-best of 46.78 in the event at the York County championship meet on May 18, which was the fourth fastest time in the state. 

Jaigan Boudreau, Thornton Academy: The junior was the runner-up in both the shot put (37 feet, 4 inches) and the discus (120 feet, 6 inches) at the Class A championships. 

Tessa Cyr, Noble: A versatile athlete, Cyr finished third in the high jump (5 feet, 2 inches), ninth in the 100 hurdles (17.01) and 21st in the triple jump (31 feet, 2 inches) at the Class A championships. Her clearance in the high jump ranked fourth in the state.

Hannah D’Orso, Kennebunk: The senior finished third in the 800 (2:21.09) and sixth in the 1,600 (5:14.35) at the Class A championships. Both times were personal-bests. Her time in the 1,600 finished as the seventh fastest in the state this season.

Brooklyn Goff, Biddeford: The junior finished sixth in the 300 meter hurdles at the Class A championships in a personal-best of 47.49 seconds.

Mia Taranko, Thornton Academy: A junior, Taranko finished fourth in the long jump (16-06 ¼) at the Class A championships.

Caitlin Wolff, Kennebunk: The senior finished sixth in the 400 at the Class A championship meet in a personal-best of 1:00.41.