WELLS — Wells sprinter Denzel Tomaszewski continued a tradition of Warrior sprinting excellence at the Western Maine Conference indoor track championship on Monday. But Tomaszewski took that excellence to a new level, as he shattered the all-time state record in the 55-meter dash.

Tomaszewski already was the standard-bearer in the dash, as he previously broke the old record of 6.55 seconds with a run of 6.53 at the USM relays in December. Tomaszewski then bested that with 6.52 in the prelims on Monday.

But what he did in the finals was a surprise to everybody, including Tomaszewski. In a race that was over by the midway point, Tomaszewski finished in an astounding 6.46 seconds. Not only is It the fastest time ever by a Maine high school athlete, but it is tied for the best mark in New England this year, and 22nd nationally.

“I was very surprised, actually,” Tomaszewski said of running a sub-6.5. “I honestly thought it would take ”˜til states.”

Tomaszewski said his start wasn’t great, but halfway through the race he thought it could be something special.

“I hit that 30 meters, and I was gone. I knew my time was great,” he said.

Wells indoor track coach Jennifer Lewia was also quite surprised by Tomaszewski’s run.

“I didn’t expect it,” she said. “I thought maybe a low-6.5. But I didn’t think he would break, at that meet, a 6.5. So that was a pretty phenomenal run.”

Lewia has some experience coaching talented sprinters. A Wells sprinter has held the WMC record for over a decade, since Derek Bolden first put the Warriors in the record book in 2002. Justin Vigeant then broke the record with a 6.59 in 2005. And now the past two years Tomaszewski has continued to knock times down and break new boundaries.

“I feel like it’s not going to be touched for a while,” Tomaszewski said of the record. “I hope so.”

That is unless he breaks it himself, which Tomaszewski hopes to do at the Class B State Championship.

“I think I can run a sub-6.4. That’s the goal coming into states,” he said.

“He probably could break 6.4,” Lewia said, as long as he gets a good start.

When asked if Tomaszewski could break his short-lived record at the state meet, Lewia jokingly answered “We’ll see. I don’t know what he’s got left in the tank.”

When Tomaszewski is done conquering the state for a second consecutive year, which he and Lewia both think he will do, he will set his sights on the New England Championships. Bolden finished sixth in his turn at New Englands, and Vigeant finished fourth. But both coach and athlete think Tomaszewski could do better. Lewia said she expects Tomaszewski to get first or second, which is where he is seeded at the moment. Tomaszewski confidently said he thinks he can get a top-3 finish.

Seeing how he dominated the WMC race, it’s hard to doubt Tomaszewski. And as Lewia notes, he runs better the brighter the light shines on him.

“He’s got a lot of drive, he’s got a lot of heart. That’s what it takes,” she said. “He gets himself pumped up for those big meets more.”

— Contact Wil Kramlich at 282-1535, Ext. 323 or follow him on Twitter @WilTalkSports.