WATERVILLE, Maine – The North Atlantic Conference (NAC) office released the results of the Pre-Championship Coaches Poll on Thursday afternoon, and the University of Maine at Farmington men's track and field team tied for first, earning three first-place votes.
The Beavers have enjoyed a strong outdoor season so far, setting several program records and producing seven New England Championship qualifiers. Farmington boasts a well-rounded team of athletes poised to compete for the NAC crown and several individual NAC Championship titles.
Farmington returns a pair of NAC Champions from last year's roster: Ben Vachon (Portland, Maine) and Connor Freeman (Bath, Maine). Vachon claimed last season's NAC title in the high jump, while Freeman won the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Vachon also earned NAC Second Team All-Conference honors in the decathlon on his way to being named the 2024 NAC Field Athlete of the Year.
The Beavers possess a strong core of distance and middle-distance runners, having won consecutive NAC Cross Country Championships. Two-time NAC Cross Country Athlete of the Year, Justin Castaldo (Scarborough, Maine), will cap off his collegiate career this weekend and is expected to play a major role in Farmington's pursuit of the conference title. Castaldo has qualified for the New England Championship in the 10,000 meters this season and has also previously qualified in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. His name appears throughout the UMF track and field record book, and he'll look to add a NAC Championship to his résumé. Sophomore Andrew LaFlamme (Nashua, N.H.) has also qualified for the New England Regional Championship in the 10,000 meters and is likely to factor into the team's overall success this weekend.
Sophomore Alex Crews (Winslow, Maine) will look to contribute points in three throwing events this weekend: the hammer throw, discus, and shot put. This season, Crews has qualified for the New England Championship in the shot put and set the program record in the discus.
In jumps and sprints, Farmington has been led by Vachon, junior Nate Trussell (Berwick, Maine), senior Seamus Reeve (Kittery, Maine), and first-years Owen Booker (Lisbon, Maine) and Logan Burns (Islesboro, Maine). Trussell has qualified for the New England Championship in the 110-meter hurdles and was named All-New England during the indoor Regional Championship. Booker has qualified for the New England Championships in both the javelin and the long jump, and he is expected to play a key role for the Beavers this weekend.
At last season's NAC Championship, the Beavers scored 213 points to place second overall, finishing behind SUNY Delhi, which no longer competes in track and field as part of the NAC. The Beavers are well-positioned to make a run at the NAC Championship trophy and aim to bring it to Farmington for the first time in program history.
The event is scheduled to begin Friday afternoon, with the pole vault and high jump kicking off the competition. The remaining events will take place on Saturday at Colby College.
Click here to read the NAC's Pre-Championship article.
