Enzo Giampaolo, Lewiston junior: Giampaolo placed second at the Class A championships, finishing in 16:22.49. He won the Class A North title, one of his three first-place showings in 5K races this season, and was second at the KVAC championship.

Alex Gilbert, Freeport junior: Gilbert came in third (16:28.20) at the Class B championships and Class B South regional and took second at the Western Maine Conference Invitational. He ran his personal best of 15:50.77 at a home meet on Oct. 4.

Aran Johnson, Portland senior: Johnson won the Class A state title, finishing in 16:18.84, then ran nearly 13 seconds faster at the New England Championships to place 19th. The SMAA boys’ runner of the year ran his personal best (15:47.96) while placing third at the Festival of Champions.

Sam Laverdiere, Lake Region senior: Laverdiere ran the fastest time, 15:52.79, of any runner in the three state meets and was the only one to record a sub-16-minute time. The Varsity Maine Boys’ Cross Country Runner of the Year also ran sub-16 a week later at the New England Championships, finishing ninth in 15:46.00.

Atticus Merriam, Scarborough sophomore: Merriam came in third at the Class A meet with a time (16:30.48) that was a 51-second improvement from his eighth-place Class A South regional performance. He ran a personal-best 16:06.79 and placed sixth at the Festival of Champions.

Aidan Ring, York senior: Ring came in second in the Class B championships with a time of 16:15.45. He earned six first-place finishes this season, including the Southern Maine Classic, when he ran a personal-best 15:43.82, and the Western Maine Conference Invitational. He finished 30th at New Englands.

Henri Rivard, Marshwood junior: Rivard took sixth (16:42.79) at the Class A championships and third at the Class A South regional. He came in fifth at the Festival of Champions with a personal-record time of 15:59.20. He also placed first at two regular-season meets.

Conner Smith, Freeport senior: Smith finished fourth at the Class B state meet by running his second-best time of the season, 16:36.15 (his PR, 16:16.31 came at a home meet Oct. 4). He also placed fourth at the South regional. He finished in the top five in all but one of his races in Maine.

Asher Valentine, Hampden Academy junior: Valentine finished seventh at the Class A championships. He improved his state meet time (16:42.82) by nearly three seconds at the New Englands (16:40.00) – and all of his finishes this season were within one minute of his New England mark except for his personal record of 16:08.06 at the Festival of Champions (seventh place).

Ellis Wood, Deering junior: Wood was the fifth-place finisher (16:36.12) at the Class A state meet and took second at the South regional. He ran a sub-17-minute time in all but one of his 5-kilometer races this season. His 16:21 finish at New Englands was his best time of the season other than his personal-best of 15:49.51 at the Festival of Champions (fourth place).

COACH OF THE YEAR

Matt Greear, Freeport: Greear led Freeport to its fourth consecutive Class B title, paced by top-five finishes from Alex Gilbert (third) and Conner Smith (fourth). The Falcons also overcame illnesses to win the Class B South regional championship and placed first at the Western Maine Conference Invitational.