Orono track coach receives state honor

Orono’s Chris Libby has been named the state’s U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association high school coach of the year for girls’ outdoor track and field.

Libby was selected for the state honor after leading the Red Riots’ girls squad to its fourth consecutive Class C state championship.

Orono dominated the state meet, amassing 132.7 points compared with 51.7 points for runner-up Traip Academy of Kittery.

Libby, a Brewer High School and University of Maine graduate who teaches math at Orono High School, also guided the Orono boys outdoor track and field team to its first Class C state championship since 1997 this spring.

Both teams also won 2015 Penobscot Valley Conference championships and were recipients of the Maine Principals’ Association sportsmanship banners for Class C boys and girls outdoor track.

This marks Libby’s 11th coach of the year award, which includes Eastern Maine Indoor Track League and PVC outdoor track and field honors.

One boys coach and one girls coach from each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia were recognized for their successes during the 2015 track and field season, as selected by a committee of experts from around the nation.

Among the factors taken into consideration were team score and placement at the state championships, the number of different events in which student-athletes were qualified, individual championships, and how their teams’ performances stacked up to previous years.

Paul Soracco, who guided Lewiston High School to the Class A boys outdoor track and field state title last spring, was recognized by the USTFCCCA as Maine’s coach of the year in that sport.

Libby was the second Orono High School coach to be recognized by the USTFCCCA during the 2014-15 school year. Red Riots’ cross-country coach Lin White was similarly honored last fall.