Outdoor T&F Preview: Boys’ Sprinting & Hurdling Events

Outdoor T&F Preview: Boys’ Sprinting & Hurdling Events

100m

The favorite to earn gold at season’s end is the same athlete that has dominated the short sprints since last year, La Salle Jared Gibbons. The Rams’ speedster is the returning champion and comes into this season after claiming his second straight 55m indoor title. In typical fashion, Gibbons saved his best for last at the State Meet in 2022 with a PR of 10.85. He held off a flurry of runners at the finish with three more dipping under 11 seconds, including teammate Jubril Bamgbala, who placed fourth at 10.95. Also coming back from last year’s state finals are Barrington’s Nate Greenburg (fifth, 11.03) Central’s Gabriel Dosunmu (sixth, 11.12), Chariho’s Ian Clarke (seventh 11.17) and Hendricekn’s Jake Kopech (eighth, 11.22). We’re also expecting Moses Brown’s Salter Arms to be among the mix. He second to Gibbons in the 55m dash at the indoor states and ran a best of 11.20 for the 100m last year.

200m

Bamgbala and Gibbons are our top two returnees in this event, too. Only this time, Bamgbala holds the No. 1 spot going into the spring campaign. He was the only runner that broke 22 seconds last year, clocking a PR of 21.75 at the championship meet. Gibbons comes in with a best of 22.39 from his third-place finish. The Rams’ Chase Gouvin we’re also expecting to return this spring. The Assumption-bound senior, who stars on the school’s football squad, was fourth (22.49) at last year’s states. Unlike last winter, he did not compete for the Rams during the indoor season this year. Hendricken’s Kpoech (22.27), Greenburg (22.52), the Hawks’ Xavier Wilkens (22.67), and Dosunmu (22.70) are a few others we expect will be challenging for those podium spots at season’s end.

400m

Five of the top six finishers from last year’s State Meet have graduated with Chariho’s Elias Sposato the top returnee. As a sophomore in 2022, Sposato placed fifth overall with a time of 51.51. His clocked an all-time best of 50.79 a week earlier to take runner-up honors at the Hendricken Invitational. Sposato just missed the podium in the 600m this past winter, placing seventh with a near best of 1:27.30. Based on his past history, we’re expecting similar results from the Chargers’ junior in the 400m. Last year he was coming off a best of 1:27.34 for the 600m, which is five hundredths of a second from his PR of 1:27.29 from the Class A meet this past February. Westerly’s Robbie Wade, another top underclassman from 2022, we’re also expecting to be back. As a tenth-grader, Wade broke 52 seconds thrice last spring with a best of 51.64 at the State Meet, an effort that placed him seventh overall. A few others that could be challenging with the upper-echelon of talent are West Warwick’s Brendan Rathier (52.0), Classical’s Jared Weissman (52.59) and Lincoln’s Oliver Fillion (52.68), to name a few.

110m HH

Much like the indoor season, our top hurdlers in this event are Barrington’s Ethan Knight (15.18), West Warwick’s Damon Wilson (15.56) and La Salle Brady Fisher (15.63). The talented trio were our 1-2-3 finishers this past winter in the 55m dash at the indoor states. They were also our 3-4-5 finishers in this event last spring with their PR efforts. Look for Barrington to pick up big points in this event like indoor with the Eagles’ Bobby Wind (16.07) and Ryan Martin (16.63) also coming back. As a freshman last year, Wind was seventh overall in this event. He made the podium during indoor by taking fourth overall in the 55m HH.

300m IH

We could see some familiar faces fighting for the top spots in this event. Expected to contend are the Fisher, Knight and Wilson, who were second, third and seventh, respectively, at last year’s states. Fisher and Knight were strides away from going sub-40 last spring with respective PRs of 40.44 and 40.45 from the State Meet. Wilson had a best of 41.49 from his victory at the Hendrcken Invitational. North Smithfield’s Aidan Bienvenue could also make some noise. He has a best of 42.04.