Outdoor T&F Preview: Boys’ Middle, Long Distance Events

Here’s ya go. We’re wrapping up our outdoor previews with the guys that spend the most time on the oval.

Outdoor Track & Field Preview: Boys’ Middle, Long Distance Events

800m

This is one of possibly three or four events that Devan Kipyego will more than likely compete in at the State Meet. Like he’s done since the indoor states last year, we expect the Saints’ runner to be tough to beat this spring once the championships roll around in June. After already winning the 1,500m and anchoring his team’s first-place 4x800m squad, Kipyego won last year’s outdoor meet with an all-time best of 1:51.32 in a close race against the fresh legs of Portsmouth grad Kaden Kluth. So far this season, Kipyego has not competed in the two-lapper and if it’s anything like the 2022 season, he won’t until the states, at least not an all-out effort. Could we see a sub 1:50 this spring from the Iowa State -bound senior? He’s s certainly proved he’s capable, especially with fresh legs. Smithfield’s Elijah Saddlemire, who was fifth in this event last year, appears to be the biggest threat to Kipyego, much like he was this past winter in the 1,000m where he was second to the SRA runner after leading until the final 80 meters.. Saddlemire has a best of 1:55.92, which he clocked at last year’s Hendricken Invitational. He’s capable of improving on that time this season. There’s also La Salle’s Blake Santos. The Rams senior ran an all-time best of 1:56.60 during the indoor season at BU’s John Thomas Terrier Classic. On Saturday, he clocked a strong, early-season time of 2:01:02 to place sixth at the BSR Mid-Distance Classic. Santos also has 51-second speed for the 400m. Other runners we expect to be fighting for those top podium spots are Jeremiah Rocha of St. Ray’s, East Greenwich’s Nick Martin, Moses Brown’s Thomas Speltz and La Salle teammates Raymond Flores and David Parenteau, just to name a few, All five have either broken two minutes or are on the cusp of doing it in this event.

1,500m

in this event, Kipyego again leads the way. Since his exciting, runner-up finish for the mile at the New Balance Nationals last month, the SRA standout has not competed in the 1,500m or the mile all out. That will all change on May 5 at our BSR Elite Scholastic Mile where he will be attempting to break four minutes. While we have a plethora of talented runners in this event, Kipyego seems to be untouchable based on what he’s proven to us over the last two years. He holds the current indoor state record of 3:44.2, which he did en route to his 4:02.30 mile at New Balance. He also holds the outdoor record of 3:44.34, a time he recorded on his way to his all-time mile best and state mark of 4:00.64 from his third-place finish at the Brooks PR Invitational. We think both records could get erased by Kipyego in an historical final season as a high-school athlete. The Avengers’ Martin appears to be our No. 2 guy this spring. He was second to Kipyego at the indoor states and this past Saturday finished third for the mile at the CT Distance Festival where he was timed in a best of 4:19.03. Other top runners in this event are West Warwick’s Jesse Principe, Cumberland’s Cole McCue, Rocha, and Parenteau.

3,000m

Yep, you guessed it. Kipyego is again our No. 1 returnee. With fresh legs last year, he ran his all-time best of 8:20.52 at the St. Germain Invitational. He ran close to that time a few weeks ago en route to a 3,200m best of 8:59.46 from the Arcadia (CA) Invitational. This is the only event that the SRA star has lost at the State Meet in his amazing streak of 10 individual (indoor & outdoor) titles since the winter of 2022. Cumberland grad Henry Dennen was able to pull of the victory at the early June meet with a well-executed race. We’re fully aware we’re providing bulletin board material for Kipyego when we say this, but you really can’t count out Hendricken’s Troy Silvestri to mimic Dennen’s performance and come away with his first individual crown. In most other years without Kipyego, the Hawk senior would more than likely have one or more state crowns to his credit. Other than his Saints’ rival, he has been our most consistent and successful distance runner. He was a runner-up to Kipyego at the cross-country states and the 3K this past winter. Silvestri recently placed second to his rival for 5K at the CT Distance Festival with a school record of 14:55.20. Last month he broke the state indoor 5K mark with a time of 14:53.71 from the New Balance Nationals. For the 3K, we believe the senior standout is capable of a time in the low 8:30 range, possibly faster. There’s a bunch of runners that can also fill those spots on the podium, including Barrington’s Brandon Piedade, North Kingstown’s Jackson Borge and, as usual, a bevy of Hawks, such as Keegan Tierney, Brayton Gazerro, Jack Moretta, Will Olson and Alex Sjoblom.