For about six hours at Conley Stadium this Saturday, we’ll get a chance to witness some incredible athletes do what they do best at the RIIL State Track & Field Championships. Maybe we’re just a smidgen bias, but there is really isn’t a better place to be this weekend than at the Mount Pleasant venue
Here we feature some of the top storylines for the best show in town..
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Hammer
It’s not often you have the top two athletes in the country competing against each other in the same State Meet. But that’s what we have here from the nation’s smallest state. This event matches North Kingstown’s Ethan Wordell against Lincoln’s Christian Toro. Toro held the top spot until Wordell overtook the Lions senior by winning the Class A Championships with a heave of 231 feet, 1 inch. Toro improved on his previous best at the Class B meet with a best of 228-0. Both went head-to-head this past weekend at the Hendricken Invitational where Wordell got the best of his rival with a winning distance of 228-8, less than two feet ahead of Toro’s 227-1 effort. Expect a similar close encounter by these two gifted throwers on Saturday.
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Devan Kipyego
One thing we know for sure about the Saint Raphael standout. He will not win four individual events like he did during the indoor season. The reason? He’s only entered in one (plus two relays). Kipyego is scheduled for the 800m and will also run legs on his team’s 4x800m and 4x400m squads. In the 800m, he’ll face top-seed Thomas Speltz of Moses Brown, who has a best of 1:55. The SRA senior clocked a season best of 1:51.83 to capture gold at the Loucks Games in mid May and will no doubt be looking to break 1:50 on Saturday, or at least come close. While they’re listed as a tenth seed, the Saints have the top time in the state in the 4x800m with their 8:02.19 effort from the Loucks Games, a non state-qualifier. The 4x400m squad has a best of 3:33.58 this season, about six seconds behind Hendricken, which owns a SB of 3:27.67 from the Penn Relays Carnival last month. While Speltz is a strong competitor, Kipyego is the overwhelming favorite to take the 800m this weekend. With the Iowa State-bound runner as the anchor, the 4x800m team appears bound for gold, too. If the 4x400m is close, which it could be with athletes on each squad competing in multiple events on Saturday, you know the drill. You can’t count out Kipyego there, too. A win in the meet’s closing event would also provide the fitting end to an outstanding high school career where he already owns 14 titles (individual, relays) at state meet competitions.
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Youton Doe
If you haven’t checked out the inspiring story about the first-year Tolman runner, you might want to give it a read. The Tiger senior will be looking to become a state champion just five months after competing in his first race as a high-schooler. He owns the No. 1 seed after winning the St. Germain Invitational a few weeks ago with a state-leading 49.62. In that race, Doe had to hold off Hendricken’s Jacob Coates, who was timed in 49.78. Chariho’s Elias Sposato has also gone sub-50 this season, winning the recent Hendricken Invitational with a time of 49.97. In addition, a half dozen more entries in this weekend’s race have dipped under 51 seconds. On so many levels, this could be the race of the day.
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The Hurdles
Both the hurdles events (110m HH, 300m IH) could produce exciting, down-to-wire finishes. For one of them, we might even see a new state record. The 110m HH features three hurdlers that have gone under 15 seconds with Barrington’s Ethan Knight (14.77), North Smithfield’s Aiden Bienvenue (14.83) and West Warwick’s Damon Wilson (14.95) expected to answer the gun. The 300m IH is where we think the possibility of a new state mark is possible. The current record is held by North Kingstown alum Ben Stewart, who ran 38.19 at the State Meet in 2014. Bienvenue opened our eyes that Stewart’s record is within reach. The NS junior broke the meet record at the Hawk Invite last week with a time of 38.98, the third fastest time ever in the state. Knight raced to a best of 39.90 at the Classical Classic on April 29. With these two star hurdlers on the line together, you’d have to figure the chances of a low 38-second effort this weekend is possible.
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Jared Gibbons
Here’s a guy that rarely loses when it comes to the short sprints at the State Meet. The La Salle Academy senior is the defending 100m titlist and has won the last three indoor 55m crowns. Gibbons is once again among the favorites in the 100m on Saturday. He’s ranked No. 2 with a best of 10.82. Hendricken’s Xavier Wilkens holds the top seed of 10.82. Hendricken’s Nathan Rivas (10.98) and Cranston West’s Alonso Parker-Sharpe (10.99) have also broken 11 seconds this season. Per usual, this race could be determined by a lean at the finish. It will be tough to get state title No. 5 with the level of talent that’s on the line specifically Wilkens. But based on his track record, you’d have to figure Gibbons has a good shot.
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Long Jump
During the indoor season, Moses Brown’s Salter Arms and Saint Raphael’s Ethan McCann-Carter produced some classic duels in this event, including the State Meet where Arms leaped an all-time best of 23-10.25. McCann Carter, who went 23-plus at the meet for second, owns a best of 23-3.5 from the East Coast Invitational in January. Both talented leapers go into this weekend’s states as our top two seeds with Arms at No. 1 with a best of 22-5.75 and McCann Carter at No. 2 with a 22-2.75 effort. While both have not come close to 23 feet this outdoor season, it certainly seems possible based on what they did during the winter and the fact they’re matched up against each other again at the states.
