A trio of Rhode Island weight throwers earned All-American honors at the USATF National Junior Olympic Championships, held at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field. In addition to their high school squads, all three compete for the Ocean State Hammerheads.
Leading the charge was Isabella Piette, a soon-to-be junior at Woonsocket High. Piette took second overall in the age 15-16 division of the hammer with a toss of 154 feet, 2 inches. Piette, a fourth-place finishers at last month’s State Meet, was just short of her all-time best of 155-9 from her victory at the USATF-NE Junior Olympic Championships on June 24. She advanced to the nationals by taking first in the Region 1 Championships (July 7-9).
Ponaganset’s Giana DeCesare saved her best for last at multiple-day meet. DeCesare was fourth in the 17-18 hammer with a PR of 144-02. It was a best for the Chieftain senior by nearly seven feet!
On the male side, Owen Spira, a senior at Exeter/West Greenwich, was fifth in the 17-18 hammer with a toss of 173-8. Spira was a runner-up at the USATF-NE Junior Olympic meet and captured individual honors at the Region 1 competition.
