For athletes like Demetriuis Outland, they thrive when the competition is at its best. It’s something the Central High senior proved last year in the high jump where he earned runner-up honors at the State Meet during the indoor season and won it all at the outdoor championships.
“It’s the competitive in me,” he said. “Seeing everybody able to jump certain heights it gets me fired up. Seeing other kids from other schools jump the same heights or better, gets me fired up to jump higher.”
Like several other athletes that competed at Saturday’s RITCA Invitational, Outland was in “championship” mode, winning his specialty with a leap of 6 feet, 2 inches. The Knights’ talented leaper outlasted a strong field where the next four finishers cleared six feet, a quartet that included Barrington’s Chucky Potter (second), East Providence’s Cameron Evore (third), MIddletown’s Cam Miller (fourth) and South Kingstown’s Liam Segal (fifth).
Outland, who has a best of 6-4, had three close attempts at 6-6. After already securing the victory, he had the bar moved up four inches instead of the standard two.
“I am so comfortable with 6-4, I didn’t feel the need to waste a jump on 6-4,” he said. “I’d rather just skip to 6-6. I have been successful jumping at 6-6, it just a little bit I have to get over to get to 6-6 and achieve it.”
La Salle Academy sophomore Marshall Vernon and Cumberland junior Kiley DeFusco both earned impressive victories in their respective 3,000-meter races. Vernon, along with Bishop Hendricken teammates Jack Moretta and Will Olson, broke from the pack before the midway point of the 15-lap race. Vernon made his move with a few laps remaining and powered his way to a winning time and PR of 8 minutes, 49.18 seconds. Moretta secured second with a time of 8:54.89, while Olson settled for third at 8:58.0.
Vernon ran his last 1K in 2:52 and blazed to a final 200m of 32 seconds.
“The goal was definitely to run fast.” he said. “I knew Jack was in this race, so I knew it was going to be an honest pace. My goal was to kind of relax the first (kilometer) and kind of pick it up during the second (kilometer). Of course, I didn’t really do that but thankfully my coach was there and telling me I was going a little slow. The last (kilometer) I knew I had to make it up a little bit to get under 8:50. That was my goal, to get under 8:50.”
In the girls’ 3K, the Clippers’ DeFusco was in control from the start. She built up a sizable gap on the chase pack early in the race and from there a victory was never in doubt. DeFusco finished with a school record of 10:20.87. She was comfortably ahead of Classical’s Grace Doyle, who was timed in 10:39.53 for second. Mount Hope’s Jessica Deal was third at 11:00.92.
“I think the plan was just to take it out and see where I am at for the beginning of the season,” she said. “This is like my first 3K of the season. I just wanted to see what time I could put up for right now.
DeFusco, who was a member of the school’s swim team the last two years, is competing in her first season of indoor track. She was third in the 3,000m at the State Meet during the outdoor campaign where she clocked an all-time best of 10:18.xxx. She was fourth at the cross-country states this past fall.
“I think I have been really enjoying running, even more recently,” said DeFusco, while making reference to her decision to compete on the oval this winter. “I decided to switch from swimming to running and think it will help my future in the sport.”
With a strong finishing kick, Barrington’s Brandon Piedade was able to overtake the lead from eventual second-place finisher Eli Ziegler of Moses Brown with less than a 100m left to take the 1,500m with a time of 4:09.29 to Ziegler’s 4:09.67 effort. In the girls’ 1,500m, La Salle’s outstanding freshman Alyssa Parenteau went sub-5 with a PR of 4:57.14. South Kingstown’s Sofia Caito was second in 4:59.79.
“I just wanted to go out with the top pack because I know they’re good. I wanted to see what I could do,” Parenteau said. “I decided to take it (early) because I felt really good.”
Classical’s Susan Adekunie unleashed a more than five-foot best to capture the girls’ weight throw with a heave of 49-7.25. Woonsocket’s Adelaide Caron was second with PR of 49-1.5.
Adekunie indicated that strength work during summer has made a huge impact in her development as a thrower. After fouling on her first attempt, the Classical junior was all about consistency inside the circle with throws of 46 feet or further on her other five attempts.
“It’s just been strength training,” she said. “I have been lifting more consistently, just eating the right meals, core training, strength training, hard workouts. Just getting myself fit. I wasn’t fit last year. This year on working on stretching and getting fit.”
Rogers junior Kaden Thomas became our first thrower over 50 feet in the shot with a huge PR of 51-9. Thomas had a previous best of 48 feet from the Injury Fund Carnival.
“I just told myself before this meet I have to throw 51 (feet,” he said.
South Kingstown’s Sierra Thompson, one of our state’s top hurdlers last year, easily captured the 55m HH with a season best 9.08.
“I think I definitely could have broken nine (seconds),” she said. “It’s the beginning of the season to start off. I’m definitely trying to get a lot stronger as the season progresses. That’s something I’m trying to work on. “
Barrington teammates Bobby Wind and defending state champion Ethan Knight finished 1-2 in the 55m hurdles. Wind edged Knight with a winning time of 7.63, while Knight clocked 7.67. In his first season of indoor track after placing second to Knight in the 110m hurdles at the outdoor states, North Smithfield’s Aidan Bienvenue was third at 7.83.
