We’re ready for another exciting season on the indoor track & field season. To get you pumped up for the winter campaign, Ocean State Running will preview some of the top athletes that we expect will make an impact over the next few months.
Here we preview with the girls’ hurdles & sprinting events.
55m
We think it would be safe to say that this is collectively one of the most talented group of sprinters we’ve had to start the season in the state’s history. Coming back this fall are three sprinters that rank No. 1, Tied at No. 3 and No. 7 all-time in the 55-meter dash and two of them still have one more year left! That list, of course, includes West Warwick sophomore Lisa Raye, Cranston West senior Ailani Sutherland and West Warwick junior Xenia Raye. Lisa Raye, who captured three individual titles at the State Meet, will be looking to dip under the seven-second barrier this winter. After a third-place finish at the East Coast Invitational, the gifted sprinter went on a tear. She was unbeatable against her state and regional rivals the remainder of the season in the short dash, a stretch of meets that featured a new state mark of 7.06 at the states, a New England crown the following week and a runner-up finish and R.I. record of 7.54 in the Freshmen 60m at the New Balance Nationals in mid March. How about what’s behind Raye? The Falcons’ Sutherland and Xenia Raye are two other fleeted-footed runners that you can’t count out to come up big during championship time. The tandem finished 2-3 at the State Meet. Sutherland was also a runner-up at the New England’s with a 7.11 best, a meet Xenia Raye placed sixth overall with a PR of 7.22. Could we potentially have one of more under seven seconds this fall? Also, don’t forget some of the other sprinters that are coming back that could make an impact and earn a spot on the podium. Our next six finishers at the State Meet are all returning this year. Mount Hope sophomore Thea Jackson, Classical senior Zaida Depina, Cranston West senior Quiana Pezza, East Providence junior Nazarae Phillip, La Salle senior Alexis Caggiano and Classical sophomore Precious Adefusi. As ninth-graders last winter, Jackson had a best of 7.42 at the State Meet and Adefusi went 7.67. Depina, Pezza, Phillip and Caggiano were all between 7.47 and 7.59.
300m
We could have several familiar faces in this event, too. Thirteen of the top 14 from last year’s State Meet will be back, including 1-2 finishers Lisa Raye and Sutherland. After winning her second title of the day with a then best of 41.15, Raye took advantage of the banked oval of the Reggie Lewis Center to win the New England crown with an all-time best of 39.50. She’ll undoubtedly be eyeing the current state mark of 38.86 by Classical’s May Stern from 2016. Sutherland comes in with a best of 41.33 from the states and is capable of improving on that time significantly. There’s also Depina and West Warwick’s Xenia Raye, who went fourth and fifth, respectively, at the states. Both runners, along with LIsa Raye, dipped under a minute for the 400m this past weekend at the BU Mini Meet. Lisa ran 57.88, Xenia clocked 58.48 and Depina was timed in 59.09. La Salle’s Caggiano and Classical teammates Shakeyri Arroyo and Jasmin Berganza are three other returnees that made the podium last year.
55m Hurdles
Especially at the Class B Championships and the State Meet, be prepared for some intense battles in this events from South Kingstown’s Sierra Thompson and the Wizards’ Lisa Raye. They’re our top two runners from last winter and the only hurdlers that went under nine seconds with Thompson clocking 8.74 at the World Trophy Invitational and Raye going 8.95 at the class meet where she finished second to Thompson. North Smithfield’s Bethany Marsella, who graduated in June, was the individual titlist last year. Raye was the runner-up in a race that Thompson was unable to compete at due to a sickness. We don’t anticipate anyone to challenge these two hurdlers, who we feel are capable of running in the mid eight-second range, especially come championship time. Although, don’t count out North Kingstown’s Cameron Saleh. She ran a best of 9.04 last year and was second to Raye in the 100m hurdles at the outdoor states where she was timed in. 16.25.
