The snowstorm didn’t prevent a number of our teams and athletes from competing (and excelling) this past weekend at a pair of track & field meets.
On Sunday, athletes from Barrington, Cranston West and West Warwick were among the entries at the inaugural Marathon Sports Winter Classic at the TRACK at New Balance. In Staten Island, N.Y., Bishop Hendricken made its annual trip to the Ocean Breeze Freedom Games On Saturday. Here in the state, several teams were at University of Rhode Island for Saturday’s URI Indoor Track Classic
MARATHON SPORTS WINTER CLASSIC
Cranston West’s Alonzo Parker-Sharpe proved to be the fastest of the day. The Falcons’ talented sprinter swept the two shortest races of the meet with victories in the 60-meter dash (7.16 seconds) and the 200m (22.67). Parker-Sharpe was also fourth in the 400m (51.41).
In the 400m, Barrington’s Ethan Knight came on strong around the final turn to power his way to the individual title. Knight was timed in a PR of 50.40. The Eagles standout also held off teammate Bobby Wind in the 60m hurdles where he broke the tape in a winning 8.29, a mere .01 ahead of Wind.
In the 400m, Knight used a patient approach.
“It was a pretty strategic race, to be honest,” he said. “I was watching the other guys run it before. I know that this was a banked track and I’ve never run it before. I saw that these guys were cutting in on the banks without losing too much energy. I would never cut in on a normal track. I realized that if I kicked on the last straightaway I would not be able to gain any distance on people so I decided to make my pass on the bank and had a good kick. Honestly, I feel I could have gave more.”
In the women’s/girls’ sprint events, RI athletes were prevalent, led by a double-winning performance by West Warwick sophomore Lisa Raye. Raye won a tight race in the 60m dash where she blazed to a season best of 7.62. The gifted tenth-grader also claimed gold in the 200m where she clocked a SB of 24.35.
In the short dash, Raye was just ahead of Norton (MA) senior Jillian Strayner, who was timed in 7.74. Just a week earlier, Raye held off Strayner to win the 60m at the MSTCA Boston Holiday Challenge where the two were separated by six hundredths of a second.
“I was really happy, especially since last week my block starts were a little rusty,” she said. “But today I was able to fix it and do better and even run a personal best indoor for my 200m.”
The Wizards’ Xenia Raye, a junior, was a runner-up in the 200m (24.94) and placed third in the 60m. Cranston West’s Ailani Sutherland was also among the top finishers in both events, taking fourth in the 60m (7.97) and 200m (25.67).
Raye achieved PRs in both her events.
“I’m very proud of myself,” she said. “This early in the season, knowing competition season is coming up quick, it’s good that my numbers are all coming down. That’s really what I’ve been working towards in practice. Today It was really good to see it all come together.”
Barrington’s Evelyn Lefort captured the women’s/girls’ 3,000m. She edged Newfoundland (NH) Regional’s Emerald Briggs. Lefort crossed the line in 11:21.76, while Briggs was timed in 11:22.75.
La Salle senior Alexis Caggiano became our state’s third girl under a minute in the 400m by winning the two-lapper in 59.48.
In the high jump, Barrington’s Chucky Potter leaped 5-10.75, an effort that placed him third overall. The Eagles’ Patrick Trainor (19-9.75) and Aden Memoli (18-5.75) were third and fifth, respectively, in the long jump.
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FREEDOM GAMES
Hendricken demonstrated its strength at Saturday’s meet, held at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex. The Hawks went home with the team title, collecting 21 points. Rancocas Valley Regional (NJ) was second with 17 points.
BHS senior Jacob Coates moved to No. 1 in the state rankings by finishing third in the 300m with a a school record of 35.47. Coates also holds the top spot this season in the 600m with a time of 1:24.90.
In the two mile, junior Jack Moretta was second overall with a time of 9:29.08. That time currently ranks No. 21 in the country.
The Hawks had three make the podium in the weight throw. Derek Goll led a 1-2-5 finish by taking the event with a heave of 61 -6.5. He was followed by teammates Ethan Conley (58-3) and Jacob Weidenger (49-5).
Senior Tommy Flanders, currently our No. 2 runner in the 600m, was ninth in his speciality with a 1:26.79 clocking. Arion Amoruso matched that placement in the shot with a distance of 42-6.
The Hawks had solid showings in the relay events, too. Hendricken was second in the 4x800m (8:29.94), fourth in the 4x400m (3:32.44) and seventh in the 4x200m (1:33.16).
