From noon until 6 p.m., the PCTA will be a happening place on Saturday with the RITCA Girls’ Divisional Championships. Below we feature quick capsules/previews of all four meets – the Bayha, Sullivan, Headley and Dwyer divisions.
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BAYHA DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIPS
Day/Time: Saturday at 12 a.m.
Teams: Barrington, Cranston West, Cumberland, La Salle, Mount St. Charles, Pilgrim, Smithfield, South Kingstown, Toll Gate
Top Events/Athletes To Watch: Look for South Kingstown’s Sierra Thompson to make an impact on Saturday. The Rebels’ senior, who set a state record in the pentathlon this past weekend in Connecticut, is entered in three events. She’s the No. 1 seed in the 55-meter hurdles where she owns a PR of 8.61 from the East Coast Invitational a few weeks ago. Thompson also is the top entry in the high jump with a seed of 5 feet, 2 inches and among the top sprinters in the 55m dash. The Rebel standout ranks third in the short sprint behind Cranston West’s Ailani Sutherland (7.37) and La Salle’s Alexis Caggiano (7.46). This race could certainly get very interesting at the end…In the 300m, Caggiano and Sutherland will be back at it. The senior tandem checks into this event with bests of 42.10 and 42.95, respectively…We could have a race in the 1,500m. Six runners in this field have seeds under five minutes with Pilgrim’s Keaney Bayha at No. 1 with a time of 4:43.08 and Cumberland’s Kiley DeFusco the two seed with a best of 4:45.67. DeFusco is also scheduled to compete in the 3K where her top time of 10:20.87 is more than 30 seconds faster than the next seed. Will she run both to collect valuable points for the Clippers in their quest for the title? The other sub-5s include La Salle freshman Alyssa Parenteau (4:51.68), Mount St. Charles’ Emmy Belvin (4:53.15), Toll Gate’s Alison Pankowicz (4:58.90) and South Kingstown’s Sofia Caito (4:59.79). We’re expecting Bayha to take charge in this one. It all depends on who will step up behind her…The 4x200m had a chance to be a thriller at the end with Cranston West (1:48.33) and La Salle (1:48.84) the top two seeds by at least five seconds.
Team Outlook: There are a bunch of teams that we expect with be fighting for those top positions. With its depth and ability to score points in nearly every event, La Salle appears to be the favorite. But other teams like Cumberland, Barrington and Cranston West can all pose a threat. South Kingstown is strong, too.
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SULLIVAN DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIPS
Day/Time: Saturday at 12 a.m.
Teams: Bay View, Blackstone Valley Prep, Burrillville, Chariho, East Providence, Exeter/West Greenwich, Hope, Johnston, Lincoln, Moses Brown, Mount Pleasant, North Smithfield, North Providence
Top Events To Watch: Just a few weeks removed from her double-winning victories in the 3K and the 1,000m at the Yale Track Classic, Chariho’s Erin vonHousen will also be focused on sweeping two events this weekend. She entered in the 3K where her 10:00.65 best from Yale is more than a minute ahead of her closest rival. She’s also the top runner in the 600m at 1:42.64, five seconds better than the two seed. Our guess is vonHousen will not hold back in either event, aiming for a fast times in both and using the meet to further test her recovery between events for future meets (e.g. the state meet). Could we see our first sub 10-minute performance indoors at PCTA since La Salle’s Kaylie Armitage ran 9:54.78 to win the states in 2021? It wouldn’t surprise us if we did…It appears we could have a nail-biter in the 55m dash. East Providence tenth-grader Kendra Daniel is the No. 1 seed with a time of 7.74. Right behind is Lincoln’s Alanna Somyk at 7.77. A few others are within range, too, with the Townies’ Kandace Daniel (7.85), the Lions’ Kyla Duarte (7.85) and Hope’s Zariya Brown (7.94) also under eight seconds…Exeter/West Greenwich’s Nini Olawuyi (high jump, long jump) and Chariho’s Weeko Thompson (shot, weight) will be looking to sweep their respective events where they own the top seeds.
Team Outlook: With the potential to earn gold in at least five events, and score high in several others, Moses Brown is the team to beat in this meet. Lincoln and Chariho could be fighting for that runner-up spot.
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HEADLEY DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIPS
Day/Time: Saturday at 3 p.m.
Teams: Classical, Westerly, Portsmouth, North Kingstown, Cranston East, West Warwick, Woonsocket, Prout School, Coventry
Top Events To Watch: This meet features the Raye sisters of West Warwick, who will undoubtedly be making their marks in this weekend. Lisa and Xenia are the 1-2 seeds in the 55m and 300m and we expect that will be unchanged in both races on Saturday. As most know, Lisa broke seven seconds in the short dash at the East Coast Invitational, demolishing her own state record with a 6.94 clocking. She could go sub-7 again in this one. Xenia is comfortably at No. 2 with a best of 7.28. At 39.94 and 41.34 for the 300m, both could prove untouchable in the 300m as well. In the 55m hurdles, Lisa is more than a second faster than anyone else where she has a best of 8.38… Classical will be looking for some big points from Grace Doyle, who is the No. 1 seed in the 3K (10:39.53), 1,500m (5:00.60) and the 1K (3:14.30)…We could have a tight race in the 600m where the top three runners are separated by less than a second based on their seeds times. That trio includes Classical’s Orla Howlett (1:44.30), and Westerly teammates Sydney Halk (1:44.85) and Calla Bruno (1:45.13)…The weight throw is loaded, featuring some of our state’s best behind the cage. Among the top athletes are Classical’s Susan Adekunie (49-7.25), Woonsocket’s Adelaide Caron (49-1.5), Coventry’s Mia Hoskins (48-2), Woonsocket’s Isabella Piette (47-8.25), and Classical’s Gifty Bediako (47-3.25), to name a few. Could we have our first 50-footer of the season? It could happen this weekend.
Team Outlook: With top competitors in a plethora of events, Classical is the overwhelming favorite to take home the hardware. West Warwick with the Raye siblings seems like a solid No. 2.
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DWYER DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIPS
Day/Time: Saturday at 3 p.m.
Teams: Central, Central Falls, East Greenwich, Juanita Sanchez, Mount Hope, Narragansett, Ponaganset, Rogers, Scituate, Shea, St. Raphael Academy, Tolman
Top Events To Watch: We expecting a few athletes to walk away from this meet with a few gold medals wrapped around their neck. St. Raphael’s Rory Sullivan, who recently was selected as the Gatorade Athlete of the Year for cross country, is the top seed in the 3K, 1,500m and the 1K. We expect she’ll run all three to garner valuable points for the Saints. For the longest event on the track, Sullivan comes in with a state best of 10-minutes flat for the GBTC Invitational this past weekend. That’s more than 50 seconds faster that Mount Hope’s Jessica Deal, who brings a 10:53.47 season best to the line. Sullivan is the only runner under five minutes in the 1,500m with a 4:44.69 best. She leads the field in the 1,000m by 14 seconds with a PR of 3:00.31. No. 2 in the race is teammate Faith Perry (3:14.12). Look for the two teammates to work together to try and collect 18 points for the Saints. Mount Hope sophomore Thea Jackson could also be a multiple champion. She ranks No. 1 in the 55m (7.25) and the 55m hurdles (9.33). She also the two seed in the long jump (17-2.25). The long jump could be a prosperous event for the Huskies. Lola Silva holds the No. 1 seed (17-9.75) and Kali Rocha is at No. 3 (15-6). In the throwing events, Ponaganset’s Gianna Decesare is the best in the field for the shot (35-1) and weight (45-1.5)…Don’t ignore the high jump at this meet. This event features our state-leader, Katelin Cruikshank of Middletown. She has a PR of 5-5 from the RITCA Invitational early last month.
Team Outlook: Of the four meets this weekend, this one will be the closest teamwise. Mount Hope, Ponaganset, and St. Ray’s all have a legit chance to win the plaque. The meet’s final event, the 4x400m, could be the determining factor.
