The Ocean State will have nearly 30 athletes and/or relay teams competing at The Armory in New York this weekend for the Nike Indoor Nationals. Here’s some of the top entries in the Championship events at NIN.
(Photos by Sterling Vernon @RhodeAndTrack Sports Photography. For more great photos by Sterling, click HERE)
Entries/Live Results
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LISA RAYE, West Warwick (60m, 200m)
It’s a big meet, a championship meet, you know the West Warwick sophomore will be ready to explode against the nation’s best. Perhaps even winning a national title. Nationally, Raye is ranked No. 6 in the 55-meter dash (6.82 seconds) and eighth in the 60m (7.39). The field includes four other runners that rank among the top seven in the country in the 60m and only one, besides Raye, in the 55m – MacKenzie Travis of Evangelical Christian School (FL), who went 6.75 en route to a runner-up finish and time of 7.26 at the Millrose Games, a meet Raye was fourth with her current best. In the 200m, Raye has an all-time best of 23.85, a time she ran to take the Freshmen race at NBN last spring. As always, she’ll be ready to contend in both races this weekend.
ERIN vonHOUSEN, Chariho (2 Mile, Mile & 800m)
The Charger senior will be competing at The Armory for the first time and will be looking to make an impact at the historic track in her indoor meet of her high school career. She’s entered in three event during the three-day meet, but the good new is they’re all on separate days. After finishing second in the two mile at the New Enagland’s this past weekend where she clocked a best of 10:45.43, vonHousen told us her goal at NIN is to enjoy the atmosphere and run her best with no specific time goals. In addition to the 2M, she has aa best of 4:58.36 for the mile, which she did less than two weeks ago to place second in the event at the Ocean Breeze Elite Invitational on Staten Island. She has an all-time best of 2:15.46 from the New Balance Nationals in June. Look for vonHousen to be run times in that range this weekend, kicking off with the two mile on Friday.
XENIA RAYE, West Warwick (60m, 200m)
Could we have both sisters make the finals in the 55m? It’s a possibility. The Wizard junior is having her best season and appears to be peaking at just the right time to excel this weekend. In her last three races in the short sprint, Raye has PR’d in the short sprint, clocking 7.13 at the class meet, 7.09 at the State Meet and 6.95 at the New England’s this past weekend. In all three races, she was second to her talented sibling. A time in that low 6.9 range could certainly earn a podium spot at Nike, and Xenia has proven she’s capable of doing that. In the 200m, she ran a PR of 24.94 at the Marathon Sports/HOKA Winter Classic. With her recent success, she’s has the ability to dip well under that mark this weekend.
WEIGHT-THROWERS, Weight-Throwers And, Yes, More Weight-Throwers
Not surprisingly, Rhode Island will have a total of 20 athletes competing in the boys’ and girls’ events in this meet, most who will be back at it again at the New Balance Nationals. Did you expect anything different from these dedicated guys and gals behind the cage? For the girls, the top competitors are Woonsocket’s Adelaide Caron (51 feet, 8 inches) and Classical’s Gifty Bediako (49-6), who are ranked No. 8 and No. 17 in the country . On the boys’ side, there’s Hendricken’s Matt Giuliano (69-7.5), Woonsocket’s Shamrock Thoun (68-8.5) and Barrington’s Joe Adams (67-6.5), who all rank among the top 20.
AILANI SUTHERLAND, Cranston West (60m)
We can forget the other member of our talented triad of sprinters. The Northeastern-bound senior is coming off a season best of 7.21 from the New England’s and has an all-time best of 7.11, which she did to place second at the regional meet last winter.
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SCHEDULE
FRIDAY
GIRLS
2 Mile (1:16 p.m.)
Erin vonHousen, Chariho
Weight Throw (2 p.m.)
Giana DeCesare, Ponaganset
Jullian Walters, Ponaganset
Julia Smith, Prout School
Angeliea Ortiz, Woonsocket
Isabella Piette, Woonsocket
Vanessa Jones, Toll Gate
Gifty Bediako, Classical
Adelaide Caron, Woonsocket
Mia Hoskins, Coventry
SATURDAY
60m prelims (11:08 a.m.)
Xenia Raye, West Waewick
Ailani Sutherland, Cranston West
Lisa Raye, West Warwick
200m Prelims (2:59 p.m.)
Lisa Raye, West Warwick
Xenia Raye, West Warwick
800m (2:27 p.m.)
Erin vonHousen, Ponaganset
SUNDAY
Mile (11:45 a.m.)
Erin von VonHousen, Ponaganset
BOYS
FRIDAY
Weight Throw (5 p.m.)
Anthony Colucci, Coventry
Owen Allen, Ponaganset
Owen Spira, Exeter/West Greenwich
Mitchell Murtha, Lincoln
Derrick Goll, Bishop Hendricken
Adam Beaudry, Woonsocket
Tyler Durang, Lincoln
Matthew Giuliano, Bishop Hendricken
Joseph Adams Barrington
Shamrock Thoun, Woonsocket
