It’s the first state qualifier of the outdoor season. You know it’s going to be a good one. Here’s what we consider some of the must-see events at Saturday’s Classical Classic.
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Hammer Throw
With the level of talent that the state produces each and every year in hammer, you can pretty much count on this event being among our list. This weekend is no different. The No. 1 seed is Woonsocket’s Adelaide Caron, who opened up her spring season with a big-time PR and nation-leading throw of 176 feet, 8 inches. Right behind is teammate Isabella Piette. The Villa Novan junior is coming off a fantastic week in the throwing events with victories at the Bob Gourley Throwers Pentathlon and the New York Relays. She boast a best of 165-4 and ranks No. 8 in the country right now. Coventry’s Mia Hoskins (156-4) and Classical’s Gifty Bediako (152-2) are two others that could make the results interesting at the end.
400m
We’re expecting this race to come down to the last few meters, perhaps a lean at the finish determining the winner. The top runners in the race are Classical’s Zaida Depina, St. Raphael’s Jayla Grimes and La Salle’s Alexis Caggiano. All three have broken a minute their careers. Caggiano ran 58.93 at the Nike Indoor Nationals and last week captured the one-lapper at the BSR Mid-Distance Classic where she clocked 1:00.01 under windy conditions. The weather appears perfect for Saturday’s race with the temperature in the mid 60-degree range and clear skies. If Conley Stadium doesn’t have its’ typical wind tunnel, expect the Rams’ senior to be back in the 58-second range, perhaps faster with the competition she’s facing. Depina, who was fifth in the 300m at the indoor states, ran a PR of 58.5 to place fourth at the New England’s last spring. Grimes has a seed of 59.20. A couple more that you can’t ignore are Barrington freshman Katie Pearse (1:00.80) and Cranston West’s Stalia Boisse (1:01.28), to name a few.
Long Jump
If you want to see an intense competition, you might want to head over to the long jump pit when it’s time for the finals. Just to give you an indication of what to expect, the No. 4 seed was our state indoor champion. At that spot is Cranston West’s Quianna Pezza with an outdoor best of 17-5.5. During the winter, Pezza was a lot further than that, winning her first individual crown at the State Meet with a distance of 18-10.5. The field on Saturday includes six athletes with seeds that are further than 17 feet. Cumberland’s Grace Bleyer, who went 17-9 to place fifth at the indoor states, will be eyeing 18 feet this weekend. There’s also Mount Hope sophomore Thea Jackson (17-8.75), Cranston West’s Nini Olawiyi (17-7.5), Barrington’s Sophia Ford (17-4) and Eagles’ teammate Helena Hyde (17-0) that could figure in the mix.
300m HH
Our state’s top three hurdlers from last year’s State Meet will not be there, but that doesn’t mean this race won’t get exciting. In fact, this one could be one of the more exciting of the day. The top two seeds both come in with times under 48 seconds with Cranston West’s Reece Vitale and Wheeler’s Nora Kiley on the line. Vitale has a seed of 47.80, while Kiley checks in at 47.82. The next two in this race have gone sub-50 with Portsmouth’s Emily DeCondo (48.16) and Mount Hope’s Lola Silva (49.70) answering the gun.
1,500m
We’re expecting this race to be a tight one right from the start. The 1-2 seeds are the runners we believe will make it that way, and the ones that have the best chance at coming on top. Saint Raphael’s Rory Sullivan holds the No. 1 spot with an all-time best of 4:39.31 from her victory at the indoor states. Mount St. Charles’ Emmy Belvin, who has a seed of 4:45.89 from her third-place finish at the indoor states in 2023, is at No. 2. Sullivan, who competed in the Championship 3K at the Penn Relays Carnival on Friday night where she ran a state best of 10:02.84, is entered in three events at the Classical Classic – the 3K, 1,500m and 800m. We’re predicting she’s not doing all three but will be in the 1,500m. Will her race at Penn take anything out of her against a gusty runner like Belvin. It could. Still we expect it to be a strong battle and a grinder to the end.
