It’s not uncommon this time of year for PRs to start accumulating at a rapid rate among our track & field athletes. With the class and state championships occupying most of the next few weekends, it’s only fitting if there’s been no hiccups in the training.
Case in point, Saturday’s Sgt. Brian St. Germain Invitational in West Warwick where PRs and state-leaders were certainly plentiful on a cool and often windy afternoon.
There were some like Barrington’s Ethan Knight, Saint Raphael’s Rory Sullivan and La Salle’s Garrett Giroux-Pezzullo that made statements with all-time best in their respective events.
And then there were others like West Warwick’s Tatianna Baldinelli, Barrington ninth-grader Brooks Mello and North Kingstown’s freshman duo of North Kingstown of Maura Whitney and Abbie Tighe that simply demolished their previous bests and proved their capable of making some noise at the State Meet on June 1.
In the girls’ 800-meter run, Whitney came on strong down the stretch to upset the field with a seven-second best of 2 minutes, 19.59 seconds. The Skipper frosh finished just ahead of Toll Gate’s Alison Pankowicz, who was timed in a best of 2:20.13 for the runner-up spot.
Prior to the gun being fired, Whitney was just hoping to knock a couple of seconds off her previous best of 2:27.
“I definitely did (expect this),” she said. “Going in, I was just hoping to stick with the leader. But the last 250 yards, I just got like another boost of energy. I just tried to use it and really kicked the last 100 (meters). Honestly, I was just hoping for a 2:25, so this is really surprising.”
Whitney’s effort moves her to No. 4 in the state rankings. With her latest performance, she’s now readjusted her goals for the season-ending states.
“Now I definitely know that I can stick with the leaders and hopefully outkick them at the end,” she said. “Before, I would go into it and stay at the bottom of the pack, especially at the states because there are so many amazing 800 (meter) runners. Now, I am just really hoping to stick with the top pack.”
Baldnelli achieved a 16-foot best to take the girls’ javelin at Saturday’s meet. The West Warwick junior unleashed a throw of 108 feet, 11 inches, an effort that moved her from No. 8 in the rankings to No. 2.
Baldnelli achieved her best in the preliminaries and thrice broke the 100-foot barrier during her series of throws. She finished six feet ahead of second-place Katie Richardson of Tiverton (103-9).
On her eventual winner, Baldnelli didn’t even realize it went as it far as it did.
“I thought it was going to be in the 90s,” she said. “I walked off and they told me that I got the highest one and I ended up winning, so I was pretty proud of myself.”
Coming on strong in the late stages, the Eagles’ Mello secured the runner-up spot in the 1,500m with a huge PR of 4:07.11, dipping 12-plus seconds under his previous best of 4:19.60. His time ranks No. 9 among ninth-graders in the country and is No. 6 in the state right now.
The race was won by pre-race favorite and multiple all-stater Cole Francis. The Mariners’ junior captured led from gun-to-wire, and crossed the line in a near best of 4:02.24.
“Today, I was really motivated,” Francis said. “I feel like training has been going so great. I really just wanted to see what i could do; just wanted to hit my splits and try not to make it too tactical of a race. I wanted to go out and make it as honest as possible. My goal coming into today was right around 4:01, and I just missed it. I’m still so happy with today’s race.”
The Skippers’ Tighe, a seventh-place finisher at the cross-country states this past fall, clocked an all-time best of 10:09.88 in the 3,000m to finish second overall. Her time was well under her previous outdoor best of 10:32.56 from her runner-up finish at the Southern Division Championships and nine seconds below her previous all-time best of 10:18.50 from the indoor season.
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Knight, Sullivan and Giroux-Pezzullo further solidified their status as top contenders for the upcoming states with impressive victories at the St. Germain Invite.
The Rams’ Giroux-Pezzullo joined a short list of four runners that have cracked the 50-second barrier in the 400m with a meet record of 49.46. The LSA sophomore had to hold off a flurry of talent behind him, including friendly rivals and teammates Thaden Lemmensah (second, 50.10) and Amari Monteiro (third, 50.25), who took the next two spots. Barrington’s Will DiGiarcomo was fourth at 50.75.
On his team’s state-leading relay squad, Giroux-Pezzullo has run 49 seconds. Saturday’s race was the first time he did it individually.
The conditions weren’t completely ideal with slight wind on the last straightaway. Still, the La Salle standout was able to power his way through the final stretch to earn his victory. His time ranks third in the state. Competing about 200 miles away at the Loucks Games in New York, Chariho’s Elias Sposato took over the No. 1 spot in the rankings with a time of 48.89.
“I am definitely happy,” said Giroux-Pezzullo, who was also third in the 200m (22.66). “I came out hard and relaxed. That was my plan to use the whole backstretch with the tailwind. I kicked with 150 meters to go and by then I was fighting through the wind. I still came out pretty strong and got away with what I wanted.”
The Saints’ Rory Sullivan was one of two double winners for the day. Cranston West’s Ailani Sutherland copped the 100m (12.24) and 200m (25.08), while Sullivan swept the distance events with victories in the 1,500m (4:35.99) and the 3,000m (10:05.81).
In both her races, Sullivan was in control and won comfortably. She posted a four-second win over Tighe (10:09.88) in the 3K and essentially ran solo in the 1,500m where she broke from the field early and was never challenged in the late stages. Placing second was Pankowicz at 4:46.37. La Salle frosh Alyssa Parenteau was third in 4:49.68.
Sullivan’s effort in the 1,500m improved on her all-time best of 4:39.31 from her win at the indoor states. The Furman-commit is a week removed from placing second at the BSR Elite Scholastic Mile where she ran a PR of 4:55.14.
“I am definitely happy to be running PRs and stuff,” she said. “I am happy to see my season progressing and my times dropping, too.”
The Eagles’ Knight won a close race with defending state champion Aidan Bienvenue of North Smithfield in the 300m hurdles. Coming around the last turn, the Barrington senior trailed the front-running Bienvenue by about 10 meters. He was able edge past his rival with just a few meters remaining in the race, and finished with a PR of 38.67. Bienvenue settled for second in 38.83. Portsmouth’s Landon Rodrigues was third at 39.36.
Earlier in the meet, Knight was second to teammate Bobby Wind in the 110m hurdles with Wind taking the crown in 14.43 to his 14.57 effort.
“My kick is where I am always strong and my from over the last few hurdles is always where I do best,” he said. “Coming over those last five hurdles, I had so much ground to make up. I knew that if I had the perfect form and could continue my momentum, I could catch him. Every hurdle was like closer, closer, closer. The last hurdle I ended up getting him with like two meters (left) , maybe. It was a great time. That was my school record and a new PR.”
It was also his first time under 39 seconds and moves him closer to his ultimate goal of breaking the state record of 38.13.
