The weather for Saturday’s New England’ Championships is predicted to be ideal with partly cloudy skies, the temperature in the mid 70-degree range and a low wind. Be prepared for a PR Fest and record-breaking day at this weekend’s meet, held at the University of New Hampshire’s Wildcat Stadium.
Here we feature some of the events where our RI athletes have a chance to challenge for a top position with the potential to earn gold.
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BOYS
Fourteen sprinters in the 200-meter dash have dipped under 22 seconds at their recent state competitions. Four of them call RI home with the La Salle trio of Garrett Giroux-Pezzullo (21.64), Joshua Aceto (21.96 seconds) and Amari Monteiro (21.98) and Central’s Elijah Gardea (21.81) in the field We don’t expect indoor 300m champion Maxim Copland of Windsor (CT) to lose this race. Copland won the recent State Open with a blazing 21.18, nearly four tenths faster than the next seed. We do expect the Ocean State will have a strong showing in this event with a few capable of making the podium.
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The 800m has the potential to be one of the most competitive races of the afternoon. Seven in this race have broken 1:54 this season for the two-lapper, including RI titlist Thomas Breen. The Classical standout took individual honors at the State Meet in 1:54.85 after running a 1:53 anchor leg for his team’s winning 4x800m. Breen won the Hendricken Invitational with his current best of 1:53.96. He’s entered as a No. 11 seed based on what he did at the states, but is right among the top runners in this field that could make this race very fast. The top entry is Andrew Thornton-Sherman of St. Johnsbury (VT) with a PR of 1:51.82 from his victory at the Essex TF Invitational on May 25. The next seed is Jacob Redman of Bedford (NH) with a time of 1:52.62. The rest are in that 1:53 zone. Based on the competitiveness that Breen has shown us the last few weeks, we feel he’s ready for the biggest race of his career in a field like this. Don’t be surprised to see him among our leaders late in the race.
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The clear-cut favorite in the 3,200m is Matthew Giardina of Bishop Guertin (NH), who ran a best of 9:04.12 at the Glenn B. Loucks Games last month. But look for Portsmouth’s Sean Gray to be battling for a top position this weekend. Gray is coming off his dominant victory in the 3K at the recent State Meet where he was timed in a best of 8:33.13, a time that computes to a 9:10.95 for the 3,200m, No doubt Gray will be eyeing a sub 9:10 on Saturday, a time he proved he’s capable of after his solo effort at the states, which he won by more than 20 seconds!
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The field is tight for the 1,600m this weekend with the end result potentially producing a victory for our small state. The No. 1 seed is Cumberland’s Will O’Shea, who captured an exciting 1,500m race at this past Saturday’s State Meet with a PR of 3:56.69, a time that computes to a 4:14.13 for the 1,600m. Barrington’s Brandon Piedade, who was third in the race at 3:57.44, is among the four others that are in that 4:14-4:15 range this year for the 1,600m/mile. We’ve learned that La Salle’s Marshall Vernon, a runner-up at the states and owner of a 4:10 best from the BSR Elite Scholastic Mile in early May, is not in this race. He’s taking Saturday off to prep for next weekend’s New Balance Nationals. Don’t ignore Maddox Jordan of Noble (ME), who was third in this race in 2023 with a best of 4:10.35. This should be a good one.
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The hurdle events feature some top RI entries with Barrington’s Ethan Knight and Bobby Wind, our 1-2 finishers at the states in the 110m HH, holding the No. 2 and No. 7 seeds in that event and Knight and North Smithfield’s Aidan Bienvenue, who went 1-2 in the 300m IH, at the No. 3 and No. 5 seeds in this event. In the 300m IH, pay particularly close to the finish line clock where we think a state record could be set. The current mark is 38.13, a time that Knight has been chasing the last few weeks. His PR of 38.40 from the State Meet was the fourth time he’s gone under 39 seconds in this race.
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Speaking of state records, there’s the potential for two from La Salle in the 4x100m and 4x400m relays. The Rams are the No. 3 seed in the 4x100m with their best of 41.94 from the states. The current record in that event is 41.86. La Salle is a two seed in the 4x400m with its best of 3:19.34 from this past weekend. That’s an effort that’s a little more than a second from the RI mark of 3:18.09
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GIRLS
Xenia and Lisa Raye are back, and much like this past weekend’s State Meet, we’re expecting similar results from West Warwick’s gifted siblings. Lisa Raye won’t be able to match her four individual victories from last weekend’s states, simply because she’s only entered in two, the 100m and the 200m, events she’s the defending champion. We’re expect she’ll repeat the magic on Saturday with the meet records clearly in jeopardy. The Wizards sophomore’s PR of 11.37 from the State Meet, is just under the 11.41 MR by Maine’s Kate Hall from 2015. In the 200m, her nation-leading 22.73 is well under the record of 23.64 by former Hope great Quashira McIntosh, also in 2015. Xenia Raye, a two seed in the 100m (11.67), is ranked No. 1 in the 400m with her best of 54.73. The Raye sister will also run legs on the team’s 4x100m relay that’s ranked No. 17, based on their fourth-place time of 49.83 from this past weekend’s meet without Lisa Raye. With talented tenth-grader part of the quartet, this team blazed to a state best of 48.82 at the Mount Pleasant Invitational, a time that would make them a sixth seed at the New England’s. The state record in 47.90. It could be broken this weekend with a victory well within the reach of the Wizards.
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The 1,600m features six runners with seeds under five minutes. While it would be a longshot for her to pull off a victory, we do think Chariho’s Erin vonHousen is capable of placing among the top three. The No. 1 seed and the overwhelming favorite is Katherine Bohlke of Newington (CT), who went sub 4:50 her last three meets for the 1,600m, including a PR of 4:47.27 from the CIAC Class LL Championships two weeks ago. Bohke was also a fifth-place finisher in the mile at the Penn Relays Carnival where she clocked an all-time best of 4:44.77. The Chargers’ vonHousen has an all-time best for the mile of 4:53.60 from the Nike Indoor Nationals. With just this race to concentrate on this weekend, she’s certainly capable of getting a time in the low 4:50 range in her final race before the New Balance Nationals next weekend.
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In the 3,200m, five have seeds under 11 minutes. At No. 5 is Cumberland’s Kiley DeFusco with a time of 10:51.23. This time is based on her PR and winning effort of 10:06.63 from the State Meet, a race she won by 10 seconds. This weekend will be different. This weekend it won’t be solo for DeFusco with a talented field that includes four runners that have gone faster than 10:35 for the 3,200m or two mile, including Maine rivals and Teanne Ewings of Houlton and Ruth White of Orono. Ewings, the New England indoor winner, beat White at the Maine Class C State Championships last weekend in both the mile (4;58.65) and the two mile (outdoor best 10:33.65). She has an all-time best of 10:28.43 for the deuce from indoor. White has a best of 10:27.84, also from indoor. Both seniors and UNH commits will be competing on the same track they’ll be calling home for the next four years. They’ll have added motivation to impress with their future coaches likely in attendance. This race will be fast and could be won with a sub 10:20 performance. While a victory in this race does not seem likely for DeFusco, we do expect the Clippers gifted junior to be pushed to a time in the low 10:40 range this weekend with this kind of field.
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The eight-year-old meet record of 3:49.10 for the 4x400m relay could be challenged this weekend with top-seed Bloomfield (CT) in the race. The Warhawks went under that mark at this past weekend CIAC State Open where they were timed in 3:48.20. Bloomfield might get pushed early from fellow CT rival and two seed William Hall, who was second at the State Open with a best of 3:55.59. But we expect the Warhawks to take this one with a record-breaking effort. Where does that leave RI’s top entry, Classical? Right in the mix for a top-3 finish and possible silver-medal performance. The Purple are one of four teams that have broken four minutes with their triumphant 3:59.79 from the recent State Meet. That time puts Classical at the three seed and the only sub four-minute team that doesn’t call the Nutmeg State its home with EO Smith at No. 4 with a top time of 3:59.94. On the cusp of going sub-4 is MA’s Amherst Pelham with a seed of 4:00.44 from the MIAA Meet of Champions. The teams fighting for the two through five spots on Saturday could be where the real race is and Classical is certainly one of the contenders.
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Heading into the State Meet this past weekend, none of our athletes had exceeded 40 feet in the shot all year. By the time the competition was finished at Conley Stadium, we had two over the milestone with 1-2 finishers Gifty Bediako (42-2) and Cumberland’s Payton Goulding (40-3.75). Both shot-putters are among the top six in this field with Bediako at No. 3 and Goulding holding the sixth spot.
