By the time she’s a senior, which is still two years away, Lisa Raye has a legit chance to break 11 seconds for the 100-meter dash. If anyone has any doubts that the West Warwick sophomore is capable of hitting that milestone before she graduates, they might want to replay the videos of her races at this past weekend’s New Balance Nationals.
Just like she did a day earlier in the prelims and the semifinals. Raye was all in when the gun was fired for Saturday’s final. And just like her previous two races, it wasn’t even close.
The Wizards gifted tenth grader bolted out of the blocks and blazed to her first national title with a meet, state and New England record of 11.26 seconds. Raye was simply dominant against a field that featured defending champion Adaejah Hodge of Montverde Academy (FL), who was third overall in 11.51. Pennsauken (NJ) sophomore Sianni Wynn was second at 11.49.
Raye’s effort in the short dash was her third straight time under 11.3 this weekend. On Friday, she clocked 11.29 in the opening round and a wind-aided 11.21 in her semifinal heat.
Earlier in the day, Raye anchored the Wizards to a new state record in the prelims of the 4x100m. The quartet, which also included Jailynn Huffman, Xenia Raye and Tatianna Baldenelli, combined for a time of 47.44 to finish tenth overall, just missing a top eight spot into the finals.
On Sunday afternoon, Lisa Raye will be looking for a possible sweep of the sprinting events when she toes the line in the finals of the 200m (2:49 p.m.). In the first round on Saturday, the WW standout finished with the best time of the day, winning her heat in convincing fashion with a time of 22.98. All eight qualifiers for Sunday’s race ran 23.78 or faster, including Hodge, the defending champion. She was the second quickest of the day with a 23.13 clocking.
Raye wasn’t the only athlete to strike it rich for the Ocean State. Coventry’s Zack DelSasso and Woonsocket’s Adelaide Caron each earned gold in their respective hammer competitions. DelSasso uncorked a winning toss and PR of 224 feet, 5 inches to win the boys’ title by more than three feet in an event dominated by Rhode Island. Aidan Ifkovits of New Platz (NY) placed second with a distance of 221-1. Behind Ifkovits were six throwers from the smallest state in the union – Exeter/West Greenwich’s Owen Spira (third, 218-5), Hendricken’s Matthew Giuliano (fourth, 211-4), Narragansett’s Owen Degnan (fifth, 208-11), Woonsocket’s Shamrock Thoun (208-10), Hendricken’s Derek Goll (seventh, 207-9) and Warwick’s Brandon Wolfenden (eighth, 204-11).
DelSasso victory finishes off a season that featured several milestones. It was one that included his first 200-foot throw and wins at the Southern Division Championships, the Sgt. Brian St. Germain Invitational and the Class A meet where he took over the nation lead with his previous best of 223-3.
“It’s really amazing to me,” he said. “I wouldn’t have thought I would ever be able to do this.”
The Villa Novans’ Caron, the top-ranked thrower since the start of the season, claimed her national crown by nearly 20 feet with a big-time PR of 182-1, her first effort over 180 feet and a best by more than five feet! Coventry’s Mia Hoskins (fourth, 161-6) and Ponaganset’s Giana Decasare (sixth, 160-6) also made the podium.
In other action on Saturday, Portsmouth’s Sean Gray finished 15th overall in the unseeded section of Championship 2 Mile with a PR of 9:11.06. Per usual, Gray ran negative splits the second half of the race. He passed though the mile mark in 4:37.85 and ran his last 800m in 2:14. The Patriots sophomore also competed in the 2K steeplechase where he was timed in 6:19.06.
With consistent 400m splits of 63-64 seconds, La Salle sophomore Marshall Vernon was 44th among 90 entries in the Championship Mile with a final time of 4:14.50.
Xenia Raye of West Warwick was second in her heat and 12th overall in the Championship 400m. She crossed the line in 55.08.
La Salle’s quartet of Joshua Aceto, Garrett Giroux-Pezzullo, Antonio Bearden and Amari Monteiro combined for a time of 43.03 in the opening round of the boys’ 4x100m.
Chariho’s Elias Sposato, the state’s 400m and 200m champion, competed in both events on Saturday. He was timed in 49.30 for the 400m and 22.62 for the 200m.
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Out in Oregon, Chariho’s Erin vonHousen finished off her outstanding high school career, and weekend, at the Nike Outdoor Nationals with a PR performance in the Championship Mile. The Charger senior dipped under 4:50 for the first time, placing tenth overall in 4:49.57.
