Boston University’s indoor track, located inside the school’s Track and Tennis Center, has been the site of[plethora of records, including four world records. It’s long been considered not only one of the fastest indoor tracks in the country, but globally, too.
(Lead Photo: Former La Salle great Kaylie Armitage won her heat in the 3K at the Sharon Colyear Danville Season Opener. The Furman junior finished 14th overall.)
Per usual, BU’s lightning-fast oval did not disappoint in its kickoff event to the 2024-25 winter campaign on Saturday, the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season-Opener. NCAA Indoor records were set in the women’s 5K and the men’s 3K. And in an insane grand finale to a long day of outstanding track performances by some top collegians, two-time cross-country champion Graham Blanks of Harvard blazed to a No. 2 all-time NCAA best for 5K with a winning 12 minutes, 59.89.
Ocean State Running was on site for the meet, and for good reason. Several of our former high school stars (and a few current ones, too) were in Beantown racing against the elite competition. Let’s just say it was a banner day for them as well.
West Warwick’s Lisa Raye, second from left, captures the 200m at Saturday’s meet. The Wizards’ Xenia Raye, far left, was fourth overall.
Beginning with the current ones, just about 24 hours after announcing their college commitments to the University of Georgia, Xenia and Lisa Raye of West Warwick started their seasons at BU with strong performances in the 60-meter dash and 200m. Lisa claimed the 200m title with a fast, early-season time of 24.55, while Xenia was fourth in 25.0. Competing unattached was former La Salle standout Alexis Caggiano, who was timed in 25.64 for seventh overall.
In the 60m, Lisa was second overall in 7.58, just five hundredths of a second behind Northern Colorado’s Precious Nzeakor. Xenia was third in 7.71.
Pilgrim’s Keaney Bayha was our only other high-schooler to make the trip. She competed in the 1,000m and broke the three-minute barrier for the first time with a PR of 2:58.47.
As for our collegians, one of the more impressive performances of the day belonged to former Saint Raphael great and Iowa State sophomore Devan Kipyego in the 3,000m According to SRA coach Chris Magill, he became our state’s fastest ever for the 3K distance with a time of 7:49.62. In a gritty performance, Kipyego nearly won his heat, falling just two-hundredths of a second short from On Running’s Sam Ellis, a 3:55 miler.
Competing unattached, Bryant’s Ryan Slaney, a Mount St. Charles alum, came close to his PR with a time of 8:09.77 in his heat. Former Cumberland all-stater and Amherst sophomore Henry Dennen ran a best of 8:18.60 in his heat.
In the women’s 3K, Virginia senior Margot Appleton, who starred at Portsmouth Abbey as a high-schooler, finished fourth overall. The two-time NCAA All American was timed in a best of 8:46.23.
Furman junior and one-time La Salle great Kaylie Armitage won her heat with a huge PR of 9:14.06. She was 32nd out of 128 that competed in the event. Breaking the 10-minute barrier for the first time was Davidson junior and NK alum Molly Sullivan. She crossed the line in 9:57.45.
Two-time Olympic Trials qualifier Sophia Gorriaran was second in the 800m. Moses Brown’s decorated alum, a sophomore at Harvard, was timed in 2:02.74.
It was a productive day for URI grad student and former La Salle all-stater, Joseph dosReis, who pulled off an impressive double. He came just strides from breaking four minutes in the mile with a time of 4:00.28, good for 12th overall. A couple of hours later, dosReis finished eighth in the 1,000m where he was timed in 2:22.92.
The men’s 5K featured a trio of low 14-minute efforts by some former high school stars with Hendricken alums and Butler teammates Luke Henseler (122nd, 14:04.93) and Jack McMahon (128th, 14:08.72) and Cumberland alum Ben Drezek (126th, 14:07.52) all coming through with solid performances.
Three-time state cross-country titlist and South Kingstown alum Ellie Lawler, a professional triathlete, clocked 15:57.80 in the women’s 5K.
With his high school coach Chris Magill, right, cheering him on during the final stretch, Iowa State sophomore Devan Kipyego, a St. Ray’s alum, powers his way to a second-place finish in his heat of the 3K.
