It could be a Big Meet in the Big Apple for a few of our local athletes.
West Warwick’s Lisa and Xenia Raye, La Salle’s Marshall Vernon and a bunch of weight-throwers are among the entries for the prestigious Millrose Games. The two-day meet, held at the Nike Track & Field Center in New York City, features the weight throw and the pole vault on Thursday. Two days later, it’s all about the track where a few featured high school events are mixed in with elite, professional races, including the famed Wanamaker Mile on The Armory’s banked oval.
(Above photo by Sterling Vernon @rhodeandtrack)
In both high school weight throw competitions, the Ocean State has eight of the 12 entries, including the national leaders.
For the girls, Toll Gate’s Vanessa Jones is the top seed. Jones moved up to No. 1 in the national rankings this past weekend with her winning heave of 57 feet, 0.25 inches at the Class A meet. The Titan junior will be matched up against New York’s Meagan Ewers of Medger Evers College Prep, who she overtook for the top spot. Ewers has a best of 56-0.75 from the Martin Luther King Relays on Jan. 20. Classical’s Gifty Bediako, who is ranked No. 5 nationally with a best of 54-4.5, is also in the field. The event is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
The boys’ event, slated for 5:30 p.m., will have the 1-2-3-4 throwers in the country, all of whom call Rhode island their home. The top two are Woonsocket’s Shamrock Thoun and North Kingstown’s Jack Harmon, who were separated by just eight inches at the Class A meet. Thoun won with a near best of 79-9.5, while Harmon was second at 79-1.5. Thoun’s all-time best is a nation best of 79-11.75. At the three and four seeds are East Greenwich’s Ryan Evans (74-11) and Exeter/West Greenwich’s Owen Spira (74-6.5).
On Saturday, Lisa Raye will be looking to continue her unbeaten streak this season. She’ll be answering the gun in the girls’ 60m dash (1:57 p.m.). The Wizard junior broke her own state mark in this event two weeks ago at the New York International Showcase where she was timed in a nation-leading 7.24. Her top competition appears to be Mia Maxwell of Humble (TX), who owns a best of 7.38, a time currently tied for No. 5 in the country.
Xenia Raye is entered in the 300m (1:23 p.m.). She’s in the first of three heats. The WW senior has a best of 39.37, which she did a few weeks ago at the VA Showcase.
The Rams’ Vernon will face his biggest test of the winter. He’s among 15 of the nation’s finest in the Nike Boys’ Mile (3:30 p.m.). Based on times this season, Vernon is ranked No. 3 with his best of 4:10.88 from the MSTCA Boston Holiday Challenge. His effort from the Dec. 28 meet is ranked tenth nationally. The top seed is Soheib Dissa of Newtown (CT), who won the Holiday Challenge with a nation No. 5 of 4:06.64. New Mexico’s Corbin Coombs is the two seed. He was sixth this past Sunday in the Junior International Mile at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix with a PR of 4:06.89, a time that ranks No. 7 from coast-to-coast.
Former La Salle great Jack Salisbury will also be at Millrose. The Georgetown grad, who runs for Empire Elite, is entered in the Dr. Sanders 3,000m (4:40 p.m.). Among the runners he’ll be facing on Saturday are Olympic 1,500m gold medalist Cole Hocker and two-time Olympic medalist Grant Fisher.
