For Lisa Raye, it’s not the racing part that has been the most difficult thing for her to do in track & field. In fact, among her state peers, the last time the West Warwick junior was defeated was April 29, 2023 at the Classical Classic where the then ninth-grader was second to former Cranston West standout Ailani Sutherland in the 100-meter dash.
What truly has been one of the most difficult things for Raye is actually remembering just how many individual state titles she has accumulated in her high school career. That was a question the Wizards’ gifted sprinter couldn’t answer after Saturday’s RIIL State Indoor Track & Field Championships – a meet she added for more to her collection.
In case you’re wondering, the answer there is 17 gold medals!
For the third consecutive State Meet (indoor and outdoor), Raye’s spectacular showing on the big stage enabled West Warwick to walk away with the team hardware, its’ second straight on the indoor surface. The Wizards compiled 67 points, 10 more than second-place Classical. Cumberland was third with 51 points.
Raye won the 55m dash (6.87 seconds), 300m (40.24), 55m hurdles (8.11) and the long jump (19 feet, 1 inch). In all the events, except the 300m, she established new meet records. Older sister Xenia Raye also contributed greatly to the total with a pair of runner-up finishes in the 55m (7.06) and 300 (40.57) and a lightning-fast split on her team’s third-place 4x200m squad (1:48.06)
West Warwick coach Jeff Parenteau wasn’t surprised by the closeness of the meet.
“I never taking anything for granted,” he said. “I knew there were a lot of good teams that could push us, and it showed that. It was a fairly close meet. I knew we were going to need more than Lisa and Xenia’s accomplishments, and we got that today. We got eighth place from Shanna Correia in the high jump (4-10). We go an eighth place from Jailynn Huffman in the hurdles (9.33) and our 4x200m team, just fantastic, got third place. We started off the meet the right way and that kind of set the tone.”
In a relatively short span, Lisa Raye was able to win all four of her events. She accomplished her quadruple victories in just about 80 minutes.
“Today was definitely a bit more challenging than the class (championships) or the dual meets,” Raye said. “The 300m I had to keep going back-and-forth and stuff. I am really happy with my performances. I did pretty well.”
Next up for Raye is the New England’s on March 1 and then two weeks later the New Balance Nationals in Boston where she’ll be listed as the favorite in both the 60m and 200m.
“I am definitely just going to remain focused and keep up with my training and making sure I am doing everything right leading up to the meet,” Raye said.
On the subject of four events, that was on the slate for Pilgrim’s hard-working senior Keaney Bayha. Bayha finished the day with 31 points. She captured the 3,000m (10:08.22), placed second in the 1,500m (4:49.69) and 600m (1:38.81) and was fourth in the 1,000m (3:05.40).
In the 3K, Bayha had her eyes set on the meet record of 9:54.79, set four years ago by La Salle alum Kaylie Armitage. Just two weeks prior to the states, she ran her current best of 9:59.38.
“I tried to hold on to it as much as I could, but the splits weren’t there,” she said. “I didn’t have it the same way I did at (the class meet), which is kind of disappointing. I just kept trying to go, it just didn’t really happen. That’s part of racing. It is what it is. Obviously I’m not thrilled with it, but I won, so that’s okay.”
Bayha achieved an all-time best in the 600m, a race she moved from eighth after 200 meters to second by the finish, just over a second behind Moses Brown’s Skyler Maxwell.
Cumberland’s Kyle DeFusco was a double winner in the meet. DeFusco was lights out in the 1,500m with a gun-to-wire victory and meet record of 4:35.82. Following Bayha across the line was Portsmouth’s Allie Kaull in third at 4:51.61. DeFusco looked just as strong in the 1,000, where she took control from the gun and coasted to a time of 2:589.06. North Kingstown sophomore Maura Whitney was second in 3:01.43. She was followed by the Clippers’ Rose Tuomisto at 3:01.69.
DeFusco’s time in the 1,500m was a PR by seven seconds.
“I have been training for it all year so I was definitely expecting to pretty well, so hopeful run a really good time,” she said. “But I don’t think I was expecting to PR by so much today. I was hoping for a strong race and really glad how it turned out.”
Along with teammates and fellow middle/long distance runners, Emily Bourke, Paytner Maher and Charli McCue, DeFusco also ran a leg on the Clippers’ fourth-place 4x400m relay (4:11.72).
The Quakers’ Maxwell had a big day. The talented junior and top-ranked 600m runner all season won her specialty with PR of 1:37.55. She also ran the anchor legs on her team’s first-place 4x200m and 4x400m relays. In both races, Moses Brown beat Classical, which had times of 1:46.65 and 4:06.51, respectively.
“It feels really good,” she said. “We started out strong, winning the 4x200m, which was a surprise. We weren’t ranked first. I don’t know. I think that just got the momentum going. In the 600m, I had the lead and didn’t wanted to overestimate it and didn’t want to take anything for granted. I just tried to run my own race and not think of any of the other opponents. And for the 4x400m, I was just like seeing what I had left.”
Saving her best for last, Toll Gate’s Vanessa Jones captured the weight throw with a PR of 59-2. She improved on her nation best by more than two feet. Jones’ achieved her winning toss on her sixth and last attempt, overtaking Gifty Bediako of Classical. Bediako held the lead after unleashing a nearly four-foot best of 58-1.75.
“I saw where (Bediako’s throw) landed and was like, ‘That’s huge.’ I looked at my coach and I said, ‘I really got to hit this throw,'” Jones recalled.
Bediako didn’t go home empty-handed. She came back and defended her title in the shot with a distance of 40.7.75. Her third straight state title in the shot when factoring in her outdoor crown from last spring.
“It felt good,” she said. “It was a really rough series of throws, honestly. I fouled my first two then got my third one in to get to finals. The first throw in the finals, that’s when I threw it and that’s what got me first. A rough series but overall I’m just happy with getting first.”
In the weight throw, Bediako just went for it on her final attempt.
“It was my last throw so I really knew I had nothing to lose,” she said.. “I was in a good position at the beginning of the meet. I had a lot of 53 (footers), one 55 (footer) and another 53 (footer). Having that big throw was really all about getting the ball in position and checking it at the end.”
Exeter/West Greenwich’s Nini Olawuyi cleared 5-2 to win a tight competition in the high jump. The next four finishers also went 5-2 with East Greenwich’s Sydney Spitzer taking, Barrington’s Helena Hyde placing third and Chariho’s Emily Brown and South Kingstown’s Jasmine Thompson tying for fourth.
“It feel amazing,” Olawuye said. “It didn’t clock to me at first that I actually am a state champion now. I have been fighting for it since my freshman year. It’s really great to get it today.”
North Kingstown edged La Salle in the 4x800m relay. The Skippers’ foursome of Whitney, Abbie Tighe, Abigail Nicopoulos and Ellie Tighe combined for a time of 9:38.03, just .63 ahead of the Rams.
