Whether it’s a solo effort from the start or she’s among the lead pack in a high-level meet, Kiley DeFusco knows how to adjust. The Cumberland High senior knows how to make the most of the opportunity that is presented to her.
In a span of less than 24 hours, DeFusco experienced both those scenarios with of pair of impressive performances that should bode in for her final season as a high-schooler. On Friday night, the Clippers’ multiple all-stater competed at the 3rd annual BSR Elite Scholastic Mile, held in conjunction with the New Hampshire Distance Festival. Facing some of region’s finest at Souhegan High, DeFusco held her own, blazing to a two-second PR and state No.1 of 4 minutes, 52.48 seconds. The College of Charleston commit came back on Saturday afternoon to runaway with the 800m title at the Sgt. Brian St. Germain Invitational with a state-leading and all-time best of 2:15.67.
The BSR Mile was a race within a race. In the battle for the individual title, New Balance Nationals indoor titlist Brooke Strauss of Glastonbury and Westford Academy’s Abby Hennessey made it a two-person race, breaking from the pack early and solidifying the top two spots with Strauss edging her rival and a nation No. 2 of 4:39.88 to Hennessy’s 4:40.76, an effort that’s just outside her nation No. 4 of 4:40.01 from last weekend’s Penn Relays Carnival.
DeFusco was among the leaders in the chase pack and ran relatively even split that included hitting the 800m mark at 2:25.73 and clocking 1:12.71 for her final 400m.
In all, nine of the 11 girls in the field broke five minutes.
“It was such a great race,” she said. “Everyone was kind of packed together which definitely made it really easy to go fast and hit your splits because there is so many people around you. Everyone there was amazing, so I’m super excited about that race.”
At the St. Germain Invite, DeFusco never left the outcome in doubt. She forged to the front by the first turn and won by more than six seconds. La Salle sophomore Carolina Terlato was second at 2:21.95.
Mid 70-degree temperatures greeted the runners with a slight wind at the West Warwick meet.
“There was a wind, but it was actually pretty nice because it cooled me down a little,” she said. “I am really happy with how today went. It was a PR for me. I am super excited about that.”
DeFusco admits that her way of preparing for a race doesn’t change much regardless of the competition.
“Honestly, I try to keep my mindset pretty consistent, every time I go into a race,” she said. “I just try and focus on what I’m suppose to hit for my own splits because there is always a chance that someone else could be doing really well. I just really try to focus on hitting all my splits and everything else seems to fall into place.”
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In the boys’ BSR Mile, just five seconds separated the top 11 finishers. Hendricken’s Colby Flynn raced to a more than five-second best of 4:14.54, an effort that placed him seventh overall. The Hawk senior clocking negative splits the final two laps, including a 62-second last 400m. Soheib Dissa of Newtown (CT) won the race in 4:10.43.
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The Ocean State did earn gold at the meet. In the inaugural BSR Elite Scholastic 800m, La Salle’s Eamon O’Brien took control on the opening lap and cruised to a nearly two-second best of 1:52.81. The Rams’ junior was just over a second ahead of runner-up Daniel Padley. The St. John’s Prep (MA) junior finished in 1:53.98.
O’Brien was just a week removed from a big win at the BSR Mid-Distance Classic where he was timed in his previous best of 1:54.39. Padley was second (1:56.40) in that race, too. Narragansett’s Cole Francis was seventh with a time of 1:56.86.
O’Brien ran Friday’s race just how he anticipated.
“I was planning to come out pretty fast, at least 55 (seconds for he first 400m), which we did. I then was going to start kicking,” said the LSA junior, who was 55.6 at the 400m split. “The plan was to run behind the pacer, but he was kind of going a little bit slow for my liking. I decided to just go for it and it end up working out in my favor.”
O’Brien had a positive mindset in the days leading up to the race.
“I felt great,” he said. ” I knew I was running against some talent. I knew I was going to come out on top. I said to myself, ‘On the way up, the days before leading up to this, I came here to win.’ And that’s what I did.”
