Nearly 50 schools spread out at three different locations this weekend. Hundreds of track & field athletes from those schools, competing in 19 different events all with one common goal. To proudly represent their respective teams at the RIIL Class Championships. For some it will be to achieve a PR and/or earn a qualifier or improve their seedings for the State Meet in two weeks. For others, an additional goal of helping their school win a team title is the main focus.
With all the being said, what are the events that we expect will generate the most excitements? Who are some of those athletes that were anticipating will be part of it?
Here’s what we consider the must-see events of the Class C Championships.
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Class C Championships – Girls
Day/Time: Saturday, 10 a.m.
Site: Exeter/West Greenwich
Teams: Westerly, Burrillville, Rogers, North Smithfield, Middletown, Achievement First, Exeter/West Greenwich, Prout School, Tiverton, St. Raphael Academy, Moses Brown, Scituate, Narragansett, Paul Cuffee, Providence Country Day, St. Mary’s Bay View, St. Patrick’s
Events to Watch: Take your pick in the 300-meter hurdles. The top four seeds are separated by just about a second. and No. 5 isn’t too far behind. North Smithfield’s Frances Tiner is the No. 1 seed with a best of 50-seconds flat from the Northern Division Championships. Providence Country Day’s Brenna Cannon (50.11) and Moses Brown’s Madison Rogers (50.61) have also gone sub-51. A few more that you have to consider are Prout’s Addie Daigle (51.10) and Westerly’s Dacia Gingerella (52.89)…The 1,500m has a chance to come down to the wire. North Smithfield’s Julia Dowling holds the top seed of 4:53.87 from her fourth-place finish at the Classical Classic. At the two seed is St. Raphael’s Mackenzie Lickert, who has a best of 4:56.51; although, she has run faster en route to her 5:11 mile at the BSR Mid Distance Classic. Bay View’s Jackie Mattos (4:59.66) and the Prout School’s Mia Bottaro (5:00.58) are two others that could figure in the mix. We predict this race could come down to a battle down the stretch between Dowling and Lickert…The 400m could get interesting with a possible 1-2-3 sweep by Moses Brown. The favorite here is junior Skylar Maxwell, who is ranked No. 2 in the state with her best of 57.08 from her victory at the Central Division Championships. The Quakers’ Rose Couto (1:00.93) and Kathryn Gauvin (1:01.71) are ranked No. 3 and No. 4. St. Ray’s Jayla Grimes will be looking to break up the party. She has a best of 1:00.66, a time that gives her the two seed…The javelin features defending state champion MacKenzie Cleary, who last week improved on her state best of 127 feet from last weekend’s Northern Division Championships…Things could get interesting in the discus with the 1-2 seeds – Scituate’s Ava Pilderian (116-11) and Prout;s Julia Smith (115-7) – separated by just over a foot.
Team Outlook: With most of their points coming on the oval, Moses Brown appears primed to capture its sixth straight team title. Prout, St. Ray’s and North Smithfield should be battling for the next three spots.
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Class B Championships – Boys
Day/Time: Saturday, 10 a.m.
Site: Exeter/West Greenwich
Teams: Westerly, Burrillville, Rogers, North Smithfield, Middletown, Achievement First, Exeter/West Greenwich, Prout School, Tiverton, St. Raphael Academy, Moses Brown, Scituate, Narragansett, Paul Cuffee, Providence Country Day, St. Mary’s Bay View, St. Patrick’s
Events to Watch: Just like it’s been throughout the season, no one is touching Owen Spira in the hammer throw. The Exeter-West Greenwich senior and nation leader has a best of 237-08, a distance that his nearly 70 feet closer than the No. 2 thrower in the field. Look for Spira to continue to make his mark in his specialty with the possibility of a 240-footer this weekend…Just like Class A with Brandon Wolfdensen, you always have to believe there is a possibility of 60-footer in the shot with Rogers’ Kaden Thomas. Thomas was less than a foot of the milestone during the indoor season with an all-time best of 59-4.75 from the RITCA Last Chance Qualifier. This past weekend, he had his best performance on the outdoor surface by winning the Eastern Division title with a heave of 58-1…St. Raphael Academy, a top contender for the team title, will be relying on senior Devan Tavares to come up big. The gifted junior is the No. 1 seed in three events – the 110m HH (15,.09), 300m IH (38.88) and the 200m (22.48). He also No. 2 in the triple jump (42-5). In the 110m HH, he shares the No. 1 spot with Rogers’ Jakari Medina. One clip of the hurdle could determine the winner in this one. The three seed isn’t too far behind Tavares and Medina with Westerly’s Marcos Uben coming in at 15.14…It’s clear the 1,500m will be a two-person race with our top two seeds more than 20 seconds faster than the next fastest in the field. Nonetheless, this one should be a good one. It matches Narragansett’s Cole Francis against St. Raphael’s Arthur Ferris. Francis has a best of 3:58.33 from last year’s fourth-place finish at the State Meet. Ferris comes in with a PR of 4:05.00, which he did to finish third at the Classical Classic. Both runners are gritty competitors and not afraid to make this race honest. We’re predicting a sub-4 in this one with this tandem mere strides apart coming down the final straightaway.
Team Outlook: After winning three straight team titles from 2021-23, St. Rays saw its streak come to an end last year when Moses Brown claimed the title. We believe the Saints will regain the hardware, and will do it handedly. Rogers, Moses Brown and the Prout School should be vying for the next three spots.
