Yes folks, with the State Meet on Saturday, it’s preview week here at Ocean State Running. We’ll do our best to let you know what to expect this weekend when the best of the best compete at Brown Stadium. Here we feature the girls’ sprinting and hurdling events, which includes the 100-meter dash, 200m, 400m, 100 high hurdles and 300m intermediate hurdles
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100m
Just like it’s been the last two years, the top two placements in this event will belong to Lisa and Xenia Raye. In the final State Meet of their high school careers, West Warwick’s gifted sister duo will not disappoint with sub 12-second performances and a 1-2 finish at Brown Stadium. Lisa Raye, the two-time defending champion, skipped the Southern Division Championships to continue to heal a hamstring injury. She only competed in one event at the Class B Championships and the one event at the Mount Pleasant Invitational, both with the intention of to getting 100m and 200m qualifiers for the states. With the New Balance Nationals two weeks from now, a meet where she’ll be defending her 100m and 200m titles, we’re not anticipating that she will be trying to break any records this week with a focus on just winning. The Wizards’ speedy junior has a best of 11.30 from the Arcadia Invitational at the beginning of the season. Look for the younger Raye to be running a time more in the 11.5-11.6 range. Xenia comes in with a best of 11.67 from Arcadia. Mount Hope’s Thea Jackson, who just received clearance from her doctor that she can compete this weekend after an ankle sprain and fibula fracture from a mishap at practice nearly ended her season, is the No. 3 seed. Will Jackson be recovered enough to contend for a top spot this weekend? Guess we’ll find out from her heat in the prelims. A healthy Jackson could certainly earn a high placement in the dash. She has a PR of 12.07 from the Sgt. Brian St. Germain Invitational. Moses Brown’s Kendra Satine (12.32), Hope’s Zariyah Brown (12.44), Ponaganset’s Lillian Racine (12.52) and East Providence’s Nazarae Phillip (12.58), are among others that could figure in the mix.
200m
Yep, you guessed it. It will be Team Raye again in this event, too. The two siblings have the state’s two fastest time with Lisa blazing to a time of 23.30 at Arcadia and Xenia clocking 23.82, also at the high-level, west coast meet. We don’t anticipate a record here for the same reason as the 100m. Several should be in contention for podium placements, including four sprinters with times in the 25-second range – Moses Brown’s Skylar Maxwell (25.39), Hope’s Zariyah Brown (25.71), Ponaganset’s Lillian Racine (25.72) and Moses Brown’s Kendra Satine (25.97).
400m
The favorite in this race is meet record-holder and defending state titlist Xenia Raye. Raye has only run the one-lapper twice this season, racing to times of 56.21 at the Glenn B. Loucks Games and 57.32 from her victory at the Southern Division Championships. The Wizards’ senior ran a PR of 54.73 at last year’s meet and has the ability to come close to that meet-record time if the elements cooperate on Saturday. Raye will have some competition in this event with the Quakers’ Maxwell scheduled to toe the line. The junior standout will be a week removed from her win at the Mount Pleasant Invitational where she ran an all-time best of 56.75. We believe the indoor 600m titlist is capable of a time in the high, 55-second range. The field includes five more that have broken a minute. That quintet includes Hope’s Zariyah Brown (58.22), Classical’s Naibel Nobrega (58.74), Barrington’s Kate Pearce (58.75), Classical’s Morrica Bryant (59.10) and St. Raphael’s Jayla Grimes (59.96).
100m HH
One clip of a hurdle, a mere lean at the finish, could determine the winner in this race. Brown is the No. 1 seed with a best of 15.27 from her victory at the Class B Championships. She’s has been the most consistent hurdler in this event. Since losing to Exeter-West Greenwich’s Nini Olawuyi at the St. Germain Invite near the start of the season, she has been unbeaten against her state rivals, averaging about 15.40 in her specialty. Olawuyi is the two seed with her best of 15.30 from St. Germain. North Kingstown’s Julianna Williams holds the No. 3 seed with her best of 15.44 from her runner-up finish to Brown at the Southern Division Championships. Other top seeds in this event are Cranston West’s Reece Vitale (15.62), North Kingstown’s Jailynn Huffman (15.73) and Middletown’s Katelin Cruikshank (15.94).
300m IH
The Chargers’ Brown will be looking to make a sweep of the hurdles in this event. While she’s favored in the 100m HH, this is the one she has the best chance of coming out on top. At the Mount Pleasant Invitational this past weekend, she recorded a PR of 45.93. She won all her statewide competitions, taking titles at the St. Germain Invite, Southern Division Championships and the Class B meet. The Skippers’ Farrell (47.27), Falcons’ Vitale (48.26), Skippers’ Williams (48.31), Barrington freshman Charlotte Farrell (48.32) and North Smithfield’s Frances Tiner (48.94) are other top seeds in this race.
