There was never really a question if it would happen. It was more a question of when. It was inevitable.
That’s pretty much how the members of the La Salle Academy 4×400-meter relay squad felt about their chances of breaking the state record in their specialty, a fast 3 minutes, 18.09 seconds by Central back in 2016. It’s a mark the Rams have come close to a few times since last outdoor season with its latest coming at the Penn Relays Carnival in late April when the talented foursome was just a quarter of a second short of etching their name in the books.
For La Salle, that long-awaited record came on Saturday, during a cloudy afternoon at Veterans Stadium in New Britain, CT. On a day where the sun never made its way from behind the clouds, the Rams shined brightly at the 78th annual New England Track & Field Championships. The quartet of Joshua Aceto, Thaden Leomensah, Eamon O’Brien and Garrett Giroux Pezzullo broke the Knights’ nine-year-old record with a winning time of 3:17.61.
“It feels really good,” said Leomensah, who recorded the fastest split among his teammates with a 48.4 for his second leg. “We’ve been really putting in the work as a team, battling each other at practices. We’ve been wanting the state record for all four years and last year we really knew we could get it. Today, we came, did our part, everyone played their parts, and did well. We came through and finished strong.”
La Salle certainly had the competition to push them in their record performance. A little more than a second behind the Rams was second-place finisher, Naugatuck (CT), who were clocked in 3:18.80. Three more squads dipped under 3:22.
“This was the time to get it,” said Giroux-Pezzullo, who anchored the Rams with a 49-second split. “It was such a stacked field. We knew we had to take this one out today. We all just came prepared. That’s pretty much what we focused on all day today.”
The Rams weren’t the only RI entries to make the top of the podium at the regional competition. For the third straight year, West Warwick’s Lisa Raye dominated the 100m dash. The gifted junior never gave any doubt in the outcome by blazing to a time of 11.67. New Hampshire’s Grace Sayshaw was second at 12-seconds flat.
Unlike previous meets, this was Raye’s only race at Saturday’s meet as she preps for defense of her 100m title at next weekend’s New Balance Nationals (NBN). The Georgia-bound sprinter has been battling hamstring issues this spring, but it appears to be all behind her now. In the finals, ran she her quick time despite easing up at the finish line once it was apparent she would come out on top.
Raye enjoyed her latest victory at the New England’s, the 13th of her stellar career, for a couple of reasons. Perhaps equally as important as securing her standard spot at the top of the podium was the fact that she didn’t have to compete in another race the rest of the meet.
“I am really happy,” she said. “It feels more relaxing. I’m just excited that I am able to watch (the meet), and sit back.”
Raye is currently ranked No. 6 in the country with her season best of 11.30 from the Arcadia Invitational on April 11. She won last week’s State Meet in 11.64. She has one goal in mind when she arrives at the University of Pennsylvania’s historic Franklin Field for the NBN.
“I just want to win nationals,” she said. “Maybe run 11.3 or 11.2, but I just want to win.”
Portsmouth’s Sean Gray nearly earned a victory in the boys’ 3,200m. The Patriots’ junior, who won his second straight 3K crown at last week’s states, was just a few strides away from individual winner Nathaniel Assa of Marblehead (MA). The two runners broke from the rest of the pack late in the race and battled down the final straightaway where Assa had just a little more in the tank to snare the title with a best of 9:04.57. Gray crossed the line in 9:05.27.
The duo ran the last 800m in 2:05 and went sub 60 seconds for the final 400m. With his latest performances over the last few weeks, Gray’s looking forward to next week’s New Balance meet where he’s entered in the 5K and the 2 Mile, held Thursday and Friday, respectively.
“I am really happy with where my finish is at,” he said. “The way my season played out with injury earlier this year I feel I am coming into shape at the right time and ready to run a really fast 5K first and hopefully a fast two mile the next day.”
The Ocean State earned five other silver medals in the meet. Recent state champion Mackenzie Cleary of Burrillville placed second in the javelin with a near best of 129 feet, 9 inches, La Salle Academy’s Alex Campbell tied for the No. 2 spot in the pole vault (14-3), Cumberland’s Kiley DeFusco, a double winner at last week’s State Meet, was second best in the 800m (2:11. 84), and Exeter/West Greenwich’s Nina Olawuyi took runner-up honors in both the long jump (18-1.5) and the triple jump (38-0.25).
Three runners broke 4:20 in a competitive boys’ 1,600m. Hendricken sophomore Colby Flynn battled with the leaders through most of the four-lap race and held on for fourth overall with a time of 4:18.10. St. Raphael’s Arthur Ferris also made the podium, taking sixth in 4:18.78. Placing seventh among 30 competitors was Barrington’s Myles Napolitano in 4:19.72. Ferris was also 12th in the 3,200m with a time of 9:24.66.
Other top finishes…
Girls High Jump – 5. Emily Brown (Chariho), 5-3
Girls’ Pole Vault – 5. Amber Shaw (Ponaganset), 10-9
Boys’ Shot – 5. Kayden Thomas (Rogers), 59-2.25
Boys’ Javelin – Kai Sorlien (South Kingstown), 176-5
Boys’ Pole Vault – 4. Carson Dean (Hendricken), 13-9
Girls’ 400m – 4. Xenia Raye (West Warwick), 56.01
Girls’ 800m – 6. Abby Nicolopoulos, 2:14.90
Boys’ 100m – 3. Jack Pawlik (East Providence), 10.73
Boys’ 200m – Giroux-Pezzulla (La Salle), 21.89; 7. Pawlik (East Providence), 21.89
Girls’ 4x100m – 6. Classical, 49.43
Girls’ 4x800m – 4. North Kingstown, 9:22.13
Girls’ Shot – 4. Payton Goulding (Cumberland), 38-5; 5. Gifty Bediako (Classical), 37-11.5
