Gavin Shipperly took a major step forward in cross country last fall. After placing 24th at the State Meet as a sophomore in 2023, the North Kingstown standout returned a year later to secure a spot on the all-state first team with a seventh-place finish—his third straight performance under 16:10 for 5K.
It’s widely understood that breaking into the top three—La Salle’s Marshall Vernon, Portsmouth’s Sean Gray, and Hendricken’s Colby Flynn—will be a challenge this fall. But North Kingstown’s Gavin Shipperly is one of the few harriers with the talent and potential to crack that elite group and secure a spot among the top seven at the season-ending state championship.
Shipperly’s season progressed steadily last year, peaking at just the right time. At the Class A Championships, he ran 16:02.77 to place fourth, the fourth-fastest time among this year’s returnees. Earlier in the fall, he was the No. 2 Rhode Island finisher at the Bob Glennon Twilight Invitational, clocking 16:05.61 in the nighttime event.
Last season, five runners dipped under 16 minutes on Ponaganset’s covered-bridge trail. With the depth of talent returning this fall, that number should grow—and Shipperly is poised to be part of that group.
