Times and distances are often secondary at the annual RITCA Injury Fund Relay Carnival. Because it’s a season-opening meet, personal bests and records are rarely achieved. Instead, the meet traditionally serves as a low-pressure opportunity for athletes to shake off the rust, get comfortable competing again, and gauge where they stand heading into the upcoming season.
It’s also a valuable tool for coaches, who can experiment with different relay lineups or give underclassmen and newcomers a chance to gain experience and log some quality early-season performances.
For us here at Ocean State Running, the meet offers the perfect opportunity to catch up with some of our top athletes as they knock off the cobwebs and begin their winter campaign, which officially kicks off with league competition this week.
DWYER & SULLIVAN SESSION
Woonsocket opened the afternoon strong, combining for 167 feet even to win the boys’ weight-throw relay. The Villa Novans were boosted by a 73-foot effort from defending state champion Shamrock Thoun.
“I got some good throws today. I was a little off because I was coming from the shot,” Thoun said, referring to having just competed in that event. “I started with an opening throw of 73-2, which isn’t bad for the start of the season. It’s still good overall, but there’s more to come.”
Thoun’s mark stands as a national leader among the few meets contested across the country so far. Last year, the Villa Novans’ standout captured titles at both New Balance Nationals and Nike Indoor Nationals, finishing the season with a nation-leading and personal-best throw of 82-6.25 at Nike.
“It feels good to be back,” he said. “It’s sad too, because I’m a senior. I’m going to miss this team so much. I’m really going to enjoy it, though. I’m going to have some fun this year.”
Among the rivals he expects to battle with this winter, Thoun listed East Greenwich’s Ryan Evans and Barrington’s Joe Adams, both 70-plus throwers during the 2024–25 season.
“I’ll be with them most of the time,” he said. “I’ll be with other teammates and competitors. It’s going to be fun this year.”
NORTH KINGSTOWN IMPRESSES
North Kingstown’s quartet of Kaitlyn Droney, Samantha Vance, Lucy Stowe and Abigail O’Neil clocked a solid 4:28.68 to win the girls’ Sprint Medley Relay — just over six seconds shy of the automatic New Balance qualifying standard.
Stowe, O’Neil, Maura Whitney, and Abbie Tighe later combined to dominate the Distance Medley Relay in 12:53.36, finishing more than 400 meters ahead of runner-up Cranston West (14:40.53).
“Obviously it’s the start of the season, so we really don’t know where we’re at,” Whitney said. “It’s kind of just a test run to see where we are.”
Stowe opened the DMR with a strong 1,200m split around 3:50, O’Neil followed with a 1:04 for 400m, Whitney ran 2:26 for the 800m, and Tighe anchored in 5:30 for the 1,600m.
The Skippers have several goals this season, including defending their indoor state title in the 4x800m relay and returning to nationals in both the 4x800m and DMR. Last year, NK posted an all-time program best of 9:17.08 at the outdoor nationals, a mark ranked fifth in state history. All four members of the Saturday’s DMR made up that team.
“The four of us want to see where we’re at in the 4x800m and if we can run another DMR,” O’Neil said. “It was fun. I’d love to try it again later in the season when we can get better times.”
“As a team, we have people in every event — throwing, jumping, sprinting, distance,” Stowe added. “I think we can definitely work together and do something.”
Hope showcased its speed by sweeping the girls’ 4x200m (1:55.12) and 4x400m (4:28.69) relays.
HEADLEY & BAYHA SESSION
In the second half of the meet, Hendricken’s foursome of Oliver Redmond, Fred Russell, David Hayes and Colby Flynn won a competitive boys’ 4x800m relay in 8:21.41, edging Barrington (8:22.14).
Three teams went under two minutes in the girls’ 4x200m, led by Classical’s state-leading 1:54.19. East Providence (1:56.68) and Tolman (1:59.55) followed.
Hendricken averaged nearly 60 feet per thrower in the weight-throw relay, winning with 177-8.
East Providence speedster Jack Pawlik, the defending outdoor 100m and 200m state champion, opened for his team’s victorious 4x200m squad. Pawlik split sub-23 on his leg as the Townies won their heat in 1:37.11. In the next heat, Cumberland (1:37.52) and South Kingstown (1:37.56) secured the remaining top spots. EP’s lineup featured Pawlik, Julian Monteiro, Maxwell Pawlik, and Jacob Arruda.
Individually, West Warwick’s Zachary Morgan cleared 6-6 in the high jump relay, while Mount Hope’s Thea Jackson surpassed 18 feet in the long jump relay. Mount Hope won the event with a combined distance of 47-1.25.
PHOTOS (plus plenty more to come)
