More than 2,000 athletes are expected to invade the PCTA fieldhouse on Saturday for the annual East Coast Invitational. Not surprisingly, the fields are loaded for tis weekend’s competition, featuring teams from throughout the region.
Here are the events that we classify under the must-see category.
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55m Dash/Long Jump
Connecticut always brings a strong contingent of sprinters to this meet, and this year is no different. Five of the top seven seeds hail from the Nutmeg State. Keep your eye on the top two seeds, where we’ll see a marquee matchup between Rhode Island’s best, Thea Jackson, and Connecticut’s finest, Saphyr Brown of Bloomfield. Both enter with identical seed times of 7.20.
With five athletes in the field seeded under 7.40, this race should come down to a lean at the line, where mere hundredths of a second will determine the winner. Jackson has told us her season-ending goal is to break seven seconds, and with a field this deep, it could happen here.
Jackson and Brown will be back at it again in the long jump with additional company. The Mount Hope senior is the No. 1 seed with her indoor best of 18-9.75, Brown is the No. 3 seed at 18-2, just behind teammate Vanessa Agyemang at 18-4.75. Portsmouth sophomore Loosaper Tate will be looking to get into 18-feet territory. She has an indoor PR of 17-10 from her runner-up finish to Jackson at the RITCA Invitational, and came a quarter of an inch shy of an 18-footer at the New Balance Nationals last spring where she had her all-time best of 17-11.75.
By the way, Jackson is also the top-seeded high-jumper at Saturday’s meet with best of 5-6. At the two and three seeds are Barrington’s Helena Hyde (5-3) and East Greenwich’s Sydney Spitzer (5-2).
Mile
The top seed and clear-cut favorite in this race is defending champion Gilbert of Lyme-Old Lyme (CT), who is also the reigning indoor and outdoor New England champion in the event. Gilbert owns an all-time best of 4:44.68, set during her win at last winter’s CIAC State Open.
The No. 2 seed is fellow Connecticut rival Hazel DeLuca of Lyman Memorial, who comes in at 5:06. Gilbert won last year’s race handily over DeLuca in 4:55.88, and similar results are expected this weekend with Gilbert maybe taking a stab at sub-4:50.
She’s already off to a strong start in 2026. Gilbert opened her season on Jan. 7 with a PR of 2:52.97 in the 1,000m at a league meet and followed that up last weekend with a nation-leading 3K at the Yale Track Classic, clocking an impressive 9:45.30.
Rhode Island owns the next two seeds with Mia Bottaro of The Prout School (5:15.0) and Jackie Mattos of Bay View (5:15.73). Mattos may have a slight edge in this rivalry. She currently ranks No. 4 in the state in the 1,500m, holding a PR of 4:56.21 from her third-place finish at the RITCA Invitational on Jan. 3.
Pole Vault
Like the 1,500m, we’re not expecting anyone to defeat our No. 1 seed. Holding that distinction is red-hot Amber Shaw of Ponaganset. In three of the four meets that’s she’s competed in this season, Shaw has PR’d in this event, most recently at Yale last weekend where she captured gold by matching the state record of 12-feet even, a full foot higher than her best mark from last year. Could Shaw hold the state mark by herself on Saturday? Judging by the way her season has started off so far, the odds seem favorable. The Wheeler School’s Madeline Bryan is the top RI entry. She’s the No. 6 seed at 9-0.
Weight Throw
Per usual, the weight throw is on this list. It will be all about Rhode Island dominance in this event. The Ocean State has the top 12 seeds for Saturday’s competition. Up front are five throwers that have exceeded 50 feet and one that less than an inch from doing the same. The 50-club includes Toll Gate’s Vanessa Jones (59-2), Smithfield’s Taylor McGinness (56-10), the Prout School’s Julia Smith (55-4.75), North Kingstown’s Tayla Schneider (51-6.5), and Classical’s Chibuzo Ienacho (50-6.25). All rank among the top five this season with McGinness leading the way with her current best. Look out for Jones, the defending champion and the Nike Indoor titlist. After a slow start, she proved she’s back with back-to-back 53-footers last weekend with a runner-up finish at Yale (53-3.5) and a victory at the World Trophies Invitational. Woonsocket’s Avaree Caron (49-11.25), Ponaganset’s Cece Bizon (49-8.5) and Classical’s Nelmarix Santos Mojica (49-0.5) are on the verge a cracking 50 feet. Maybe for some, or all, that will come on Saturday.
400m
This race features nine runners who have clocked a minute or faster, setting the stage for an intense competition. The top three seeds all hail from Connecticut, led by Westbury’s Kendra Gordon at No. 1 with a time of 56.49. Bloomfield teammates Jahniya Barclay (58.10) and Deana Spears (58.20) hold the second and third seeds, respectively.
Keep an eye on Barrington’s Kate Pearse as a potential breakout performer. Seeded fourth at 58.20, Pearse has already proven she can run faster. The Eagles junior placed third at last spring’s outdoor state championships with a PR of 57.75.
