The state’s best will collide at the PCTA Field House on Saturday for the RIIL Indoor Track & Field Championships. Who are some of the top athletes that will be competing this weekend? Here we feature the boys’ sprinting & hurdling events, which includes the 55-meter dash, 300m, 600m and 55m hurdles.
Yes, we know — the 600m isn’t exactly a sprint. Treat it like one and you’ll pay the price. But we had to put it somewhere, and this was the closest fit.
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55-METER DASH
In a championship meet like this weekend’s, where the state’s top athletes go head-to-head, every event feels like must-watch material. Don’t blink — this one should rank right up there.
A mere hundredth of a second could separate the top two or three finishers. It’s that close.
The No. 1 seed is Barrington’s Patrick Trainor, who captured the Class B title two weeks ago in a state-leading 6.45 seconds. Right behind him is East Providence’s Jack Pawlik, winner of the Last Chance Qualifier with a PR of 6.46. Then there’s La Salle’s Jalen Moseley, who clocked a 6.48 in mid-January to earn runner-up honors at the Nor’Easter at the Track.
See what we mean?
All three have proven they can deliver on the big stage. For Pawlik and Moseley, this will be a rematch of their Class A showdown, where the Townie junior edged his rival by just .01 of a second. Trainor and Moseley will also be chasing 10 crucial team points in their squads’ pursuit of a state title.
Pawlik, last spring’s 100m outdoor champion and the 2025 indoor runner-up in this event, will be looking to solidify his claim as the state’s top sprinter.
Expect fireworks. This race will be electrifying.
Don’t overlook the rest of the field, too. St. Raphael’s Brendan Cardoso (6.53) and Classical sophomore Ephraim Teah (6.56) have outside shots to shake things up. And don’t forget defending champion Garrett Giroux-Pezzullo of La Salle, who always shows up with his ‘A’ game. He’s list as a No. 5 seed at 6.64. In the team battle, the Rams could pile quite a few points with Abrahim Ghamrawi (6.64) and Jackson Alves (6.65) at the sixth and seventh seeds.
300-METER DASH
Giroux-Pezzullo is the favorite in this race and appears poised to make it back-to-back titles. In addition to capturing another individual crown and scoring crucial points for the Rams, the Boston University-bound senior will have added motivation on Saturday.
In his final race at the PCTA, he’ll be eyeing the facility record of 34.83, set by Olympic gold medalist Rai Benjamin at the 2014 Rhode Island Classic when he was a senior at Mount Vernon (NY). Giroux-Pezzullo came close to that mark two weeks ago, winning his second straight Class A title in 34.94 on the PCTA’s flat oval.
The La Salle standout owns an even faster all-time best of 34.36, which he clocked at the Beantown Winter Classic on Dec. 20 at The TRACK at New Balance.
The field is strong in this race. Based on seeds from PCTA, Pawlik ranks No. 2 with his best of 35.85 from his runner-up finish to Giroux-Pezzullo at the Class A meet. Cranston West’s Ryan Stoloff (36.15), the Eagles’ Trainor (36.25) and Hendricken’s Andrew McCarthy (36.28) are the next three seeds. At banked facilities, McCarthy ran a best of 35.53 at the Yale Track Classic and Stoloff clocked 35.78 at the Refuel with Chocolate Milk HOF Invitational, held at the Armory Track & Field Center in New York.
600-METER RUN
While there’s quality depth in the field, we expect this race to come down to two runners — La Salle’s Eamon O’Brien and Barrington’s Henry Stockwell.
The state’s top two seeds are well clear of the rest, owning times of 1:23.16 and 1:23.39, respectively. Both clocked those PRs in solo efforts at the Class A and Class B championships.
It won’t be solo this time.
Expect a dogfight from the gun to the tape, with the outcome likely decided over the final straightaway. Don’t be surprised if the winning time dips under 1:22, with the two separated by only a few meters at the finish.
Who wins? We’re not going there. It’s too close to call.
O’Brien — runner-up in this race last year and the reigning outdoor 800-meter champion — showed consistency earlier in the season with three 1:24 performances before breaking through with his PR at the class meet. Stockwell, third a year ago, held the state lead prior to the championships with a then-best of 1:23.79 from his divisional victory.
The battle for the next few placements could get intense, with Cranston East’s Maxwell Catrambone, Barrington’s Brooks Mello, Scituate’s Judah Machado, La Salle’s Jacob Kennedy, and Prout’s Juelz Harris, among others, all entering with seeds in the low 1:26s.
Mello is the question mark. The talented junior is also entered in the 1,500m and the 1,000m. He’ll likely scratch from this event to focus on the other two, where he’s listed among the top seeds — but you never know.
55-METER HIGH HURDLES
La Salle’s Jalen Moseley is the favorite in this race. The state leader has broken 7.60 twice this season, finishing second at the Nor’Easter at the Track in a PR of 7.53 and winning the Class A title in 7.54. He was second here last year and is the reigning outdoor 110m HH champion.
Cumberland’s Matt Fontaine figures to provide the stiffest challenge. He placed second to Moseley at the class meet and owns a best of 7.63 from his victory at the Headley Division Championships on Jan. 24.
After that, take your pick for the remaining podium spots. South Kingstown’s Kai Sorlien (7.82), Rogers sophomore Jakari Medina (7.91), and La Salle’s Antonio Bearden (7.93) are the only other hurdlers in the field under eight seconds.
Photo by Sterling Vernon @rhodeandtrack
