While we’re still waiting for entries to be released for the upcoming New Balance and Nike national meets, we do know who will be competing at another major competition taking place this weekend — the NCAA Division I Indoor Championships.
This year’s meet, scheduled for Friday and Saturday at the Randall Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Ark., will feature two familiar faces for Rhode Island track fans – former Woonsocket standout Tarek Robinson-O’Hagan of Mississippi and former Moses Brown great Sophia Gorriaran of Harvard. Just .03 seconds prevented a third Rhode Islander from earning a top-16 qualifying spot. St. Raphael Academy alum Devon Kipyego of Iowa State narrowly missed the cut in the mile despite clocking an all-time best of 3:54.37 at the John Thomas Terrier Classic back in January. He was ranked No. 18.
Robinson-O’Hagan, the two-time defending champion in the shot put, enters the meet as the No. 1 seed in his specialty with a personal best of 69 feet, 6 inches (21.18 meters), achieved at the Ben Pollock Invitational on Jan. 30-31. The Ole Miss senior is also seeded No. 4 in the weight throw with a season best of 78-0.25 from the Rod McCravy Memorial Invitational on Jan. 9-10, where he finished second overall. His personal best in that event is 79-10.75, set in his victory at last year’s SEC Championships.
Gorriaran is entered in the 800-meter run, where she is seeded ninth with a season best of 2:01.30. The Crimson junior certainly has momentum on her side. Just a few weeks ago, she cruised to an NCAA record of 2:37.72 in the 1,000m with her victory at the Saucony Battle for Boston Last Chance meet. Gorriaran finished seventh at last year’s Nationals. She owns an all-time best of 2:00.46 in the 800, achieved at the NCAA Division I East Championships last spring. Gorriaran also qualified for the mile with her PR of 4:29.53 from the BU David Hemery Valentine Invitational, but is not entered in that event for this weekend’s meet.
