The State Meet has arrived.
At this level, every event is a must-see. After all, they feature the very best Rhode Island has to offer. Throughout the week, Ocean State Running will preview all 19 events scheduled for Saturday’s championship meet. It’s an arduous task, but we’ll do our best to identify the athletes we believe are poised to shine the brightest on the state’s biggest stage.
We begin with the girls’ throwing and jumping events, which feature the javelin, discus, shot, hammer, long jump, triple jump, pole vault and high jump.
(Above photo by Sterling Vernon @rhodeandtrack)
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HIGH JUMP
This event appears as though it will come down to the state’s top two leapers – Barrington’s Helena Hyde and Mount Hope’s Thea Jackson -who have both cleared a state-leading 5 feet, 4 inches this season. Jackson gets the nod, considering she is the defending outdoor champion and also claimed the indoor crown this past winter. She also defeated Hyde at the Class B Championships two weeks ago, a meet where the Eagles junior finished third.
If Hyde can rebound from that meet, where she cleared 4-11, and return to the heights she has reached multiple times during her career, she could get the job done. The next six athletes in the field all come in with seeds of 5-1, which could make the battle for the remaining podium spots especially interesting.
No one’s touching Ponaganset’s Amber Shaw in this event. We repeat:
POLE VAULT
No one’s touching Ponaganset’s Amber Shaw in this event. We repeat: no one’s touching Shaw.
The talented senior, who owns Rhode Island’s indoor and outdoor state records in the pole vault, is unbeaten against in-state competition and has demonstrated remarkable consistency. If our math is correct, she has cleared 11 feet or higher in all 16 of her competitions since finishing second at the Beantown Winter Classic on Dec. 21 with an 11-6 effort.
Along the way, she set the indoor state record of 12-0 while winning the Yale Track Classic and established the outdoor mark of 12-3 at the Class B Championships on May 23.
The question isn’t whether she’ll win this weekend. A better question is whether she’ll break her own state record.
The Prout School’s Addie Daigle (10-6) and North Kingstown’s Samantha Vance (10-0) are the next two seeds and could find themselves battling for the runner-up spot.
LONG JUMP
This one could be close, real close.
The top three in the field have all surpassed 18 feet this season, led by Exeter/West Greenwich’s Nini Olawuyi (18-6), Hope’s Thea Jackson (18-1) and Portsmouth’s Loosaper Tate (18-0).
Jackson is the defending state champion, having soared to her current PR of 19-1 to capture last year’s title. She also claimed the indoor crown this winter with an 18-8.75 effort. On both occasions, Olawuyi finished second.
Will the Scarlet Knight senior finally get the better of her longtime rival this weekend?
You also can’t overlook Tate, nor No. 4 seed Jourdan Cicchinelli of Mount Hope. The freshman captured the Freshman State Meet title with an outdoor best of 17-8 and owns an indoor PR of 17-8.75.
In an event this competitive, all it takes is one breakthrough jump. With four athletes capable of reaching the 18-foot range, this could be one of the day’s most entertaining battles.
TRIPLE JUMP
Here’s another event that could come down to just a few athletes – two in particular. The state’s top two triple jumpers, Cranston West’s Reece Vitale and defending champion Nina Olawuyi of Exeter/West Greenwich, have separated themselves from the rest of the field.
Vitale owns the state-leading mark and personal best at 38 feet, 3.5 inches, while Olawuyi sits No. 2 with a best of 37-10.5. Vitale has finished second to her rival twice this season, at the Classical Classic and the Brian St. Germain Invitational. She achieved her PR at the Central Division Championships on May 17, winning the event by a whopping eight feet.
Olawuyi, meanwhile, is unbeaten this spring and has surpassed 38 feet numerous times during her career, including her winning leap of 38-6 at last year’s State Meet.
North Kingstown’s Reagan Farrell is the No. 3 seed at 35-11.5. Farrell will have a little extra motivation as the Skippers battle for a team title. It will take more than motivation, however, to close the gap on the favorites. She would likely need a jump approaching two feet beyond her season best to seriously challenge Vitale and Olawuyi.
HAMMER
This is an event that always creates excitement and occasionally produces surprise winners.
That could certainly be the case again this weekend. The top five seeds have all surpassed 170 feet this season and rank among the top 12 in the nation.
Ponaganset’s CeCe Bizon enters as the top seed after unleashing a personal-best and nation No. 4 throw of 181-0 at the Sgt. Brian St. Germain Invitational on May 10. Close behind is North Kingstown’s Tayla Schneider, who comes in with plenty of momentum after winning the Mount Pleasant Invitational with a season-best 177-4.
Classical’s Nelmarix Santos Mojica (173-10), Woonsocket’s Avaree Caron (172-5) and Toll Gate’s Vanessa Jones (170-4) complete an impressive group of 170-foot throwers.
Bizon may be the favorite, but this is one of the deepest events of the meet. Don’t be surprised if any one of these five athletes finds herself atop the podium by day’s end.
DISCUS
This event features three athletes who have surpassed 120 feet this season, led by a familiar championship matchup at the top of the leaderboard.
Classical’s Nelmarix Santos Mojica (124-3) and defending state champion Vanessa Jones (123-0) enter as the top two seeds after going head-to-head at the Class A Championships two weeks ago, where both recorded their season bests.
Jones, however, owns the highest ceiling in the field. The reigning champion unleashed a PR of 133-4 at last year’s state meet, a mark that still stands well above the rest of the competition.
Smithfield’s Tayla McGinness (120-4) rounds out the top three seeds and will look to stay within striking distance if the leaders falter
JAVELIN
Pilgrim’s Lisa Wasilewski, a runner-up in 2025, is the clear-cut favorite this weekend, Wasilewski comes in with her top seed and PR of 133-8, which she did to take the Class A title. She also went 130-plus at the Sgt. Brian St. Germain Invitational with a winning toss of 131-7. The next two seeds in this event are La Salle’s Dylan Wolf (121-0) and Prout freshman Caroline Smith (119-2)
SHOT
The No. 1 seed and favorite in this event is North Kingstown’s Tayla Schneider, who has a best of 41-9 this season. Schneider, who captured the indoor crown, has exceeded 40 feet numerous times in her career, including an all-time best of 43-6.75 to win the New England indoor title this past March. She’ll be tough to beat. Schneider’s biggest threat is Scituate’s Valentina Mancini, who won the Northern Division crown with a best of 38-7.75.
