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.
Here we have the girls’ middle- and long-distance events, which feature the 800-meter run, 1,500m and 3K
(Above photo by Sterling Vernon @rhodeandtrack)
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800m
Last year’s race saw three runners break 2:13, led by Cumberland’s Kiley DeFusco and her winning time of 2:09.53. We may not quite match what the top finishers accomplished in 2025, but we could come close – very close.
Collectively, this has the potential to be one of the deepest 800-meter fields we’ve seen in quite some time.
To even earn one of the 18 qualifying spots, a runner needed to clock 2:22.46 or faster. Among the top entrants, five own seed times under 2:16, while eight others have dipped below 2:20 this season.
Who’s the favorite? We’ll get a better idea once the final seed sheets are released. Right now, the nod goes to North Kingstown’s Abby O’Neil. The Skipper senior was third at last year’s meet with a PR of 2:12.89. O’Neil has been unbeaten against her state rivals this spring, clocking 2:15 twice and a season best of 2:14.14 from the Class A Championships.
In the meets we’ve witnessed this season, the NK standout has always looked smooth and in control and able to adjust her race strategy no matter who’s on the starting line. Look for O’Neil to hold back with the lead pack for the first half of the race and start making a move shortly after the bell lap. She’s proven she’s tough to be in that closing lap if she’s out front, particularly coming down the stretch.
Here’s the question in this race. How about the runner seeded ninth in the field?
Holding that spot is Moses Brown’s Skyler Maxwell. The versatile senior, who was second in this race last spring with a PR of 2:11.70, is entered in three individual events – the 200m, 400m and 800m. If that remains the case after the scratch period, we’re certainly not counting her out, even with the 400m scheduled less than an hour earlier. Still, it could make a difference.
A scratch from the 400m changes the landscape considerably, and the Quakers senior becomes our favorite in a race that we still feel O’Neil is capable of winning. Maxwell has raced the 800m just once this season, capturing the title in 2:18.37. In an all-out effort, she’s capable of a PR performance and potentially a sub-2:10 clocking. Several performances suggest that’s well within reach, most notably her 55.89 victory in the 400m at the Glenn B. Loucks Games and her 1:31.97 triumph in the 600m at the New England Indoor Championships.
How about the remaining runners in this race? It’s strong, and can no doubt get interesting during the late stages. At the No. 2 seed is La Salle’s Alyssa Parenteau, who won the Mount Pleasant Invitational this past weekend with a PR of 2:15.21. Right behind her in that race was freshman Aubrey Jarvis of Pilgrim, our No. 3 seed with a time of 2:15.52 from Mount Pleasant. Parenteau will be competing in the 1,500m, held about 90 minutes earlier. Jarvis will be fresh-legged.
Among the other top contenders in this race are North Kingstown’s Maura Whitney (2:15.72), La Salle’s Layne Stevens (2:15.89) and Carolina Terlato (2:16.18) and Chariho freshman Meriden Alge (2:16.26), to name a few.
There are plenty of questions surrounding this race. Who will toe the line on Saturday? Who will be fully recovered from earlier events? Will anyone surprise the field with a breakthrough performance? It’s happened before.
One question we can answer?
Will it be fast?
Absolutely!
1,500m
We’re expecting this race to be competitive right from the gun. It should remain that way until the final stretch.
A rematch of the Class A Championships? Perhaps. Something similar to last year where three runners broke 4:40? It could happen.
The scenarios could be endless.
he top two seeds – and the runners we feel have the best chance at winning – are the top two finishers from the Class A Championships two weeks ago: La Salle’s Alyssa Parenteau and Cumberland’s CC Ludwig. Parenteau won that showdown with a PR of 4:41.28. Coming on strong over the final lap, Ludwig nearly caught the Rams standout down the stretch, clocking a massive PR of 4:42.48.
Parenteau, the indoor state titlist, enters as the favorite. She has consistently delivered in high-pressure situation and likely gained increased confidence in race like this after her memorable win this past winter. She’s also coming off a strong tune-up leading up to Saturday’s competition by capturing the 800m at the Mount Pleasant Invitational this past weekend with a two-second best of 2:15.21, a race she won by 0.31 seconds.
But you can’t ignore Ludwig.
The Clipper sophomore, who won the state cross-country title this past fall, produced a breakthrough performance at the Class A meet, where she slashed nearly nine seconds off her previous best. She followed that up with a season best of 10:39.44 to win the 3K at the Mount Pleasant Invitational. She appears to be peaking at just the right time.
There’s also Mount Hope’s Jessica Deal. The Huskies’ senior has a season best and state No. 4 of 4:47.72 for the St. Germain Invitational. She also won the Class B title in 4:48.34, winning a close race with Portsmouth freshman Meg Adams (4:48.88) and Barrington freshman Carly Gill (4:49.03). As a junior, Deal had the race of her career at last year’s State Meet by taking second with a nearly 14-second PR at the time of 4:36.88. Could we have another career day for the all-stater?
Along with Gill and Adams, other top contenders in this race are Cumberland’s Charli McCue (4:45.65), La Salle’s Layne Stevens (4:48.46), St. Raphael’s Mackenzie Lickert (4:49.75) and La Salle’s Olivia Wahlberg (4:50.00).
3,000m
Of the top eight runners in their field, right now only two will have fresh legs according to the current seed sheets. Will it change by the Thursday night deadline for scratches? That could make a difference or maybe not. The top four seeds are all doubling back from the 1,500m -La Salle’s Alyssa Parenteau (10:20.66), North Kingstown’s Abbie Tighe (10:28.18) and Lucy Stowe (10:31.36), and La Salle’s Stella Pelagio (10:33.35). Parenteau is also entered in the 800m.Parenteau is also in the 800m. The rest period between the 1,500m and 3K is about two hours. For the 800m and 3K, just about 55 minutes. We’re expecting nothing to change considering La Salle and North Kingstown are among the teams that will be battling for the team title.
The No. 5 and No. 6 seeds – Coventry freshman Molly Richardson (10:38.83) and Cumberland’s Anna Bianchi (10:38.94 – will both be coming in with fresh legs.
Remember what Bianchi did at the indoor states when this was her only event? If your memory’s short, the Clipper junior was a No. 4 seed and pulled off a stunning victory to win her first state title. Could history repeat itself?
Don’t be surprised if Stowe scratches from the 1,500m to focus solely on the 3,000m. The same for Lickert, a No. 8 seed in this race with a time of 10:41.73. During the indoor season, she had an all-time best of 10:13.43 from the Yale Track Classic. There’s also Cumberland’s CC Ludwig, who ranks seventh in this field with her current best of 10:39.44. She’s a legit threat, too.
Who will emerge victorious?
Take your pick.
With so many variables in play – double-duty athletes, potential scratches and a field loaded with proven performers – we simply have no clue.
