While the mega-successful East Coast Invitational featured a number of our athletes, it wasn’t the only show in town.
A considerable amount of our Ocean Staters made their way down to New Haven, Conn., for the Yale Track Classic. We’ve already highlighted how some of our top performers did on Friday, which was Day 1 of the two-day meet.
How about Saturday? Like the day before, we had plenty that appeared to be in mid-season form inside Coxe Cage.
Let’s begin with Erin vonHousen. Other than her victory in the 3K at the outdoor state meet, the Chariho senior manufactured two of the best performances of her high school career by capturing both the 3,000-meter run and the 1K, each with PR efforts. In the longer race, vonHousen beat a talented field with a five-second best and nation No. 8 of 10:00.65. She finished just ahead of the 2-3 finishers, Tess Sherry of Conard (CT) and Harper Shirley of Manchester (NH), who were timed in 10:01.68 and 10:02.29, respectively. For the five-lapper, the Charger standout won with seven-second best of 2:57.14 to take the race by nearly four ticks of the clock. That time currently ranks No. 19 in the country and is the best in the state by three seconds. Both of vonHousen’s times earned her qualifying spots in the two mile and 800m at the New Balance Nationals Indoor Championships in March.
It was nearly a sweep by R.I., in the 3K races with La Salle’s Marshall Vernon coming inches from a victory. The Rams’ gifted tenth-grader led for most of the race before being passed by eventual winner, Soheib Dissa of Newtown (CT), in the closing stages. Dissa finished with a time of 8:35.77, while Vernon nabbed the silver with a PR of 8:36.0, which currently ranks No. 8 in the country.
What makes Vernon’s performance even more impressive is the fact that it’s faster than what La Salle’s celebrated alumni and All Americans’ Jack Salisbury, Matt Bouthilette and DJ Principe did as sophomores, according to LSA distance coach Bill Myers.
“He ran a great race,” Myers said. “He was in control and was ran very confident.”
Vernon hit his opening mile in 4:37. He led for most of the second half of the race before being passed by Dissa with less than a lap to go. The Ram sophomore ran his final 400m between 62-63 seconds and went sub-29 for his last 200m.
Some tough luck at the finish may have prevented Vernon from the win.
“The last 150 meters, (Dissa) came around him.” Myers said. “As they were lapping a runner about 20 meters from the line, he got (boxed in) between the runner and Dissa. (Nonetheless) it was a great race.”
Vernon’s time was well under the 8:43.12 standard for NBNI.
Hendricken’s Will Olson (11th, 8:53.44), Moses Brown’s Eli Zeigler (15th, 8:56.14), Portsmouth’s Sean Gray (17th, 9:03.07) and Barrington’s Brandon Piedade (21st, 9:05.21) also ran strong.
La Salle’s Garrett Giroux-Pezzullo blitzed to a state-leading 35.25 to take the 300m dash, His effort also solidified an automatic qualifier for the 200m at the nationals. Also qualifying for the meet was Portsmouth’s Landon Rodrigues in the 55m hurdles. Rodrigues was our fourth hurdler to break eight seconds this year, placing sixth with a PR of 7.88.
Saint Raphael’s Rory Sullivan led the local contingent in the girls’ mile, placing third overall in 5:03.72. Pilgrim’s Keaney Bayha was fourth at 5:07.20. Finishing 16th with a time of 5:16.33 was Cumberland’s Kiley DeFusco.
In the boys’ mile, the Saints’ JJ Rocha was eighth (4:29.44) and Hendricken’s Ollie Ide was tenth overall (4:35.45).
Middletown’s Cam Miller cleared 6-2 in the high jump to take sixth. Westerly’s Sydney Halk was seventh in the girls’ 600m where she ran the state’s No. 2 time of 1:40.28.
