In its long and storied history, Bishop Hendricken has produced its share of outstanding distance runners. Colby Flynn is shaping up to be the best of them all.
The Hawks’ talented tenth-grader has already broken a plethora of sophomore school records during the cross-country season, one that finished with a third-place finish at the State Meet. The indoor campaign is starting off just as well, highlighted so far by his eye-opening performance at the past weekend’s Yale Track Classic.
Competing against a stellar field inside Coxe Cage, Flynn not only smashed his school’s indoor 3K mark, but ran the third fastest time in the history of the state. The Hawk standout came mere strides from winning it all, securing the bronze with a PR of 8 minutes, 28.91 seconds. Just .58 separated the three at the finish. Flynn’s effort erased the 2014 school record of 8:35.36 by former BHS great Colin Tierney at Yale. In terms of the state, his sub-8:30 effort puts him behind La Salle’s DJ Principe (8:14.15) and Westerly’s Andrew Springer (8:27.21). It’s also the sixth fastest time ever in the country by a sophomore. Pretty impressive stuff. The 3K at next month’s State Meet could get very interesting.
While a good portion of the state was at the World Trophy Invitational, a strong contingent did make the trip to Yale for the two-day meet.
And, as to be expected, Flynn wasn’t the only local to make some noise. Seven new state leaders were established at the meet.
Hendricken’s Jeremy Siedi improved on his state No. 1 in the 55-meter dash by blazing to a time of 6.49 in his semifinal heat. The Hawks elected to not have Siedi compete in the finals, due to the long four-hour wait. St. Raphael’s Brandon Cardoso moved to No. 3 in the state rankings by finishing seventh in the finals with a time of 6.69.
Barrington’s Bobby Wind inched closer to the state record in the 55m hurdles. Wind was lights out in all his heats leading up to the finals, winning the crown in 7.52. In the prelims, he clocked a PR of 7.48, a time that ranks No. 2 all-time in the state behind Hope’s Yudehweh Gbaa’s record-setting 7.41 in 2004.
Defending champion Garrett Giroux-Pezzullo nearly made it two straight in the 300m. He just missed earning the gold, but certainly gave it his best effort. The Ram junior broke 35 seconds for the first time, placing second with a PR and state best of 34.87. La Salle teammate Thaden Leomensah was fourth at 35.51.
The Classical girls produced state-leaders in the 4x200m (1:48.57) and the 4x400m (4:12.92), winning both races in the Large School division. La Salle moved to No. 1 in the 4x800m (9:42.45) by placing fifth in the Championship race. East Greenwich won the Small School boys’ title in the DMR with a top time of 10:38.29.
On Friday night, our weight-throwers were simply dominant on the boys’ and girls’ side. Woonsocket’s red-hot Shamrock Thoun claimed the boys’ title with a toss of 78 feet, 2 inches. Ponaganset’s Owen Allen (fourth, 66-3.75) and Barrington’s Joseph Adams (fifth, 65-3) also made the podium. For the girls, the Ocean State swept the top eight and had 11 among the top 12. In a tight battle for first, Classical’s Gifty Bediako took the crown by less than a foot over Toll Gate’s Vanessa Jones with a heave of 53-11. Jones took runner-up honors at 53-4.5. Coventry’s Mia Hoskins (51-0.25) and Woonsocket’s Adelaide Caron (50-1.5) also exceeded the 50-foot mark.
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A few more star athletes were also competing out of state.
West Warwick’s Lisa Raye was at the TRACK at New Balance on Saturday, competing against collegians at the Suffolk Relays. In both her races, the Wizards’ phenom was the first across the line. Raye captured the 60m dash with a time of 7.68. She ran a season best of 7.59 in her preliminary heat. The Georgia-bound junior came back and blazed to the 200m title, breaking 24 seconds for the first time this winter with a triumphant 23.87. Next up for Raye and her sister Xenia Raye is this weekend’s VA Showcase at the Virginia Beach Sports Center. The three-day meet is considered one the premier indoor meets in the entire country. Lisa will run 55-60m and 200m, while Xenia is scheduled for the 55m and 300m.
At The Armory in New York, Pilgrim’s Keaney Bayha was seventh in the mile at the Millrose Games Trials. Bayha ran a best of 4:59.90, the first sub-5 of her career.
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The PCTA fieldhouse will be hopping this weekend with the mega-popular East Coast Invitational, which is sponsored by Marathon Sports and HOKA. Saturday’s competition will feature top athletes from throughout the northeast region, including MA, NH, CT, NY, VT and NY. Per usual, Ocean State Running will have complete coverage of the meet, including a FREE live stream (with commentary). Coming soon, OSR will preview some of the top events to watch.
