Long after the last event on the track. Long after most had left the Coventry High athletic facility for Saturday’s Class A Championships, a few spectators and coaches remained at the pole vault area.
Carsen Dean made sure it was worth their wait.
The Bishop Hendricken senior put an appropriate close to the Hawks’ 47th consecutive team title by soaring to a new state record of 15 feet, 9 inches. Dean’s effort was a best of by six inches and continues his upward trajectory since early February when he captured his specialty at the Showdown at the Heights at Boston College with a then-best of 14-9.25. Dean has been unbeaten this spring in the pole vault with victories at the Sgt. Brian St. Germain Invitational (14-0), Classical Classic (15-0) and last weekend’s Central Division Championships (15-3).
“I am very happy,” Dean said. “This has been a goal for the past year now.”
Dean wasn’t the only athletes that soared on Saturday. Over at the Class B meet, indoor state titlist Caleb Satisfield of Barrington made history in the high jump by becoming just the fourth Rhode Island athlete to clear the seven-foot barrier and the first since South Kingstown’s David Arundel set the current state mark of 7-1 in 1997. The gifted junior’s historic leap was a PR by six inches and ties him with seven other high jumpers for No. 13 in the country.
Satisfield tied the school record with his previous best of 6-6 from his victory at the Sgt. Brian St. Germain Invitational.
“I expected that Caleb had the school record in him, but I think all of us involved, including Caleb, never imagined that he would clear seven feet at the Class Meet,” said Barrington coach Bill Barrass, “When he was the only remaining competitor, he chose 6-7 to break the record, and cleared (it). He progressed then to 6-8, 6-10″, and 7-0. Caleb was right on with most jumps, and with a little bit of adjustment he was able to correct any errors and progress. Caleb is a very driven athlete. He was there to perform at the meet, and he did not disappoint.”
***
Congratulations to our boys’ and girls’ team champions in the class meets – Hendricken and North Kingstown in Class A, Barrington with a sweep in Class B and St. Raphael Academy and Moses Brown in Class C.
Here’s a wrap up of the meets, which Ocean State Running will continue to add to throughout the day.
***
Since winning their first team title in 1978, Hendricken has been unbeaten at the Class A Championships during the outdoor season. The Hawks continued the trend on Saturday by compiling 195.50 points. Expected rival La Salle Academy was second with 172 points.
Hendricken scored a combined 67 points In the 3,000m and 1,500m races. The Hawks swept the top six placements in the 1,500m with David Hayes winning the race in 4 minutes, 3.94 seconds. In the 3K, two-time defending champion Jack Moretta made it three straight by leading a 1-2-3-4-7 finish. He beat teammate BJ Kerachsky at the line by a tenth of a second with his time of 8:54.23.
East Providence’s super sophomore Jack Pawlik shined once again in the sprint events, blazing to PRs of 10.71 for the 100m and 21.73 for the 200m to take both titles. Pawlik improved on his state leader in the short dash by a tenth of a second and moved to No. 1 in the rankings for the half-lapper with a best of three quarters of a second. In both races, La Salle’s Garrett Giroux-Pezzullo took runner-up honors with times of 11.02 and 21.99, respectively. Pawlik’s EP teammate Justin Jardine pulled off an upset in the 400m by edging past top seed Thaden Leomensah in the final few meters to win with a PR of 49.59 to Leomensah’s 49.62 effort.
La Salle had a double-winner with Jalen Moseley capturing the 110m hurdles (14.74) and the long jump (22-6.5). In the 800m, teammate Eamon O’Brien won with a time of 1:56.08. The Ram junior, who ranks No. 1 in the state with his best of 1:52.81 from the BSR Elite Scholastic 800m on May 22, was a question mark leading up to the class meet. He was battling bronchitis earlier in the week and was still feeling some of the effects of the illness on race day.
“This week I was having trouble running 100s,” O’Brien said. “My chest, I couldn’t really take it, so the last couple of days I rested and didn’t run much. I relied on my previous training to get me here. I kind of rested and made sure I was able to run here and get a (state) qualifying time for the 800. That’s what we did.”
North Kingstown’s Jack Harmon saved his best for last in the hammer throw. The NK senior overtook event leader Dimitri Johnson of Hendricken on his final throw with a distance of 225-9. Johnson, a sophomore, had a more than 20-foot best of 220-5 to take runner-up honors. Entering the meet, his previous best was 198-11 from his second-place finish at last weekend’s Southern Division Championships. His latest effort moves him from No. 9 to No. 3 in the state rankings and is seventh nationally. Harmon holds the No. 3 spot in the country with his best of 227-5 from the Central Division Championships.
North Kingstown, one of the leading contenders for the team title at the State Meet in less than two weeks, captured the girls’ crown with a 178 points, 50 more than second-place La Salle.
The Skippers went 1-2 in the 100m hurdles and the 3K. In the hurdles, Julianna Williams ou-raced teammate Reagan Farrell by just .05 with a time of 15.66. Lucy Stowe took the 3,000m in 10:20.55. She was followed by fellow sophomore Abbie Tighe, who was timed in 10:27.47.
La Salle’s Alyssa Parenteau was a double-victor. The Rams’ talented tenth grader won the 1,500m by more than 30 meters with a PR of 4:45.09. She came back to take the 800m, going sub 2:20 for the second time this season with a near best of 2:19.57. She owns a PR of 2:19.42 from her win at the Classical Classic a few weeks ago.
Hope’s Zariyah Brown was the fastest of the day. She broke the tape in the 100m (12.44) and the 200m (25.86). In the hammer, state-leader Adelaide Caron was tested to the max by Coventry’s Mia Hoskins. Caron improved on her season and nation best with a winning toss of 179-8. Hoskins was second with a PR of 178-7, a performance that moves her to No. 2 in the country.
La Salle’s Sydney Brightman soared to a nearly two-foot best to capture the pole vault. Brightman cleared a school record of 10-9.5. Her performance moved her from tenth to No. 3 in the state rankings.
***
Barrington came out on top in 11 of the 19 events to win its third straight team title and 22nd in the school’s history.
Bobby Wind collected 28 of the Eagles points by capturing the 110m hurdles (14.20) and 200m dash (23.08) and also finishing second (41.80) to teammate Grady Hazlett (40.75) in the 300m hurdles. In addition to his historic victory in the high jump, Satisfield also took first in the long jump with a distance of 21-5.5. The Eagles went 1-2-3-4 in the long jump to score 29 points. Along with teammates Danny Sema and Charly Potter VI, Wind and Satisfield also ran legs on the first-place 4x100m squad that combined for a time of 43.52.
An expected duel occurred in the 1,500m where the Eagles’ Myles Napolitano managed to hold off Portsmouth’s Sean Gray at the finish to win with a time of 4:03.58 to his rival’s 4:03.83 effort. Gray came back an took the 3K in 8:54.98.
South Kingstown’s Kai Sorlien improved on his state leader in the javelin with a toss of 183-1.
On the girls’ side, Barrington’s depth prevailed. Kate Pearse earned the lone individual triumph for the Eagles by break the tape in the 400m at 59.02. Barrington came less than three tenths of a second short of sweeping the relays. The Eagles won the 4x800m (10:31.71) and the 4×400 (4:16.49). West Warwick prevented the sweep by taking the 4x100m (50.98). The Eagles were timed in 51.25 for second.
Portsmouth’s Allie Kaull scored 28 points. The Patriots’ senior captured the 1,500m (4:47.34) and 3,000m (10:48.50) and was second in the 800m (2:25.36).
Ponaganset’s Amber Shaw came out on top in the battle between the state’s two best pole-vaulters. Shaw matched her PR of 11-0 to beat defending state titlist Ellie Noonan. The Barrington senior secured second with a height of 10-6.
***
