With our athletes now leaving the dirt trails of cross country behind, it’s time to shift our focus to a different kind of competition—one where running, throwing, and jumping take center stage. The indoor track & field season has arrived.
As always, we have several talented returnees set to make an impact, a group of notable newcomers ready to challenge the field, and—without question—a few surprises waiting in the wings. Expect plenty of new faces atop the podium this winter, with only six state champions from the 2024–25 season returning.
Over the next few weeks, Ocean State Running will preview the upcoming winter campaign. We’ll take our best shot at predicting the top performers in each event.
We’ll kick things off with a look at the girls’ throwing events, which includes the 20-pound weight and the shot.
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WEIGHT THROW
Few can argue that, collectively—and perhaps performance-wise—this was our best year ever in the event. By season’s end, 10 athletes exceeded the 50-foot mark, surpassing the previous high of seven set in both the 2017 and 2018 seasons.
Will we see similar results this indoor season? It might be difficult with six throwers lost to graduation. But you never know. Time will tell in an event that consistently produces some of the top throwers in the country.
One thing appears evident: the favorite this season is Toll Gate’s Vanessa Jones. The Titans senior is the defending champion after a breakthrough year that also saw her claim individual gold at the Nike Indoor Nationals. There’s no doubt Jones will be looking to repeat the magic this winter, with an eye on the state record as well. The current mark is 63 feet, 2 inches, set by former Ponaganset star Gianna Rao in 2018. Jones has a best of 59-2 from her victory at states and consistently threw in the high-50-foot range late in the season.
While the Toll Gate star appears to be the one to beat, it won’t be easy. There are several returnees from last year’s indoor season and some breakout stars from outdoor competition who could make things interesting. From last year’s indoor competitors, the 4-5-7 finishers at the State Meet in February are all coming back: Classical’s Chibuzzo Ihenacho, Prout’s Julia Smith, and Smithfield’s Taylor McGinness. McGinness had the best throw out of the trio during the season with a runner-up finish at the Millrose Games with a heave of 56-3.5, an effort that was No. 4 in the state and ranked two among returnees. Some darkhorses this season could be Woonsocket’s Avaree Caron and CLassical’s Nelmark Santos Monica, who both had 170-footers in the hammer during the outdoor season.
SHOT
Two of the state’s three 40-footers last year—Classical’s Gifty Bediako and Cumberland’s Payton Goulding—have since graduated. Bediako won her second straight state title, while Goulding returned the favor by taking it all during the outdoor season.
The top returnee and early favorite is North Kingstown’s Tayla Schneider, who placed fourth at the state meet last winter. Schneider posted an indoor PR of 38-1 at the Sullivan Division Championships and joined the 40-foot club in the spring with an all-time best of 40-0.5 at the Mount Pleasant Invitational.
If Schneider carries the momentum from last year, she’ll be tough to beat. Anyone hoping to top her will need to bring their best. Several others are hovering near the mid-30-foot mark and are expected to be in the mix, including Smithfield’s Taylor McGinness, Westerly’s Madison Pellegrino, Scituate’s Valentina Mancini, as well as Smith and Santos-Mojica.
