Let the bragging rights begin!
Who will be the top schools vying for the team title at their respective class championships on Saturday? What are some of the events that have grabbed our attention? Throughout the week, we’ll let you know our thoughts as we preview all three boys’ and girls’ class championships.
Below we preview the Class C boys’ and girls’ meets.
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Class C Championships – Boys
Date/Time: Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
Teams: Achievement First PVD, Burrillville, Exeter/West Greenwich, Juanita Sanchez, Middletown, Moses Brown, Narragansett, North Smithfield, Prout School, Providence Country Day, Rogers, Scituate, Smithfield, South Kingstown, Bay View, St. Raphael Academy, Tiverton, Westerly
Events To Watch: Expect a large lead pack to still be in contention late in the 1,500-meter run. The top five runners in this event have seeds between 4:19 and 4:21. Moses Brown’s Ben Glew holds the No. 1 seed at 4:21.67. Right behind him are Tiverton’s Brady Joslyn (4:20.23), St. Raphael’s Joseph McFarland (4:21.37), Providence Country Day’s Leo Woodman (4:21.40) and The Prout School’s Juelz Harris (4:21.76)…The 55m hurdles features the No. 3 hurdler in the state with South Kingstown’s Kai Sorlien on the line. Sorlien comes in with a best of 7.82 from his recent win at the Bayha Division Championships. His time is more than a half-second ahead of the next closest seed. Look for the Rebels senior to take care of business early in this one…Could we have a repeat of last week’s Southern Division Championships in the long jump? The 1-2-3 finishers from that meet will be at the sand pit this weekend with St. Raphael’s Brendan Cardoso, Rogers’ Derek Llyod and St. Raphael’s Melvin Howard. The trio all went over 21 feet at the divisional and were separated by just three inches, with Cardoso taking the prize at 21-3.5. Llyod has the best leap among the bunch this winter, placing third at the East Coast Invitational with a best of 21-10.5…St. Ray’s is among the favorites to win the school’s fifth title in the last six years. The 55m dash is an event where they could rack up a considerable amount of points. The Saints have five of the top seven seeds, led by Cardoso (6.56), Howard (6.73) and Jalen Young (6.80).
Team Outlook: With depth and the ability to score high in several events, the Saints should win their fifth straight title this weekend. Other teams that should be among the top scorers are Rogers, South Kingstown, Moses Brown and Prout.
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Class C Championships – Girls
Date/Time: Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
Teams: Achievement First PVD, Burrillville, Exeter/West Greenwich, Juanita Sanchez, Middletown, Moses Brown, Narragansett, North Smithfield, Prout School, Providence Country Day, Rogers, Scituate, Smithfield, South Kingstown, Bay View, St. Raphael Academy, Tiverton, Westerly
Events To Watch: As we all know here in Rhode Island, you can never ignore what happens inside the cage. In the girls’ weight throw, we’re set for a marquee matchup between the state leader and the No. 3-ranked competitor, as Smithfield’s Taylor McGinness goes head-to-head with The Prout School’s Julia Smith. McGinness enters with the nation’s No. 2 mark of 56-10, while Smith owns a personal best of 55-4¾ — a distance that ranks No. 7 nationally. The two last squared off at the East Coast Invitational, where Smith finished second and McGinness placed third, adding another layer of intrigue to this showdown. Expect this one to be tight. McGinness has surpassed 56 feet twice this season, showing her high-end potential, while Smith has been the model of consistency, recording roughly a half-dozen throws in the 54–55 foot range…Look for a tight battle in the 55-meter dash, one that could come down to a lean at the finish. The top two sprinters in this race are St. Raphael’s Francine Justin and Moses Brown’s Kendra Satine. They’re among five in the state that have broken 7.4. Justin owns a PR of 7.32 from the Yale Track Classic. Satine has a best of 7.39 from last month’s RITCA Invitational. Moses Brown’s Amaya Felder also can’t be ignored. She boasts a PR of 7.52….There’s no doubt Moses Brown is among the favorites to win its fifth straight team title. Setting the tone for the day could come from the 4x200m relay. Putting the final exclamation point on the victory will likely come from the 4x400m relay. In the two events, the Quakers are the state leaders with bests of 1:45.94 and 4:08.60 this season, both set at the RITCA Invite on Jan. 3. Nearly a month has passed since that meet. While it doesn’t appear Moses Brown will be challenged in these races this weekend, this could be a prelude of what to expect at the states in two weeks. Expect some fast times that could move them up a spot or two in the state’s all-time rankings. …Before the season even started, Mackenzie Lickert talked about breaking the 10-minute barrier in the 3,000m. Could this be the day for the St. Raphael Academy junior? Lickert has a best of 10:13.43 from the Yale Track Classic. Last week she ran 10:16.02 to take individual honors at the Sullivan Division Championships. She has the potential to improve on her best substantially based on what we’ve witnessed from the SRA standout, a runner-up at the state cross-country meet. We’ll know early what her plans are in this one. If she’s anywhere near 5:20 or under at the mile mark, the game is on!…Keep your eyes on the 55m hurdles, the long jump and the high jump. These are the events where Exeter/West Greenwich’s Nini Olawuyi is the top seed. Her biggest challenge could come in the long jump where her seed of 17-9.50 is less than six inches further than the Quakers’ Satine, the No. 2 seed. She comes in with a best of 17-4. In the high jump, she’ll be looking to improve on her state No. 2 of 5-4. She’s the state leader in the 55m hurdles (8.65)
Team Outlook: With its outstanding depth, Moses Brown should be well on its way to achieving the five-peat this weekend. St. Rays does appear to be a strong contender for runner-up honors.
