The state’s best will collide at the PCTA Field House on Saturday for the RIIL Indoor Track & Field Championships. Who are some of the top athletes that will be competing this weekend? Here we feature the boys’ middle/long distance events, which includes the 1,000-meter run, the 1,500m and the 3,000m
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1,000-Meter Run
This is an event that can get tricky when making predictions, especially before the scratch period. In most cases, the top contenders are toeing the line in the 1K as their second or even third race of the day.
Case in point: top seed Marshall Vernon of La Salle is also entered in the 3,000m and 1,500m — just as he has been the past two years.
With that in mind, we expect this race to be tight, with a winning time likely in the 2:35–2:36 range. Vernon owns a season-best of 2:32.68. Mello clocked a state-leading 2:31.84 at the MSTCA Boston Holiday Challenge, while Hendricken’s David Hayes sits as the No. 3 seed at 2:36.16.
All three are scheduled to compete earlier in the meet — Vernon in the 3,000m and 1,500m, Mello in the 1,500m, and Hayes in both the 3K and 1,500m. At this point, we don’t anticipate scratches.
And it doesn’t stop there. The next six seeds are also doubling or tripling back. That brings us to the No. 10 and No. 11 seeds — St. Raphael teammates Joseph McFarland and Arthur Ferris.
These two could be sleepers.
Aside from the 4x800m relay, this will be their only individual event, meaning fresher legs compared to much of the field. Can they hit that projected 2:35–2:36 range? Maybe. Maybe not.
At the recent Last Chance Qualifier, McFarland finished second overall in 2:38.86 — nearly a two-second personal best. Ferris ran 2:39.43 in his first individual race of the season after a fall injury disrupted most of his indoor campaign. That mark was four seconds shy of his all-time best (2:35.46 at New England’s).
Did that performance signal something more? Perhaps.
It may just be a hunch. But we’ve been around this sport long enough to know that in races like this, fresh legs taking advantage of a tired field can sometimes produce a Saturday upset.
1,500-Meter Run
There’s a reason we save this event for one of the last in our previews. It’s often the hardest to predict with so many variables in play. With the 3K scheduled beforehand, the degree of difficulty only increases.
Barrington, Hendricken and La Salle — three schools we expect to battle for the team title — all have major players in this race.
The Hawks’ Colby Flynn owns the fastest mark this season, running 3:57.95 en route to his 4:14.47 mile at the Apple Bank Hispanic Games in New York City on Jan. 3. Mello sits at 4:02.75 from a mid-January league meet. Hendricken’s Fred Russell (4:04.12), Vernon (4:05.77) and the Hawks’ Hayes (4:05.82) are all within striking distance.
Vernon is certainly capable of running faster than his seed — he proved that two years ago. After winning the 3K in 8:40.12, he doubled back to take the 1,500m in 4:01.73, edging Narragansett’s Cole Francis (4:02.15).
The La Salle senior appears to be in peak form. He captured the Yale Track Classic in 8:22.76 before lowering that mark to a PR of 8:21.69 at the John Thomas Terrier Classic less than three weeks later.
Last year, Vernon won this race in 4:08.26. We expect the winning time to be faster this weekend — perhaps 4:02 or 4:03. A sub-4 would surprise us, but you never know.
For Mello, this will be his first race of the day. He’ll be the freshest among the top contenders. Expect him to take charge and try to win it outright.
But how aggressive can he afford to be with the 1,000m still on the docket — a race where he’ll likely need a high finish if the Eagles are going to contend for the team title?
Now you see what we mean about the 1,500m? As always, it’s going to be interesting.
3,000-Meter Run
Finally, we have the longest race on the track — and in our opinion, it could be the most exciting of the three. Tactical? Not a chance. This race will be fast from the gun.
On the seed sheet, Hendricken and La Salle hold the top seven spots. But at No. 8 is our cross-country state champion, Sean Gray of Portsmouth. While his seed is slower based on qualifying meets, Gray — along with Vernon — is one of the fastest in this race based on their Terrier Classic 3K times. Gray finished just behind Vernon in that race, clocking a best of 8:22.31.
With no team title on the line, expect the Patriots’ standout to take the race out hard. It’s his typical style — and he has nothing to lose. If that holds true, he’ll drag the field with him. The others can’t let him go if they’re looking for a victory.
We think there’s potential for at least three runners to break 8:30. Along with Vernon and Gray, Flynn has already done it this year — he was runner-up to Vernon at Yale with a PR of 8:27.88. Russell and Hayes are others expected will be in the mix.
Picking a favorite, we’re going with Vernon to pull off the three-peat. But don’t count the others out, particularly Gray and the always-gritty Flynn.
Photo by Sterling Vernon @rhodeandtrack
