When it comes to top talent, you never quite know who will show up at the New England Championships. While the regional meet typically attracts many of the area’s best, several elite competitors, particularly in the distance events, sometimes opt to skip it in order to prepare for national meets two weeks later.
The 38th annual championship, set for Saturday at the Reggie Lewis Center, will be minus some of the region’s biggest stars. But plenty of elite talent will still make the trip to Boston, using the meet as a final tune-up before taking on the nation’s best.
Here’s some of the events where our Ocean Staters have a good chance at winning or placing high on the podium.
***
Girls’ 55-Meter Dash, High Jump, Long Jump
We’re grouping these events together because they all center around one standout athlete, Thea Jackson of Mount Hope. Jackson swept these events at the RI State Meet two weeks ago and enters among the top seed in all three.
In the 55m, Jackson ranks No. 2 behind Saphyr Brown of Bloomfield (CT). Brown, who captured this event at last month’s East Coast Invitational, recently ran an all-time best of 7.05 to win the recent CIAC State Open. Jackson, the reigning Rhode Island state titlist, owns a PR of 7.16 from the Class B meet. Ella Barber of Greenwich (CT) is the third seed with a best of 7.18.
Brown may have the slight edge in this one, but this race could be close.
In the high jump, Jackson is seeded sixth with her state-winning 5-4, though her personal best of 5-6 keeps her firmly in contention for a podium spot. The clear favorite is defending champion Ella Palisano of Mount Anthony Union High School, who won her state meet at 5-9.25 and owns a career best of 6-0 from the outdoor season.
In the long jump, Jackson has a season-best mark of 18 feet, 10.5 inches, which ranks her No. 2 behind Bloomfield’s Vanessa Agyemang, the defending champion in the event. Agyemang soared to an all-time best of 19-7 in 2025, while her top mark this season stands at 18-11. Jackson, however, has proven she can surpass the 19-foot barrier, having leaped 19-1 to claim the outdoor state title last spring.
This one has the potential to be close.
Girls’ 600-Meter Run
The meet record in this event is 1:30.79, set 14 years ago by Precious Holmes of Hillhouse (CT).
While we don’t think that mark will be broken this weekend, don’t be surprised if our winner comes close with a time in the 1:31-1:32 range. This could turn into one of the most exciting races of the day.
The field features three recent state champions, who each ran in the 1:33 range – Newton North’s Penny Blumenthal (1:33.51), CT’s Lauren Kropo of Naugatuck (1:33.58) and RI’s Skyler Maxwell of Moses Brown (1:33.69).
Kropo faced the tightest battle at states, finishing just 1.5 seconds and a half ahead of Hall’s Alexandra Golder, while Blumenthal and Maxwell cruised to victories by three seconds and more than six seconds, respectively.
Trust us, the winner in this race will not be all alone. We expect this to be competitive until the final few meters with a lean at the finish possibly determining our champion.
Girls’ Mile
The favorite tag belongs to defending champion Chase Gilbert of Lyme-Old Lyme High School. Gilbert owns a season best of 4:47.96, which she ran to win last month’s Puma New York International Showcase. The talented senior will be tough to beat once again and should threaten her own meet record of 4:48.45, set at this meet a year ago.
Behind Gilbert is where things get especially interesting. Alyssa Parenteau of La Salle Academy enters as one of the top contenders for a podium finish. She won the RI state meet with a PR of 4:42.64 for 1,500m. That converts to roughly 5:03–5:04 for the mile. Don’t be surprised if she takes aim at breaking five minutes this weekend. A sub-5 effort would certainly put her in strong contention for silver.
Parenteau is currently ranked third, just behind No. 2 seed Laurel Driscoll of Scarborough (ME), who brings a 5:00.68 best into the race.
Girls’ 4×200-Meter Relay
As been customary over the years, Bloomfield is the top seed in this event with a best this season of 1:42.33. The Warhawks are the only team in this field to dip under 1:43 and, barring a DQ, should win this race. Look for Moses Brown to be fighting for the other top spots on the podium. The Quakers rank No. 4 in this event with their triumphant 1:44.66 from the victory at the State Meet. That time is just about a second away from No. 2 seed Windsor (CT), which has a best of 1:43.60 from CIAC State Open.
Girls’ 4×400-Meter Relay
The talent is plentiful in this race. Central Catholic (MA) is the top seed in this race. The Raiders came mere strides from breaking four minutes at the recent MIAA Meet of Champions with a time of 4:00.11. The next 10 teams have all broken 4:10 this season, including Moses Brown at the No. 9 seed with a best of 4:07.81 from the State Meet
Girls’ Shot
The favorite here is Tayla Schneider of North Kingstown High School. The Skippers’ junior dominated her state meet with a toss of 42-2.5, and this season she has recorded six throws over 40 feet, including a personal best of 43-3.5 from her victory at the Class A Championships on Jan. 31. She’ll be tough to beat.
That said, she’ll have plenty of company in the ring. Five other competitors have surpassed the 40-foot mark this season, including Ainsley Cuthbertson of Lexington, MA (42-8.75), Avery Plouffe of Woodstock Academy, CT (41-5), Isabel Zukowski of Auburn, MA (41-4), Emeline Boyer of Melrose, MA (40-5.5), and Sloan Gardner of Cape Elizabeth, ME (40-5.25).
In an event where one big throw can shift the standings instantly, this competition could tighten quickly if someone connects with their best attempt
