After a break from competition this coming weekend, attention now turns to the national championships over the next two weeks.
Beginning Thursday, March 12, and running through Sunday, March 15, athletes will compete at two major events – the Nike Indoor Nationals in New York and the New Balance Nationals Indoor Championships in Boston.
The following week, competition continues in Virginia Beach with the adidas Indoor Nationals, taking place Friday, March 20 through Sunday, March 22.
Three national meets. Three stages where talent runs deep, with some of the country’s finest athletes making their way to the East Coast. A lot can happen – and often does – when you bring top-level competitors together under one roof.
Based on this season’s performances, several Rhode Island state records could fall – particularly at The TRACK at New Balance, site of NBNI, where most of the state’s top stars are set to compete.
Here’s the records we believe will be a jeopardy in the weeks ahead.
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Boys’ 55-Meter Hurdles
Yes, we know. This is not an event contested at the national meets, where the distance is bumped up to 60 meters. However, the timing systems at those meets also produce splits for 55 meters, which means those times can still count for record purposes.
This past Saturday at the New England Championships, La Salle’s Jalen Moseley finished second in the event with a PR of 7.37 seconds, a time that tied the state mark set last year by former Barrington standout Bobby Wind at the same meet. Moseley is a proven big-meet performer. Look for the gifted junior to take sole ownership of the record at New Balance, with the possibility of adding the 60m hurdles mark as well. That record currently stands at 8.00, set by former Hope standout Yudeweh Gbaa at the now-defunct National Scholastic Indoor Championships in 2004.
Boys’ 400-Meter Run
The state record is 47.76, set by Mount Pleasant’s celebrated alum Bobby Young at the National Scholastic Championships in 2003. That 23-year-old mark is well within reach of La Salle’s Garrett Giroux Pezzullo. His recent state record of 33.87 in the 300m, achieved with his victory at the New England Championships, certainly converts to a projected 400m time faster than what Young ran more than two decades ago.
The La Salle senior currently ranks No. 2 on the all-time list, blazing to a career best of 48.88 at the MSTCA Boston Holiday Challenge on Dec. 27.
Boys’ Weight Throw
When it comes to an event like the weight throw, a nearly two-foot best is far more difficult than it might seem to most. Still, we think there is a slight chance that Woonsocket’s Shamrock Thoun could challenge the state mark of 85-0.25, held by former Villa Novan great Tarik Robinson O’Hagan.
The amazingly consistent Thoun has been in 80-foot territory all season long, surpassing the milestone in nine meets. He achieved his all-time best more than two weeks ago when he defended his state title with a heave of 83-1.75.
The key might come in the first few throws. If the Woonsocket senior can pull off a PR effort on his first three attempts in the prelims – maybe something in the mid 83-foot range – it will alleviate much of the pressure and allow him to essentially “go for it” in the finals.
Here’s the other thing -Thoun could have as many as nine attempts at the 2022 record by Robinson-O’Hagan during the Nike Indoor Nationals. The Kennesaw State University commit is entered in all three national meets, just like last year when he swept the titles in his specialty.
Boys’ Long Jump
Moseley seems to be in a groove for the horizontal leaps. He broke his own state mark at the New Englands with a leap of 24-3. In his three meets prior to this past weekend’s competition, he soared to winning distances of 23-10.5 at the Class A meet, 24-2.75 at the RITCA Last Chance Qualifier, and 23-10.5 at the State Meet.
A little controversy marred Moseley’s long jump experience at the New Englands, where he was second overall. As we mentioned in our previous article on the meet, the La Salle junior was told he won the title with a 24-5 effort in his opening flight, only to have it dismissed by the officials.
There’s no doubt that will give Moseley added motivation to excel at next week’s meet.
Boys’ 55-Meter Dash
This one has a chance at being erased, too. Barrington’s Patrick Trainor captured this event at the State Meet with a best of 6.37 — a time just 0.03 seconds from the state mark of 6.34 by former East Providence great Eric Osei from the Yale Track Classic in 2006. With the 55m also comes the 60m. The record there is 6.90, set 16 years ago by La Salle alum Kadeem Kushimo at the 2010 Nike Indoor Nationals.
Boys’ 4×200-Meter Relay, 4×400-Meter Relay
It could be a record-breaking party for La Salle at the New Balance Nationals. Besides the long jump, 55m hurdles, and 400m, the 4x200m and 4x400m could also fall at the NBN. The Rams clocked season bests of 1:29.53 and 3:22.76 in the respective events at the New Englands this past weekend. Those times are not far behind the Rams’ marks of 1:28.95 and 3:20.04.
Boys’ 5,000-Meter Run
Only two runners have broken the 15-minute barrier in this event during the indoor season. One of them will be competing next week and also happens to be the current record-holder. Portsmouth’s Sean Gray smashed the then two-year-old mark of 14:53.71 by former Hendricken standout Troy Silvestri by 10 seconds at last year’s meet. Gray finished second overall with an indoor best of 14:43.48. The University of Virginia commit has competed in just four races this winter due to injury but proved he’s past it with a PR of 8:22.31 for the 3K at the John Thomas Terrier Classic on Jan. 30 and a runner-up finish at the states, where he was timed in 8:32.35. Those times are considerably faster than what he ran in 2025 prior to last year’s meet, giving us an indication that Gray is well within reach of his own state mark.
Girls’ Shot
It might be a bit of a longshot, we get it. But it’s not too far out of the realm of possibilities. In this event, all it takes is one very big throw. This past weekend, North Kingstown’s Tayla Schneider moved up to No. 3 on the all-time list with a heave of 43-6.75. The current record is 45-0.50 by former Classical great Victoria Flowers at the 2008 Rhody Invitational, a performance at the time that was nearly a foot and a half further than what she tossed at the Brown Invitational just two weeks earlier. Anything can happen, and right now the Skipper junior appears to have confidence on her side. The last five meets she has tossed the metal ball 41-7.75 or further.
Girls’ 4×400-Meter Relay
Here’s another record we’re not ruling out next week, but it will take a big-time effort.
The record is 3:56.36 by La Salle Academy from the 2008 National Scholastic Indoor Championships. This past weekend, Moses Brown came just over two seconds from becoming the state’s fifth team ever to break the four-minute barrier with a sixth place time of 4:02.32.
The difference here is all four members will have fresh legs with no other races prior to this event. A little more than a second improvement on each leg could put the Quakers close the Rams’ 18-year-old record.
