It’s Preview Time!
With the outdoor track & field season licking off, it’s time to spotlight the top athletes who could dominate this spring. We’ve based our projections on performances from the 2025 outdoor season, results from this past winter campaign, and some inside knowldege.
Here we feature the boys’ throwing events, which include the shot, hammer, javelin and discus.
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SHOT
Just 3.5 inches separated the top three finishers at the State Meet this past indoor season, with Smithfield sophomore Kaeden Manni taking the title at 52-0, followed by Barrington’s Joe Adams and Bishop Hendricken’s Kayson Kong. We’re expecting more of the same this spring, with a few additional athletes likely to factor into the mix.
In total, four shot putters surpassed 50 feet this season, including Hendricken’s Alexzander Prado, who achieved a best of 51-5.5 at the Last Chance Qualifier. Prado finished fourth at the state meet and is the top returner from last spring’s outdoor championship, where he also placed fourth.
Of this group, Adams owns the top mark at 55-0.5 from a Headley Division meet in mid-January. Overall, there is no clear favorite to emerge victorious at this season’s State Meet.
We should get a clearer picture as the season progresses, but this has the makings of a wide-open competition – one where one big throw from any number of contenders could ultimately decide who stands atop the podium.
HAMMER
As usual, the hammer could feature several athletes over 200 feet, perhaps matching the eight who reached that mark in 2025. Four of the top eight finishers from last year’s State Meet return: East Greenwich’s Ryan Evans (third), Hendricken’s Dimitri Johnson (fourth), Barrington’s Joe Adams (fifth), and Woonsocket’s Shamrock Thoun (seventh).
Evans owns the top returning mark with a PR of 225-3 from his runner-up finish at the Hendricken Invitational. Thoun is close behind with a career best of 222-2.25, an effort that earned him gold at the adidas Track Nationals. Both athletes also had strong indoor campaigns in the weight throw, with Thoun capturing his second straight title and Evans finishing second.
We expect this talented group to pick up where they left off, with the 230- and possibly even 240-foot range within reach this spring.
Among the returners, Johnson and Adams are the only other throwers to have surpassed 200 feet last season, with bests of 214-5 and 210-0, respectively.
DISCUS
Four of the top eight finishers from last year’s State Meet will be back with East Greenwich’s Ryan Evans (second) and Barrington’s Joe Adams (fourth) standing out among the rest.
Adams had the No. 1 throw in the state last year with a heave of 164-0 to win the Eastern Division Championships. Evans was at No. 2 with a throw of 159-2.
Other solid returnees are Johnston’s Jayden Ponte (151-0) and Hendricken’s Alexzander Prado (145-10).
JAVELIN
We don’t expect much to change at the top in this event. Defending champion Kai Sorlien of South Kingstown enters as the clear favorite after capturing last year’s title with a PR of 184-2 – nearly 25 feet farther than the next-best returning competitor.
Sorlien has also shown impressive consistency, something we don’t expect to change in his final season. In five meets last year, his throws ranged from 176-5 to his current best. The Rebels senior, who placed third at the New England Championships, has a legitimate chance to break the 190-foot barrier based on his progressio – a mark that would place him among the top 15 all-time in the state.
He was also second in this event at the State Meet as a sophomore and owned a previous best of 170-6 following that season’s New England Championships.
Among the other top returners are Hendricken’s Vincent McAteer (159-11), Moses Brown’s Silas Hoefferle (154-6), and La Salle’s Derek La Fazia (153-6). While that group is talented, closing the gap on Sorlien will take a significant jump.
