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’ sprinting events, which include the 100=meter dash, 200m and 400m.
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100m
This outdoor season is shaping up to be highly competitive, with several sprinters capable of claiming gold at the State Meet.
East Providence’s Jack Pawlik returns as the defending champion and should once again be among the top contenders. Pawlik narrowly missed an individual title in the 55m dash at the indoor State Meet, finishing just 0.03 seconds behind Barrington senior Patrick Trainor, who won in 6.37 to Pawlik’s personal-best 6.40. In the 100m, Pawlik was consistently dominant, posting a state-leading 10.71 at the Class A Championships and completing an undefeated season against in-state competition with a victory at the states in 10.86.
Trainor is another athlete to watch closely this spring. The Eagles senior did not compete during last year’s outdoor season, but as a sophomore he recorded a best of 11.28 at the Hendricken Invitational. Based on his indoor performance – where he consistently ran under 6.5 in the 55m late in the season- Trainor projects to be in the 10.7–10.8 range for the 100m, placing him firmly among the top contenders.
La Salle teammates Jalen Moseley and Garrett Giroux Pezzullo are both capable of breaking 11 seconds in the 100m, though neither is expected to contest the event at the State Meet. Moseley will likely focus on defending his titles in the 110m hurdles and 300m intermediate hurdles, while also competing in the long jump, where he is the national indoor champion and state record holder, and contributing to the 200m or 4x400m relay. Meanwhile, Giroux Pezzullo is expected to defend his 400m title and compete in the 200m along with two relay events.
Other top runners include underclassmen Ephraim Teah of Classical and Portsmouth’s Shane Rogers, who were sixth and seventh, respectively, as freshmen in 2025. Teah had a best of 10.89 from the New Balance Nationals. Rogers’ best was 11.31 from the states.
Don’t ignore Hendricken’s Jeremy Seidi and La Salle’s Jackson Alves, who were sixth and seventh, respectively, in the 55m at the indoor states.
200m
Take your pick in this one, too.
Pawlik returns as the defending champion after winning last year’s race in 21.90. He reinforced his status as the favorite by posting a state-leading 21.7 to capture the Class A title.
Alongside the East Providence standout, several others could dip under 22 seconds and contend for gold. Moseley and Giroux-Pezzullo are chief among them. Giroux-Pezzullo, the 300m champion with a state-best 33.87, clocked a 21.79 in the 200m at last month’s New Balance Nationals. Moseley finished second to Pawlik in 21.95 after already claiming victories in both the 110m and 300m hurdles.
Other top contenders include Trainor and East Providence’s Justin Jardine, among others.
400m
The clear-cut favorite is Garrett Giroux-Pezzullo, the defending state champion. By season’s end, the La Salle senior has a legitimate shot at breaking the 47-second barrier.
During the indoor season, Giroux-Pezzullo consistently split in the low 47-second range on relays, and his sub-34 performance in the 300m reflects the kind of speed and endurance needed to translate into a low-47- or potentially faster- open 400m. With multiple opportunities throughout the spring, he’ll be in prime position to chase that milestone.
Returning from last year’s State Meet are several top finishers, including East Providence’s Jardine, Bishop Hendricken’s Andrew McCarthy, La Salle’s Abraham Ghamrawi, Lincoln’s Finley Stebenne, and East Providence’s Julius Cortes, who placed third through seventh, respectively.
Jardine and McCarthy both broke the 50-second barrier a year ago, clocking times of 49.24 and 49.89, respectively.
