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 girls’ hurdling events, which include the 100-meter High hurdles and the 300m intermediate hurdles.
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100m HH
Much like the indoor season in the 55m hurdles, this event is expected to be highly competitive this spring. From last year’s state meet, five of the seven finalists are returning, and all performed well during indoor. Adding to the depth is Mount Hope’s versatile senior Thea Jackson, who, in her first year competing in the hurdles this winter, placed third at the indoor state championships.
Exeter/West Greenwich’s Nini Olawuyi enters as the early favorite, though the race for the title is far from certain. Olawuyi captured the 55m hurdles state title this winter and is the top returnee from the outdoor championships, where she finished as runner-up to graduated senior Emily Brown of Chariho with a PR of 15.21. The Scarlet Knights standout has proven to be a strong championship performer, often delivering her best races in high-pressure meets.
Also returning are several top finishers from last spring, including Cranston West’s Reece Vitale (third), West Warwick’s Jailynn Huffman (fourth), North Kingstown’s Julianna Williams (fifth), and La Salle’s Jillian Lewis (seventh). Lewis, then a sophomore, posted a best of 16.08, while the others have already broken the 16-second barrier – Vitale at 15.29, Huffman at 15.58, and Williams at 15.15, the latter coming in the preliminary round of the State Meet.
While Jackson adds intrigue to the field, she may not contest the event at the states, as she is expected to focus on the 100m, 200m, high jump, and long jump, where she ranks among the state’s top athletes.
300m IH
Based on her success last season and over the winter, Cranston West’s Reece Vitale is the early-season favorite in this event. She finished second to Emily Brown during her hurdles sweep at the state championships, coming just 0.23 seconds shy with a personal best of 46.33.
Familiar faces are expected to populate the podium once again this spring. In addition to Vitale, the third-, fourth-, fifth-, sixth-, and eighth-place finishers from last year all return. Barrington’s Charlotte Farrell earned a third-place finish as a freshman with a best of 48.22. She was followed by East Providence’s Layla Bates (48.35), La Salle’s Jillian Lewis (49.02), and Cumberland’s Madeline Coyne (49.47), all of whom broke 50 seconds. East Providence’s Ryley Souto, who placed eighth, was just outside that mark with a personal best of 50.42.
Another athlete to watch is Providence Country Day’s Brenna Cannon, who did not compete at the state meet but posted a strong 49.18 to place fifth at the Mount Pleasant Invitational.
With so many returning finalists and several athletes already under- or close to – the 50-second barrier, this event has the potential to be one of the deepest and most competitive races of the State Meet.
