It’s Preview Time!
With the outdoor track & field season kicking 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 knowledge.
Lastly we feature the distance events, which include the 800-meter run, 1,500m and the 3,000m. Below are the boys’ events.
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800m
Be prepared for a fast pace right from the start in this event.
Leading the field is defending state champion Eamon O’Brien of La Salle Academy. The Rams senior is coming off a breakout 2025 season that culminated in his first state title. O’Brien posted a PR of 1:52.81 at the BSR Elite Scholastic Meet and consistently ran in the mid-1:50 range throughout the outdoor campaign.
Expectations are high for O’Brien in his final season, and he’s already provided an early glimpse of what’s to come. He opened his spring on April 10 with a strong 1:54.47 performance at the Friar Invitational, reinforcing his position as the early favorite to repeat at the State Meet.
But trust us, a title defense won’t come easy.
O’Brien’s top challenger appears to be Barrington’s Henry Stockwell, a familiar rival from the indoor season. The two faced off three times in the 600m, with Stockwell winning each meeting—including at the State Meet—setting up what should be an exciting showdown as they transition to the 800m this spring. Stockwell placed fifth in this event last year with a best of 1:57.70, but based on his 1:22.55 performance in the 600m at the New England Championships, he looks poised to dip into the mid-to-low 1:50 range this season.
Barrington’s Brooks Mello and St. Raphael’s Arthur Ferris are also capable of making noise in the two-lapper, though it’s unclear if either will contest the event at the State Meet.
Mello, who recently ran 15:22.47 for 5K at the Quaker Invitational, has shown impressive range across the distance events. Despite limited races in the 800m, he owns a best of 1:58.62 from his freshman season in 2024. With a 2:31.84 for 1,000m this past indoor season and the ability to run near four minutes for 1,500m and sub 8:40 for 3,000m, he has the tools to significantly lower that mark with a focused effort.
Ferris is another athlete to watch. He ran 1:58.10 at the Hendricken Invitational last spring, ranking No. 3 among returning athletes. After being sidelined by injury following his Class C cross-country title in the fall, Ferris didn’t debut indoors until February. He still managed to place fourth in the 1,000m at the State Meet and ran a personal-best 2:34.38 at New Englands. With a full, healthy training cycle, Ferris, who also owns bests of 4:00.01 for 1,500m and 8:51.58 for 3K, has the endurance and strength to be a factor, too.
1,500m
It’s become a common trend among many of Rhode Island’s top distance runners to double back in this event alongside the 3,000m. Unlike the indoor season—where the 3K comes first and leaves limited recovery before the 1,500m—the order is flipped outdoors, allowing for significantly more rest between races.
What does that mean for this event? Just look at last year’s championship meet. Hendricken’s Colby Flynn took the win in a blazing 3:57.71, with three runners breaking the four-minute barrier. It took at least 4:03.98 just to crack the top eight.
We’re expecting more of the same this season, with six athletes returning from 2025: Hendricken’s David Hayes (3:58.10), Ferris (4:00.01), Hendricken’s Fred Russell (4:01.26), Cranston East’s Cohen Brinker (4:02.21), and Hendricken’s Brayden Seraichyk (4:03.59).
There’s a real possibility of at least six runners breaking four minutes in this event over the course of the season.
We also can’t forget La Salle’s Marshall Vernon, who missed the entire outdoor campaign due to injury. Vernon owns an official best of 3:57.46 for 1,500m, set en route to a 4:14.50 mile at the 2024 New Balance Nationals. He has run even faster en route to his mile PR of 4:10.88 at the 2024 MSTCA Boston Holiday Challenge.
Also in the mix are the Eagles’ Mello (4:02.75 PR) and Portsmouth’s Sean Gray (4:03.51), who has shown strong potential despite limited opportunities at the distance.
3,000m
With many of the same athletes entered from the 1,500m, the longest track event is expected to produce strong competition and fast times this spring.
This past indoor season, 12 runners broke nine minutes, led by Vernon, Gray, and Flynn. All three dipped under 8:30, with Vernon (8:21.69) and Gray (8:22.31) posting their marks at the John Thomas Terrier Classic, and Flynn (8:27.88) running his at the Yale Track Classic. The trio is expected to carry that form into the outdoor season.
A benchmark could be set Friday night when Vernon lines up against more than 20 of the nation’s best in the boys’ 3,000m Championship at the Penn Relays Carnival.
Mello and Hayes are also expected to factor into the mix. Mello has shown strength in the longer races, highlighted by his PR of 8:35.47 at Yale and a recent 5K victory at the Quaker Invitational, where he won by 13 seconds over junior teammate Colby Napolitano.
Other top runners in this event are Hendricken’s Fred Russell and Shepherd Butler, La Salle Will Souza, Portsmouth’s Patrick Orbon, Providence Country Day’s Leo Woodman and La Salle’s Matthew Lewis. All six broke nine minutes this past winter.
Gray is the two-time defending state titlist in this event, and will likely be the favorite again this spring. Vernon and Flynn are expected to have one or two races already under their belts with hopes of leading their respective schools to the team title. Even if his rivals have fresh legs, the Virginia-bound senior would still be among the favorites.
Time-wise, several athletes could be under 8:30 with some of our top runners in that 8:10-8:20 range.
Above photo by Sterling Vernon @rhodeandtrack
