It seemed inevitable
After coming close to a state record a few times over the last few weeks, Lisa Raye added the 200-meter mark to a list that is expected to only get bigger in the years ahead.
The West Warwick standout blazed to a victory in the Freshmen 200m during the final day of the New Balance Nationals on Sunday with a time of 23.58 seconds. Raye erased the 2015 mark of 23.63 by Hope alum Quashira McIntosh. Prior to the start, the Wizards’ sprinter had the No. 2 seed of 23.85 from the prelims, behind Florida’s Skyler Franklin 23.59 effort. Raye never had a chance to go toe-to-toe with Franklin in the finals. The nation’s top-ranked ninth-grader in the 100m and 200m, was disqualified after a false start.
“I feel really good and glad I was able to run that time,” Raye said. “I worked really hard and glad my hard work paid off.”
Raye was one of three athletes that broke state records this past weekend at New Balance. In a loaded field on Saturday. Moses Brown’s Sophia Gorriaran broke her own state outdoor mark in the mile with a PR of 4:41.98. Her time, one that placed her seventh overall, erased the two-year-old mark of 4:43.74 from the NSAF Outdoor Nationals. On Friday, Chariho’s Erin von Housen also etched her name in the record books for the 2K Steeplechase. The Charger junior, who captured the state two-mile crown at the beginning of the month, was tenth overall in 6:56.63. That time betters the old mark of 7:00.33 by former Westerly standout Randi Burr from the 2018 Glenn B. Loucks Games in New York.
As expected, the Quakers’ Gorriaran was able to secure her second 800m national title this year. Three months after capturing her speciality at the adidas Indoor Nationals, the Harvard commit ran a well-executed race on Sunday to take the outdoor crown with a meet record of 2:04.59. Angelina Napolean of Alleghany -Limestone (NY) was second in 2:05.53. Gorriaran led a tight group through the opening an 400m, split of 1:01.63. Napolean, the 2K steeplechase champion on Friday, was just a few strides behind Gorriaran through much of the race. She moved passed her RI rival just after 600m, only to soon give it back to Gorriaran, who responded with one last spurt as she rounded the last turn to the finish.
“I just tried to get out and get to the rail because I didn’t want to run on the outside all the time,” she said. “I ran hard for the first 450 and kind of settled until the 600 and was able to (pick it up) with like 120 (meters) to go.”
Gorriaran’s victory came less than 24 hours after her performance in the mile. In that race, she was matched up against top-seed and eventual winner Sadie Engelhardt of Ventura (CA). Englehardt, who took the race with a MR of 4:38.96, took the pace out hard from the gun, clocking 1:07.25 at the 400m and 2:16.68 at the halfway mark. Gorriaran was in second place throughout most of the race with splits of 1:08.31 and 1:12.58. for the firt two laps Trailing Engelhardth by three seconds at 1,200m (3:31.21), the Quaker senior began an attempt to reel her in Engelhardt by picking up the pace just as she approached the gun lap.
Gorriaran admitted she deterred from the game plan of running even 70-second splits for the first three 400s and then utilizing her speed on the closing lap.
“I had a plan and just didn’t do it right,” she said. “That was a big part of it. I just kicked too early.”
Saint Raphael’s Devan Kipyego won his heat in the 800m with a PR of 1:51.20. Kipyego, the mile champion on Saturday night, ran even splits of 55.54 and 55.56 in his race to finish 11th overall.
