The State Meet has arrived.
At this level, every event is a must-see. After all, they feature the very best Rhode Island has to offer. Throughout the week, Ocean State Running will preview all 19 events scheduled for Saturday’s championship meet. It’s an arduous task, but we’ll do our best to identify the athletes we believe are poised to shine the brightest on the state’s biggest stage.
We begin with the boys’ sprinting and hurdling events, which feature the 100-meter dash, 200m, 400m, 110m hurdles and 300m hurdles.
(Above photo by Sterling Vernon @rhodeandtrack)
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100m
This race features three of the top five finishers from this past indoor season’s 55-meter dash with Barrington’s Patrick Trainor (10.77), East Providence’s Jack Pawlik (10.80) and Classical’s Ephraim Teah (10.80) entering as the top three seeds.
Pawlik is the defending champion and, of the trio, has been the most consistent this season, running sub-11 seconds in all his statewide competitions. His lone defeat came at the Eastern Conference Championships, where Trainor edged him with his season-best 10.77.
Teah achieved his fastest time of the spring at the Central Division Championships, where he finished behind state leader Jalen Moseley of La Salle. Moseley clocked 10.69 in that race but is not entered in Saturday’s competition.
Three others in the field have also broken 11 seconds this season: Chariho freshman Anderson Chapman (10.90), Johnston’s Elias Milhouse (10.92) and Moses Brown’s Walker Brown (10.93), giving this event one of the deepest sprint fields of the meet
There’s no doubt this one will come down to the final few meters of the race.
200m
With the team championship expected to come down to the wire, this race could play a major role in determining the outcome.
ast Providence’s Jack Pawlik and La Salle’s Garrett Giroux Pezzullo share the top seed after finishing first and second, respectively, at the Class A Championships with identical times of 21.89. Sitting third and fourth are East Providence’s Justin Jardine and La Salle’s Jalen Moseley, who each posted season bests of 22.11 in winning their respective divisional titles.
Pawlik is also the defending state champion in this event, but he will have his hands full in what may be the most difficult race to predict on the track. Any one of the top four seeds has a legitimate chance to walk away with the title.
For La Salle, a strong showing from Giroux Pezzullo and Moseley could provide a valuable boost in the team standings as the Rams pursue a second straight state championship. But first, they’ll need to navigate a loaded field that features the defending champion and four athletes separated by just 0.22 seconds.
400m
The state record in this event is 46.42, set by former Hope standout Delon Gomes in 1992. We don’t expect that 34-year-old mark to fall this weekend, but a winning time in the 47-second range is certainly within reach.
The two most likely candidates to break 48 seconds are the same athletes who engaged in a thrilling, down-to-the-wire battle at the Class A Championships – La Salle’s Garrett Giroux-Pezzullo and East Providence’s Justin Jardine. Giroux-Pezzullo got the better of his rival at the class meet, capturing the title in 48.42, just 0.43 seconds ahead of the EP senior. Jardine’s fastest time this season is 48.25 effort from his victory at the Eastern Division Championships.
With temperatures expected to be in the mid-80s and dry conditions forecast, the stage is set for a fast race. Given what these two have accomplished this spring, don’t be surprised if one, or both, dips below the 48-second barrier.
We also can’t overlook the talent lurking behind the favorites. Four more runners enter with sub-50 seeds: Tiverton’s Colin Messenger (49.77), Lincoln’s Finley Stebenne (49.90), Cranston West’s Ryan Stoloff (49.94) and La Salle’s Brad Laforest (49.99). That’s a strong supporting cast capable of pushing the pace and making an already intriguing race even more competitive.
110m hurdles
The clear favorite is the same runner who won last year’s event – La Salle’s Jalen Moseley. The Rams junior captured his first state title in 2025 with an upset of heavily favored Bobby Wind of Barrington, clocking a massive personal-best 14.18, a 0.45-second improvement from his previous best. Wind entered the meet as the top seed and state leader after running a wind-aided 13.98, but clipped the final hurdle in the championship race, allowing Moseley to seize the opportunity and earn his first outdoor state crown. He wasn’t finished there, adding the 300-meter hurdles title that spring before collecting two more state championships indoors in the 55-meter hurdles and long jump.
We’re predicting another busy – and successful – afternoon for Moseley, who could challenge the state record with a flawless performance. In limited appearances this spring, his best is 14.29 from the Sgt. Brian St. Germain Invitational. The state record of 13.98 is held by former Hope standout Yudehweh Gbaa.
Cumberland’s Matt Fontaine is someone that certainly can’t be overlooked on Saturday. He has the best chance to upset Moseley should the Rams standout falter. Fontaine clocked a PR of 14.50 to capture the Northern Division title on May 16. The No. 3 seed is South Kingstown’s Kai Sorlien, the only other hurdler that has broken 15 seconds with a 14.79 best from from his victory at the Southern Division Championships.
300m hurdles
Jalen Moseley should continue his dominance in this event as well. The La Salle junior is the state record-holder after his winning time of 37.67 at last year’s State Meet. In his lone appearance this spring, Moseley captured the Sgt. Brian St. Germain Invitational in a meet-record 37.82, just 0.15 seconds off his state mark.
East Providence’s Julian Monteiro (39.61) and Cumberland’s Matt Fontaine (39.79) are the only other hurdlers to break 40 seconds this season and appear to be the leading candidates to challenge for runner-up honors.
Beyond a likely victory by Moseley, the race for the remaining podium spots could be among the most competitive in the event. Barrington’s Grady Hazlett (40.73), La Salle’s Antonio Bearden (40.86) and South Kingstown’s Kai Sorlien (40.86) round out a deep field in which six athletes enter seeded within 1.25 seconds of each other.
