Throughout the spring there have been many noteworthy performances achieved by our track & field athletes..
During the next 10 days, MileSplit RI will countdown what it considers the Top 10 Memorable Moments of the outdoor season. In order, we'll give you the performances that we felt stood out the most this spring. Keep in mind, this is our opinion. What do you consider the top best moments this season? We want to know. Just email us your choices (smazzone5@gmail.com) or list them in the comment section below. After this series has been complete, we'll reveal what you, our readers, have listed as the best of the best.
No. 3 - La Salle girls are 4xMile champions again; Principe finishes fifth in 5K
After winning the indoor 4xMile crown back in March with basically the same group of runners, the target was squarely on the backs of the Rams to do it again at the outdoor nationals.
With some gusty legs, particularly from its final two runners, Eliza Rego and Sheridan Wilbur, La Salle didn't disappoint with a come-from-behind win over second-place Tolland High of Connecticut on June 21. The Rams finished with a state record of 20:14.01. Running the third leg, Rego had the fastest split of the foursome with a 4:57 split. Wilbur secured the title by clocking five-minutes flat for her anchor. Karina Tavares opened up with a strong 5:02 split and freshman Emily Kane, a newcomer, was timed in 5:14.
The La Salle girls share No. 3 with the Rams' D.J. Principe, who smashed the state record for the 5K at NBNO with a fifth-place time of 14:42.14. Principe's time was more than 14 seconds under the old mark of 15:56.46, set by former Westerly great Andrew Springer at the nationals in 2007.
(Certainly worthy of mention is the 5K effort turned in by Wilbur. The Duke-bound runner just missed All-American status by placing seventh with a state record time of 17:10.)