Burr, Walker Double Up At Rhody T&F Classic


The snowstorm might have drawn away more than half the participants schedule to compete at Saturday's Rhody Track & Field Classic, but it didn't stop a pair of Westerly High runners from manufacturing some impressive performances inside the Mackal Field House.

The Bulldogs' Randi Burr and Matt Walker each captured the 1,000-meter run and 1,600m and also ran a leg on their team's first-place 4x400m relay squads.

Burr, one of the state's top distance runners, got her day off to a great start by establishing a meet record in the 1,600m, crossing the line with a time of 5 minutes, 4.62 seconds (US #8). Her winning clocking broke the 2012 mark of 5:10.60 by former Classical star Maddy Berkson and was also more than 27 seconds ahead of her closest pursuer. Burr also dominated the field in the 1K where she was timed in a state best of 3:03.08, a comfortably 15 seconds in front of the second-place finisher.

Just like Burr, Walker took both his races in convincing fashion. He won the 1,600m by finishing the eight-lapper in 4:30.48. Matt Jacob of New Rochelle (NY) was second at 4:38.55. Walker nearly broke 2:40 in the 1,000m where he led from start to finish, registering a time of 2:40.64. Nicholas Cason of Valley Stream North (NY) was second in 2:44.54.
North Kingstown swept the top four placements in the boys' 600m with sophomore teammates Sam Toolin and Jack Perrault taking the first two spots and senior classmates Ethan Wylie and Liam Skelly placing third and fourth, respectively. All four dipped under 1:28 with Toolin earning the prize with a PR of 1:25.47.

In somewhat of an upset, Westerly freshman Sydney Federico edged North Kingstown's Meghan McGuire in the girls' 600m. Federico finished at 1:43.16, while McGuire, the defending state titlist, was second in 1:43.53.

It was status quo for North Kingstown's Tereza Bolibruch in the 55m hurdles. Bolibruch continued her unbeaten season by winning with a time of 8.84. Emma Santee of Westerly was first in the 55m dash at 7.66 and 300m at 44.12. She also captured the long jump with a distance of 16-0.

South Kingstown's Anthony Shepard was a victor in the boys' long jump with a leap of 21-8 and the triple jump at 44-2.75. Woonsocket's Jared Briere, who ranks No. 2 nationally in the weight throw, took his specialty with a near season-best heave of 68-3.