The indoor season officially kicked off this week with schools allowed to begin their first practices on Monday. During the next week, MileSplit RI will preview the top returning athletes for the upcoming season based on last year’s results.
We begin with the sprints – the 55-meter and the 300-meter dashes.
55-meter dash - boys
Three of the top six finishers at last year’s state meet will be back. Bishop Hendricken junior Lee Moses, who was a key point-scorer for the Hawks in their 75-65 win over Classical, was third at the states in 2012 where he ran 6.64 seconds, a time matched by junior teammate Power Kanga, who was fourth overall. Senior Ilan Rich of Classical was sixth at 6.74. While all three sprinters have a legitimate chance to snare individual glory, you can’t exclude East Providence senior Ryan Williams. At last year’s state meet, he had one of the fastest times going into the meet, but missed qualifying for the finals by one placement and .02 seconds. Williams made up for it on the outdoor surface where he guided the Townies to the state championship by capturing the 100 and the 200 with impressive times of 10.98 and 21.9, respectively.
55-meter dash -girls
The overwhelming favorite to win this year’s race is the same person that held that distinction last year and delivered in a big way with a state-record 7.11 at the championship meet – Hope junior Quashira McIntosh. The Blue Wave speedster was unbeaten against R.I. competition last year in both the indoor and outdoor seasons and should continue her winning streak this winter. La Salle junior Stephanie Ditraglia, who was third at the 2013 states with a PB of 7.48, and Portsmouth senior Leah Hubbard, a sixth-place finisher at 7.60, just .02 from her best, are the only other podium returnees. Cranston West had two of its athletes make it to the finals, juniors Eleni Grammas (seventh, 7.61) and Oceana Williams (eighth, 7.72).
300-meter dash
The Townies’ Williams will have the target on his singlet this season, especially with the way he concluded his junior campaign at last spring’s state meet. He was fourth last year in the 300 behind a trio of seniors with his time of 37.49. Junior Christian Pichardo of Classica (sixth)l and the Hawks’ Kanga (eighth) also dipped under 38 seconds at the state meet.
| Rank | Time | Athlete Name | Team | C/O | Date | Meet | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 36.90 | Ryan Williams | East Providence High School | 2014 | 02/13/2013 | RIIL Boys' Class Championships | |
| 2. | 37.24h | Zachery Emrich | North Kingstown High School | 2014 | 12/16/2012 | Southern Division Dual Meet 1 | |
| 3. | 37.24h | Ty'shon Ashe | Shea Senior High School | 2014 | 12/19/2012 | Northern Division Dual Meet 2 | |
| 4. | 37.30 | Steven Perez | Central High School | 2014 | 02/13/2013 | RIIL Boys' Class Championships | |
| 5. | 37.50 | Ben Stewart | North Kingstown High School | 2014 | 01/04/2013 | Southern Division Meet 3 | |
| 6. | 37.50 | John Cute | Bishop Hendricken High School | 2014 | 01/11/2013 | Dartmouth Relays | |
| 7. | 37.60 | Power Kanga | Bishop Hendricken High School | 2015 | 02/01/2013 | Suburban Division Championship | |
| 8. | 37.75 | Cristian Pichardo | Classical High School | 2015 | 02/16/2013 | Rhode Island State Indoor Championship | |
| 9. | 37.77 | Moses Fafana | Central High School | 2014 | 01/12/2013 | 2013 Rhody Indoor Track Classic | |
| 10. | 37.94h | Lee Moses | Bishop Hendricken High School | 2015 | 12/17/2012 | Suburban Division Dual Meet 2 | |
300-meter dash - girls
Based on last year, McIntosh should wrap up another state title in the longer sprint. At the 2013 state meet, she set an R.I. record of 39.38, nearly two-seconds ahead of runner-up and recent graduate Oluwadara Falaye of Classical. Look for La Salle senior Amanda Joyal (third) and Classical senior Alicia Holloway (sixth) to make some noise, too.