Two of Rhode Island’s most recognizable female high school stars - Classical senior Maddy Berkson and Hope junior Quashira McIntosh - will be taking their talents to the Big Apple this weekend.
Berkson and McIntosh will be among the field at the annual Hispanic Games, held on Friday and Saturday at the New Balance Track & Field Center in New York City. The gifted duo should fare well in the two-day meet, which attracts some of the best runners from N.Y. and its surrounding states.
Berkson is coming off an impressive victory in the mile run at the R.I. Classic this past Saturday where she ran the fastest time in the country thus far with a winning effort of 4:59.07. The Classical runner has enjoyed some success at the N.Y. venue, commonly called The Armory. At last year’s Hispanic Games, she captured the 3,000-meter run with a state record of 9 minutes, 53.75 seconds. Two months later, she earned All-American status by taking third in the 800 at the New Balance National Indoor Championship with another state mark of 2:06.67. She also established an R.I. record for the 400 at the nationals with a 56.3 clocking in her preliminary heat.
Berkson is entered in the Invitational 3,000 and the Invitational 400 at the Hispanic Games. In the 3K, she will face last year’s runner-up Bella Burda of Arlington (NY). Burda finished third to Berkson in the mile at the R.I. Classic, but won the 3,000, a race the Classical standout placed second.
McIntosh, who easily won the 300 at the R.I. Classic with a fast, early-season time of 40.73, is an alternate for the Invitational 400 and guarenteed a spot in the Varsity race. She has a seed time of 58.46. McIntosh will be joined by a few of her teammates at the meet. Also entered for the Blue Wave is Isis Hack in the Varsity 400, Destiny Hughes-Barnes, Mbvitidem Ebong and Chevell Burgess in the Varsity 200 and Burgess, Ebong, Hack and Hughes-Barnes in the sophomore 4x200 relay.
Another R.I. school will also be represented at the Hispanic Games. Middletown will be sending two of its athletes. Shannon Hugard is entered in the Varsity 800 and Jacob Reilly will be competing in the high jump. Reilly is currently the top leaper in R.I. with his first-place 6-4 effort at the RITCA Invitational on Dec. 21.