It may feel like déjà vu when La Salle Academy and Classical High face each other this Saturday in the girls’ state meet. The two powerhouses, who tied for the team crown last year, both appear evenly matched and are expected to once again battle for the coveted plaque this weekend.
The seed sheets have the Rams eking out a 78-70 win over the Purple with Hope finishing a distance third with 40 points. In other words, every placement by these top two rivals will make a difference.
It should be fun.
Here’s a rundown of who the top athletes will be in each event:
55 dash, 55 hurdles
It’s not a question on who will win the 55 dash it’s will Hope junior Quashira McIntosh set another state record. McIntosh, holder of multiple R.I. marks on the indoor and outdoor surfaces, has been a dominant force in the sprints since her freshman year and this winter has been no different. McIntosh has continued her unbeaten streak against the state’s elite. She has a season best of 7.18 seconds, a time that earned her a second-place finish at the Hispanic Games in New York last month. The Hope speedster captured the Bayha Division Championship with a 7.22 clocking and was a winner at the Large School Championship where she ran 7.36. Her state mark of 7.11, set at last year’s states, is well within reach. La Salle has a chance to score some big points from junior Stephanie DiTraglia, a consistent performer with a best of 7.50. A number of other runners are capable of making an impact such as Cranston West junior Oceana Williams (7.51), Woonsocket freshman Quinn Harlon (7.52), Juanita Sanchez junior Darchell Judd (7.54) and Portsmouth senior Leah Hibbad (7.55) to name a few.
The hurdles has potential to come down to the final few meters between defending titlist Maria Bolibruch of North Kingstown and Classical’s Alicia Holloway. The two seniors have both run a state best of 8.54 this season. The tandem had a head-to-head showdown at the Large School meet a few weeks ago, a race won by Bolibruch by just .01. The N.K. standout copped the Yale Track Classic last month. La Salle senior Morgan Wainwright (8.80) and Toll Gate junior Erika Pena (8.93) are the only other hurdlers that have dipped under nine seconds.
300, 600
Holloway will more than likely have to endure another heated battle in the 300. The Blue Waves’ McIntosh has the No. 1 seed with a time of 42.35. Holloway is not too far behind with her best of 42.70. The Classical runner won the RITCA Invitational in December and the Headley Division Championship a few weeks ago. McIntosh set the state record of 39.38 at last year’s meet. She’s only run the event a limited time this year, three to be exact, so perhaps we haven’t seen the “real” McIntosh quite yet in this event. Juniors occupy the next four placements in the rankings – Coventry’s Kathleen Cronin (43.31), Cranston West’s Nicole Grammas (43.38), Portsmouth’s Greta Scott (43.52) and Cranston West’s Williams (43.54).
During her outstanding career, Barrington senior Abby Livingston has never won a state title. That could all end this weekend in the 600 where the Eagle runner is the overwhelming favorite to earn gold. She owns the top seed of 1:38.90, but has run faster out of state. This past Saturday, she ran a personal best of 1:33.96 at the New Balance Armory Collegiate Invitational. She broke her own meet record by winning the Dartmouth Relays in 1:34.87. Middletown senior Shannon Hugard (1:39.08) and Cumberland junior Nichole Barger (1:39.80) are the second and third seeds in the event, respectively. La Salle has two of their runners that should also figure in the mix – senior Alicia DeCastro (1:40.70) and senior Veronica Hardy (1:40.78).
1,000, 1,500, 3,000
Classical senior Maddy Berkson put on a show last year by spurring her team to their co-title by winning the three longest races on the track. Can history repeat itself? It’s possible. Berkson owns the top times in all three events and has also had quite a bit of success in some major meets. She’s coming off a huge victory in the Junior Mile at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix where she ran the nation’s fifth fastest time of 4:56.0. She also ran a then-country best of 1:32.96 to win the 600 at the New Balance Games and ran a state mark of 9:47.35 for the 3,000 to place third at the Yale Track Classic.
In the 3K at the state meet, the Classical star’s toughest rival will more than likely be La Salle sophomore Eliza Rego, who has the No. 2 seed of 10:18.98. You can’t count out Rego’s teammate, sophomore Karina Tavares, too. She has run 10:35.83 this season and has proven she can elevate her performance on the big stage as evident by her runner-up finish at the cross-country states this past fall. Westerly senior Jackie Burr (10:38.11), winner of last spring’s outdoor 3,000, has healed significantly from a leg injury that sidelined her for most of the cross-country season. She has the ability to certainly surprise her rivals.
Berkson, Rego and Tavares will be back at it again in the 1,500 where they hold the three fastest times. With some tired legs, plan for this to be a tactical race if none of the trio scratch from the 3,000. That might help runners like N.K. freshman Katarina Ho (4:48.99), La Salle senior Caroline Falvey (4:52.23) or Barrington senior Mary Kate Coogan (4:53.60) sneak to a top-three finish.
Berkson has run the 1,000 just two times this season. It’s an event she owns a PB of 2:49.32, a time she ran at last year’s New England Championship. With her win last year in 2:58, she demonstrated she can still run a sub three-minute effort after already running (and winning) the 1,500 and the 3,000. The top eight runners in the field are separated by 1.64 seconds from Berkson’s season best of 3:01.86. My guess is Berkson, a 2:06 half-miler, will take the event with another high 2:50 effort. It will be bunched up from there with several runners battling for those final five scoring positions. Among that group should be the Eagles’ Coogan (3:02.20), the Rams’ Tavares (3:02.20) Middletown senior Shannon Hugard (3:02.50), La Salle’s Falvey (3:02.80), Barrington’s Megan Verner-Crist (3:03.40) and La Salle’s Rego (3:03.50).
4x200, 4x400, 4x800
Five teams have broken 1:50 in the 4x200, but the clear-cut favorite is Hope, the top seed at 1:47.48. The main reason their favored is not because their time is faster than second-seeded Cranston West (1:46.54), but because of their anchor, the gifted McIntosh. As been the case this season, she’ll probably be behind a few teams when she gets the baton. But her quick leg turnover allows her to make up ground in a hurry.
Hope also is the No. 1 team in the 4x400 at 4:12.14, while Classical is second at 4:13.98. If the meet is close between La Salle and Classical, expect a motivated Purple squad to be in high gear. The foursome features two of their most talented runners, Berkson and Holloway.
This could be a race between Barrington (9:32.52) and La Salle (9:34.26), who are separated by less than two seconds. Cumberland has run 10:03.68 . Depending on who runs in each relay, this event could be close.
Shot put, 20-pound weight
Narragansett Leia Mistowski, a state runner-up last year and a sixth-place finisher at the indoor nationals, has the target on her singlet in the 20-pound weight. She has been consistently over 50 feet all season and had a PB of 54-10.5 in a dual meet early this season. Classical junior Alva Hicks, who defeated Mistowski this past weekend at the New Balance Armory Collgiate Invitational with a winning toss of 53-3, should be tough. Exeter/West Greenwich senior Tori Ebert, who has thrown 50-8.5, also could give a challenge.
Ebert, the two-time indoor champion in the shot put, will be looking to make it three in a row this weekend. She had her indoor best of 39-11.25 in a dual meet this season and won the Small School title with a heave of 39-2. Classical’s Hicks is right behind the Mariner standout with an equally-impressive 39-8 effort. Donadio (36-11) should also finish among the top three.
High jump, long jump
The high jump should be a hotly-contested event with seven athletes bettering the five-foot mark this season. Smithfield junior Morgan McDonald and Narragansett junior Carly Timpson lead the coup by each clearing 5-4. The pair finished 1-2 at the Small School meet, won by Timpson. Cumberland sophomore Meaghan Scullin has done 5-3.
Cranston West junior Annabelle Hauck, a foreign exchange student from Germany, will only be in the states until the end of the school year. In her brief stay, she could also go home with a state crown. She ranks No. 1 in the long jump with a 17-7.75, which she did to win the RITCA Invitational. East Providence senior Rachael Finn is second on the list with a 17-6 effort. Pilgrim has three of its athletes capable of winning – senior Rebecca O’Donnell (17-3), junior Melanie Brunelle (17-00.5) and sophomore Kayda Phillip (17-00.25).