State contenders among winners at Central Division meet

Central Division Girls' Championship

After running a pair of national-caliber times in New York over the weekend, Maddy Berkson deserved a little rest.

For the Classical High senior, that “rest” came Monday afternoon at the Central Division Championship. After coasting to a fourth-place finish in the 400-meter dash, Berkson was back on the track 25-minutes later where she captured the 800m, a race she won in 2 minutes, 18 seconds.

Berkson, whose 800m time was more than 10 seconds slower than her best, wasn’t looking to set any records at the meet. Her fast times were done a few days earlier at the Glenn D. Loucks Games in White Plains, N.Y. On Saturday, she established a new state mark of 4:52.08 in the mile run by placing third. She matched that placement a day earlier in the 800m, where she ran a nation No. 15 of 2:10.04.

 “It’s hard to peak for these (division) meets because I had a race on Saturday and then a long run yesterday,” said the versatile Berkson, who also took the javelin at 112-7. “It’s a tricky thing to do having a meet on Monday. My legs were pretty tired.”

The Stanford-bound runner is taking a different approach her final season as a high-schooler. The Loucks Games was her first out-of-state competition. She also hasn’t raced as often as she normally does.

After her second straight triple-winning effort at the indoor state meet and her third consecutive New England 1,000m crown, Berkson struggled to a 18th place finish in the 800m at the New Balance Nationals in March. She felt a little rest was overdue.

“During the winter, I destroyed my body doing workouts and races,” she said. “This season I have really laid off on the workouts a lot. I haven’t been entering many races and it’s been working out pretty well. (The Loucks Games) was kind of my first, big out-of-state invitational. I sort of wanted to be competitive and work on race strategy. I was very pleased with how it turned out.”

La Salle Academy and Classical, two teams that most predict will be battling out for the team crown next month, finished 1-2 on Monday. The Rams’ depth was the determining factor in a 198-140 victory over the Purple at Cranston West’s athletic facility.

La Salle had three individual winners. In the 100m hurdles, senior Morgan Wainwright placed first with a personal best of 15.80. Sophomore Karina Tavares broke the tape in the 3K with a season best of 10:28.20.

Eliza Rego, another tenth-grader, led from gun-to-wire in the 1,500m, finishing with a time of 4:41.60. She was followed across the line by junior teammate Sheridan Wilbur (second, 4:49.10) and senior Alicia DeCastro (third, 4:51.30).

“(Today) it was a comfortable pace,” Rego said. “I was just trying to hit the lap splits.”

Rego was just two days removed from setting a state mark in the 3,200m at the Loucks Games, where she was third overall in 10:28.45. In that race, she paced herself with Bishop Feehan senior and Cumberland resident Abbie McNulty. McNulty placed second overall at 10:22.03.

“It was easier just to run with her. She was there to push me,” Rego said. “With about 300 meters to go, she just took off.”

Hope junior Quashira McIntosh won the sprint events, taking the 100m dash at 12.20 and the 200m in a meet record of 25.40. She also ran a leg on the first-place 4x100m squad that combined for a time of 49.50.

The Blue Wave’s multiple all-stater and state record-holder is not satisfied with her season so far, despite her continued dominance over R.I. competition.

“This season I haven’t been running well at all so I am trying to push myself even farther of what I can do,” McIntosh said. “I don’t know. I think my body is just breaking down, even though I am so young. I have a (knee) injury that has been bothering me during the indoor and outdoor season.”

With the New Balance Nationals and the New England Championships held on the same weekend in June, McIntosh knows it will be an easy decision to choose if she doesn’t meet her high expectations.

“I am shooting for nationals, but if I don’t run fast enough I am not going to nationals,” she said. “(Coach Thom Spann) wants me to run in the championship race so I know I have to push myself really hard."

Classical junior Alva Hicks was another double victor in the meet. The indoor state runner-up in the shot put took that event at 35-9. She also earned gold in the hammer at 158-10.

 

Central Division Girls' Championship

Girls Highlights