Sheridan Wilbur, right, and Eliza Rego, left, scored big points for La Salle in its Class A victory over second-place North Kingstown.
La Salle Academy has been the top pick in the coaches’ polls throughout the season to win the boys’ and girls’ team titles. But it certainly won’t be easy.
The Rams’ strength is the fact that the boys’ and girls’ squads can score those high points, particularly with top placements in the distance events. That still may be enough to secure a pair of championship plaques, but you can’t count out the chances of a few quality squads.
Beginning with the girls, North Kingstown nearly beat the Rams in the Class A meet, falling just 1.34 points short of the title. The Skippers were trailing La Salle by 16 points with two events remaining and scored 18 points in the discus and the javelin to nearly pull off the shocker.
In the javelin, Skipper senior Paige Olausen won with a toss of 115 feet, 1 inch. She holds the top throw in the state at 126-1, which could equate to 10 important points for the Skippers in less than two weeks.
North Kingstown also had another great day from freshman Tereza Bolibruch, younger sister of former NK all-state hurdler Maria Bolibruch. The Skippers’ talented ninth-grader appears to be following in the footsteps if her older sibling. At the Class Meet, she improved on her state No. 1 time in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 14.90. She also placed second in the 300m hurdles at 48.2 and was a runner-up in the long jump with a distance of 16-7.75. She’s capable of scoring quite a few points for her teammates.
North Kingstown also had first-place efforts from sophomore Meghann Maguire in the 800m (2:22.2) and its 4x800m relay (9:37.2).
Again, La Salle’s biggest strength is its ability to score top points in the distance events. Junior Eliza Rego continued to display her durability by winning the 1,500m with a season best of 4:38 and then coming back an hour later to capture the 3K at 10:08. She led a 1-2-3 sweep in those events with junior Karina Tavares and Sheridan Wilbur occupying the next two slots, flip-flopping with Tavares placing second in the 1,500m and Wilbur a runner-up in the 3,000m. Don’t be surprised if this lethal trio pulls off a similar sweep at the states.
Hope’s Quashira McIntosh, who we learned recently is actually a student at E3 Academy, a school that partners with the Blue Wave’s athletic programs, was a multiple winner at the class meet, placing first in the 100m (12.0), 200m (25.4) and 400m (1:00.15) and also anchoring the 4x100m relay (49.8). McIntosh can single-handily lead Hope to a top-five finish. Now throw in its top-ranked 4x400m squad and athletes such as Whitney Jackson, who took the triple jump at the class meet and ranks No. 1 in the event, and Chevell Burgess, the 300m hurdle champion, who also holds the top position statewide, and Hope’s a potential threat to snare the crown.
Classical’s Alva Hicks is one of the state’s best in the throwing events. She owns the No. 1 spot in the shot put and discus, two events she captured at last year’s state meet and also won this past weekend. She also ranks No. 2 in the hammer, another event she came out on top at the Class A meet.