It was a GREAT day at New England Championships!


DJ Principe and Jack Salisbury went into Sunday's New England Championships with a plan.

Before a packed house inside the Reggie Lewis Athletic Center, the La Salle Academy teammates executed their plans to perfection.

Principe not only broke a state and meet record with a dominating win in the two-mile run, but the gifted junior established a running milestone by breaking nine minutes with his first-place time of 8 minutes, 59.05 seconds. Brien McMahon (CT) senior Eric van der Els was second in 9:11.02.

Salisbury never let up in the 1,000-meter run, thwarting away a hard effort by top seed Esu Alemseged of Cambridge Rindge & Latin with less than 100m remaining  to set a Rhode Island mark of 2:28.40. Alemseged took runner-up honors at 2:28.70

Principe admitted his eyes were focused on former Westerly great Andrew Springer's record of 9:02.58, set at the 2009 New England meet at Reggie Lewis.

"That's really been the focus since the states, really just dedicate to the team at states and then get ready to go here," said the Rams standout, who won his second straight 3K title at the R.I. meet. "The workouts the last few weeks have been all about pacing. I knew I would have some great help from Eric. Between the two of us, we dialed in. I really just wanted to come out immediately and just start clicking off 33 (seconds) point something and try and give myself a little bit of time if I had some 34s. I was really happy with how the whole race executed."

Principe, who already holds the outdoor 5K and indoor 3K marks, also set by Springer, took the pace out hard  from the beginning with only van der Els able to keep pace.. The La Salle runner made his move for the win (and record) just past the mile mark, which he hit around 4:29.

"The halfway point is a point where sometimes I catch myself falling asleep," he said. "I figured if I could go through the mile on pace and really just try and put a burst there I could kind of break anyone else with me. I thought that worked out well."

With the digital clock in clear view at the finish line, Principe dug down deep the final 200 meters, running his last lap in 29 seconds to assure his sub nine-minute effort.

"To be honest, I was thinking about what Jack (Salisbury) told me two weeks ago where we finished off with some fast 200s, closing in like 29, 27 (seconds)," Principe said. "He just told me, going through that bell lap you know you are going to have to go under 30 (seconds). You just have to think it's the last 200 of that workout."

Salisbury, who has enjoyed quite a bit of success at Reggie Lewis the last few years, including his recent win in the Junior Mile at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix a few weeks ago, held a slight lead on Alemseged  throughout the race. He never relinquished the front-runner position. When Alemseged made his move on the last turn of the backstretch, he made sure he never would get an edge with a strong kick the last straightaway.

Salisbury knew he had to take the pace out hard.

"I knew to run fast in a race like the 1,000 there could be no back and forth," he said. "I had to take the lead, and just go for the win."

Salisbury broke the 27-year-old record of 2:28.97 by former St. Raphael all-stater Andrew Butler at the 1989 Yale Track Classic. 

"I really wanted that state record," said the Georgetown commit. "That has pretty much been my goal. I actually have been going after it since my sophomore year. To finally get it is awesome." 

In one of the stronger regional meets by Rhode Islanders in recent memory, four other athletes earned gold in the six-plus hour meet, and another nearly made it seven total.

That near win occurred in the 4x400m relay where Central and Natick (MA) staged one of the most exciting finishes in the meet. In the seeded heat of the event, the Knights' anchor Donatien Djero nipped the Red Hawks' final leg with both schools timed in 3:23.79. But shortly after their race, it was declared that Glastonbury (CT), with a 3:23.68 winning time in the second of four heats, was the winner.Bishop Hendricken took fifth in the race with a time of 3:26.50.

La Salle senior Eliza Rego won her second consecutive title in the girls' mile. She led from gun to wire and finished with a season best of 4:53.84. She was pushed in the early stages of the race by Beverly (MA) senior Julia Curtin, who placed second at 4:57.77. Ram sophomore Emily Kane just missed a top-six finish, placing seventh overall in 5:07.93.

"The goal was to go out and hit splits," Rego said. "Place wasn't really in my mind. It's nice to win but I was really going for a time today so I knew that to hit my splits I had to control it and do what I had to do." 

Classical had two of its athletes make it to the top of the podium with senior Nathan Narcisse winning the 55m hurdles in 7.60 and senior May Stern continuing her red-hot streak lately by taking the 300m in 38.94.

Narcisse, who won his second straight state hurdle title this winter, broke a string of bad luck at the New England's the last few years. He was 20th in the preliminaries last year and finished last in the prelims his sophomore season.

"The past two years I haven't done well in the New England's," Narcisse pointed out. "I basically said, 'You know what, relax, and just keep going over hurdles,' and that's what I did,"


Stern, who won her first state 300m title, was thrilled with her regional accolade. Finishing second in the race was Milford (NH) freshman Viankah Williams with a time of 39.99.

"It feels amazing," Stern said. "I was nervous coming in. I knew I had some competition. But it felt really good and I could feel myself running a really good time."

South Kingstown senior Anthony Shepard also won on Sunday, winning the long jump with a leap of 22-0.5. The Rebel standout, who won his second straight state title last week, opened up with a near 22-footer.

"The first jump I got 21-11 so right there I felt comfortable," he said. "Then I popped a 22. It was all good today."

Other Rhode Islanders that made the podium were Central's Djero (third, 6.50) and La Salle's Sam Coleman in the 55m dash, Central Falls' Yeury Galva in the 300m (third, 35.29), La Salle's Matt Bouthillette (fourth, 4:18.21) and Cumberland's Sean Laverty (fifth, 4:19.98) in the mile, Mount St. Charles' CJ Berg in the two mile (third, 9:21.70), North Kingstown's Bethany Nunnery in the two mile (fourth, 10:55.56), North Kingstown's Tereza Bolibruch in the 55m hurdles (fourth. 8.41), Cumberland's Meaghan Scullin in the long jump (fifth, 17-3.5), Cranston West senior Jennifer Iozzi in the shot put (sixth, 38-7.5) and Hendricken in the 4x800m (sixth, 7:59.04).


29th New England Indoor Track & Field Championships

Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center  Boston, MA 
Feb 28, 2016
733 Total Performances (123 RI)

Photo Albums (3)

Videos (28)

Articles (7)

Elite Performances

Girls (29)
300mF 6 1st38.94May SternClassical High School
300mF 3 8th40.98Isabella GentilEast Greenwich High School
300mF 2 15th42.25Charleen TherouxCoventry High School
600mF 4 14th1:39.36Lisbeth ValdezHope High School
600mF 4 15th1:40.00Meghann MaguireNorth Kingstown High School
600mF 3 16th1:40.25Leinni ValdezHope High School
600mF 3 18th1:40.92Nikki MerrillPortsmouth High School
600mF 2 22nd1:42.39Lucy TortolaniMoses Brown School
1000mF 2 13th3:02.28Julia ZitzmannBarrington High School
MileF 2 1st4:53.84Eliza RegoLa Salle Academy
MileF 2 7th5:07.93Emily KaneLa Salle Academy
MileF 2 9th5:09.03Randi BurrWesterly High School
MileF 2 11th5:17.50Danika WayssPilgrim High School
2MileF 2 4th10:55.56Bethany NunneryNorth Kingstown High School
2MileF 2 7th11:01.43Karina TavaresLa Salle Academy
2MileF 1 11th11:12.16Grace ConnollyLa Salle Academy
2MileF 1 17th11:26.21Amy LavertyCumberland
2MileF 1 19th11:28.61Claire HanlonSt Mary Academy-Bay View High School
55HF 1 4th8.41Tereza BolibruchNorth Kingstown High School
55Hp 1 5th8.46Tereza BolibruchNorth Kingstown High School
4x200mF 6 7th1:45.67Classical High School
4x200mF 5 12th1:46.83Pilgrim High School
4x200mF 3 16th1:48.24Central High School
4x200mF 4 18th1:48.70Cranston West HS-RI
4x200mF 4 19th1:48.79East Greenwich High School
4x400mF 3 12th4:04.68Hope High School
4x400mF 4 14th4:06.26Classical High School
4x400mF 3 17th4:08.29Westerly High School
4x800mF 2 8th9:36.77Portsmouth High School
Boys (29)
55mF 1 3rd6.54Donatien DjeroCentral High School
55mF 1 5th6.60Sam ColemanLa Salle Academy
55mp 1 4th6.55Sam ColemanLa Salle Academy
55mp 2 6th6.60Donatien DjeroCentral High School
300mF 5 3rd35.29Yeury GalvaCentral Falls Senior High School
300mF 3 4th35.32Austin WoloCentral High School
600mF 4 13th1:23.93Nathan CooganNorth Providence High School
600mF 5 16th1:24.50Mars BishopBarrington High School
600mF 3 18th1:26.07Christaian FigueroaJuanita Sanchez High School
600mF 3 20th1:26.45Matt WhiteMount Saint Charles Academy
1000mF 3 1st2:28.40Jack SalisburyLa Salle Academy
1000mF 2 14th2:37.28Avery IngegneriBishop Hendricken High School
1000mF 2 15th2:37.38Ethan WyllieNorth Kingstown High School
MileF 2 4th4:18.21Matthew BouthilletteLa Salle Academy
MileF 1 5th4:19.96Sean LavertyCumberland
MileF 2 16th4:30.24Sam ToolinNorth Kingstown High School
3200mF 2 1st8:59.05David PrincipeLa Salle Academy
3200mF 2 3rd9:21.70Charles BergMount Saint Charles Academy
3200mF 1 10th9:35.22Tom McmahonBishop Hendricken High School
55HF 1 1st7.60Nathan NarcisseClassical High School
55Hp 3 1st7.66Nathan NarcisseClassical High School
4x200mF 7 8th1:33.24La Salle Academy
4x200mF 7 9th1:33.31Bishop Hendricken High School
4x200mF 5 13th1:33.89East Providence High School
4x400mF 4 2nd3:23.79Central High School
4x400mF 3 5th3:26.50Bishop Hendricken High School
4x800mF 2 6th7:59.04Bishop Hendricken High School
4x800mF 2 11th8:11.13Cranston West HS-RI
4x800mF 1 14th8:19.58East Greenwich High School