It was an all-day affair for Rhode Island athletes on Saturday with the divisional championship occupying the Providence Career and Technical Academy field house from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. In the late afternoon and early night, nearly 50 miles from the capital city., two of our athletes were in Boston competing in the Junior Mile of the New Balance Grand Prix.
Here's a quick glance at some of the highlights:
- Ponaganset junior Gianna Rao finally cracked the 60-foot barrier in the 20-pound weight, winning the event with a heave of 60 feet, 2 inches in the Dwyer Division Championship. That distance was not only a PR, but improved her ranking to No. 1 in the country. Makenli Forrest of Woodward Academy and Throw1deep in Georgia is at No. 2 with a best of 59-11.75.
- Portsmouth sophomore Nikki Merrill clocked a state best of 2:59.54 (US #35) for the 1,000m in the Headley Division. She also ran the fastest time in R.I. with her 4:43.82 (US #21) for 1,500m.
- Woonsocket senior Jared Briere uncorked a PB of 71-8 to capture the weight throw in teh Northern Division. That distance ranks No. 5 nationally.
- Defending state champion Harry Antone ran winning time and near PB of 1:23.67 to capture the event in the Suburban Division. That's his second time clocking a 1:23. A few weeks ago, he finished third at the Dartmouth Relays with an all-time best of 1:23.27 (US #24).
- Central's Donatien Djero proved he's capable of scoring high in multiple events, adding the 600m to his list. Along with winning his specialty, the 55m dash, he also ran one of the state's best for 600m where he was timed in a triumphant 1:24.63.
- North Providence's Nathan Coogan cruised to the state's second best time in the 1,500m with his first-place time of 4:05.82 (US #29).
- Central's Austin Wolo (35.75) and teammate Dametrius O'Connor (36.01) blazed to the No. 2 and No. 3 times in the state in the 300m with their 1-2 finish in the Metropolitan Division Championship.
- East Greenwich junior Laura Murphy ran a state best of 41.64 to capture the 300m in a Bayha Division Championship. Murphy also placed second to Woonsocket's Quinn Harlan (7.39) in the 55m dash with a best of 7.50, No. 2 in the state behind Harlan.
- At the Bayha Division Championship, defending state titlist Meaghan McGuire of North Kingstown ran a PB of 1:40.58 in the 600m to move to No. 2 in the state.
- In the girls' divisional meets, Barrington beat runner-up North Kingstown, 109.5-98.5, East Providence was a winner of the Prout School in the Dwyer Division by a score of 73-59, Westerly beat St. Raphael Academy, 118-69, in the Sullivan Division and La Salle defeated West Warwick, 105-63, in the Headley Division.
- The boys' team titles went to La Salle in the Metropolitan Division, Hendricken in the Suburban Division, Cumberland in the Northern Division and North Kingstown in the Southern Division.
- Rhode Island was represented by two of our own in the Junior Mile with La Salle's DJ Principe placing second in 4:12.40 and Barrington's Mars Bishop clocking an indoor best of 4:21.0 to finish seventh overall.
PHOTOS, VIDEO INTERVIEWS, RACE FOOTAGE
RI Divisional Championships
Providence Career and Technical School Providence, RI
Jan 28, 2017
1,778 Total Performances
Elite Performances
| Girls (46) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55m | F 1 1st | 7.39 | Quinn Harlan | Woonsocket High School | |
| 300m | F 5 1st | 41.64 | Laura Murphy | East Greenwich High School | |
| 300m | F 5 1st | 42.27 | Marybeth Fitzsimmons | Moses Brown School | |
| 600m | F 4 1st | 1:40.58 | Meghann Maguire | North Kingstown High School | |
| 600m | F 5 1st | 1:41.34 | Eileen Whalen | Mount Saint Charles Academy | |
| 600m | F 5 2nd | 1:42.46 | Aliya Barrows | St Mary Academy-Bay View High School | |
| 600m | F 5 3rd | 1:42.51 | Colleen Enestvedt | Cumberland | |
| 1000m | F 2 1st | 2:59.54 | Nikki Merrill | Portsmouth High School | |
| 1000m | F 2 2nd | 3:05.65 | Elizabeth Sullivan | Portsmouth High School | |
| 1500m | F 2 1st | 5:07.34 | Kate Zitzmann | Barrington High School | |
| 1500m | F 1 1st | 4:57.78 | Leinni Valdez | Hope High School | |
| 1500m | F 2 1st | 4:43.82 | Nikki Merrill | Portsmouth High School | |
| 1500m | F 1 2nd | 5:06.83 | Camila Michaels | The Wheeler School | |
| 1500m | F 2 2nd | 4:50.37 | Grace Connolly | La Salle Academy | |
| 1500m | F 2 3rd | 4:54.43 | Emily Kane | La Salle Academy | |
| 1500m | F 2 4th | 4:58.36 | Julia Dempsey | Cumberland | |
| 1500m | F 2 5th | 5:07.52 | Sophia Maynard | Toll Gate High School | |
| 1500m | F 2 6th | 5:08.47 | Emma Shaw | St Mary Academy-Bay View High School | |
| 3000m | F 1 1st | 10:24.28 | Eleanor Lawler | South Kingstown High School | |
| 3000m | F 1 1st | 10:13.17 | Grace Connolly | La Salle Academy | |
| 3000m | F 1 2nd | 10:39.12 | Lily Nunnery | North Kingstown High School | |
| 3000m | F 1 2nd | 10:21.60 | Elizabeth Sullivan | Portsmouth High School | |
| 3000m | F 1 3rd | 10:33.07 | Claire Hanlon | St Mary Academy-Bay View High School | |
| 3000m | F 1 4th | 10:37.09 | Emily Kane | La Salle Academy | |
| 4x200m | F 2 1st | 1:48.00 | East Greenwich High School | ||
| 4x200m | F 2 2nd | 1:48.33 | Central High School | ||
| WT | F 1 1st | 50-2 | Keyarsa Harris | Central High School | |
| WT | F 1 1st | 60-8 | Gianna Rao | Ponaganset High School | |
| WT | F 1 1st | 46-3 | Jasmine Gallo-fusco | Toll Gate High School | |
| WT | F 1 2nd | 49-11 | Annika Kelly | Barrington High School | |
| WT | F 1 2nd | 43-1 | Megan Cook | Ponaganset High School | |
| WT | F 1 2nd | 43-6.75 | April Younkin | Portsmouth High School | |
| WT | F 1 3rd | 46-9.5 | Faith Polando | Barrington High School | |
| WT | F 1 3rd | 42-7.75 | Nicole Valdez | Hope High School | |
| WT | F 1 3rd | 43-4.5 | Ani Armenakyan | Toll Gate High School | |
| WT | F 1 4th | 46-3.25 | Sydney Polando | Barrington High School | |
| WT | F 1 4th | 39-11.25 | Jianna Peno | Rogers | |
| WT | F 1 4th | 42-1.5 | Morgan Cruz | West Warwick High School | |
| WT | F 1 5th | 46-0.75 | Melissa Mejia | Classical High School | |
| WT | F 1 5th | 39-10 | D Mulford-evangelista | Central Falls Senior High School | |
| WT | F 1 5th | 41-7 | Megan Sieben | Portsmouth High School | |
| WT | F 1 6th | 45-1 | Takiyah Lewis | Central High School | |
| WT | F 1 6th | 40-8 | Lea Fusco | Coventry High School | |
| WT | F 1 7th | 44-6.5 | Chelsea Yang | Pilgrim High School | |
| WT | F 1 8th | 41-11.75 | Katrin Kurowski | Woonsocket High School | |
| WT | F 1 9th | 39-7.5 | Marissa Henley | Woonsocket High School | |
| Boys (45) | |||||
| 55m | F 1 1st | 6.54 | Donatien Djero | Central High School | |
| 55m | F 1 1st | 6.62 | Leonardo Daveiga | Central Falls Senior High School | |
| 300m | F 6 1st | 35.75 | Austin Wolo | Central High School | |
| 300m | F 6 2nd | 36.01 | Dametrius Oconnor | Central High School | |
| 600m | F 4 1st | 1:24.63 | Donatien Djero | Central High School | |
| 600m | F 5 1st | 1:23.67 | Harry Antone | Bishop Hendricken High School | |
| 600m | F 4 1st | 1:26.68 | Adilson Gomes-sequeira | Central Falls Senior High School | |
| 600m | F 4 1st | 1:26.07 | Liam Skelly | North Kingstown High School | |
| 600m | F 5 2nd | 1:24.87 | Cebastian Gentil | East Greenwich High School | |
| 600m | F 5 3rd | 1:25.76 | Robert Merlino | Bishop Hendricken High School | |
| 1000m | F 2 1st | 2:38.48 | Nikolas Reygadas | Toll Gate High School | |
| 1000m | F 2 2nd | 2:38.89 | Jordan Dagrin | Bishop Hendricken High School | |
| 1500m | F 2 1st | 4:05.82 | Nathan Coogan | North Providence | |
| 1500m | F 2 2nd | 4:09.00 | Jordan Dagrin | Bishop Hendricken High School | |
| 1500m | F 2 3rd | 4:09.05 | Nicholas Cehelsky | Toll Gate High School | |
| 1500m | F 2 4th | 4:11.29 | John Pagliaro | Smithfield Senior High School | |
| 3000m | F 1 1st | 9:03.50 | Matthew Walker | Westerly High School | |
| 4x200m | F 2 1st | 1:31.84 | Central High School | ||
| 4x200m | F 2 1st | 1:33.60 | Bishop Hendricken High School | ||
| 4x200m | F 2 1st | 1:33.62 | Central Falls Senior High School | ||
| 4x200m | F 2 2nd | 1:34.15 | La Salle Academy | ||
| 4x200m | F 2 2nd | 1:34.37 | West Warwick High School | ||
| LJ | F 1 1st | 22-2.75 | Anthony Shepard | South Kingstown High School | |
| WT | F 1 1st | 62-2.25 | Kevin Fofanah | Classical High School | |
| WT | F 1 1st | 64-1.5 | Ivan Goretoy | West Warwick High School | |
| WT | F 1 1st | 71-8.5 | Jared Briere | Woonsocket High School | |
| WT | F 1 1st | 56-3 | Jason Hoskins | Coventry High School | |
| WT | F 1 2nd | 59-3 | Jacob Farland | Classical High School | |
| WT | F 1 2nd | 58-10 | Abraham Salako | Bishop Hendricken High School | |
| WT | F 1 2nd | 65-9.5 | Dilyn Cote | Woonsocket High School | |
| WT | F 1 2nd | 55-6.25 | Brian Neal | Rogers | |
| WT | F 1 3rd | 58-7.25 | Jack Dunn | Barrington High School | |
| WT | F 1 3rd | 58-0 | Ryan Morel | Bishop Hendricken High School | |
| WT | F 1 3rd | 63-3 | Jacob Greenless | Woonsocket High School | |
| WT | F 1 3rd | 54-1.25 | Tyler Pelletier | Coventry High School | |
| WT | F 1 4th | 55-7.75 | Jonathan Buchanan | Classical High School | |
| WT | F 1 4th | 53-1.5 | Rondie Almeida | Bishop Hendricken High School | |
| WT | F 1 4th | 59-11.5 | Garrett Doyle | Lincoln High School | |
| WT | F 1 5th | 53-9 | Cameron Croce | La Salle Academy | |
| WT | F 1 5th | 52-8.5 | Alex Cabral | West Warwick High School | |
| WT | F 1 5th | 58-10.5 | Evan Grivers | Lincoln High School | |
| WT | F 1 6th | 53-3.5 | Michael Luna | Central High School | |
| WT | F 1 6th | 55-10.5 | Derin Paskanik | Woonsocket High School | |
| WT | F 1 7th | 54-10 | Matthew Thibaudeau | Lincoln High School | |
| WT | F 1 8th | 53-2 | Nicholas Caulfield | Cumberland | |
New Balance Indoor Grand Prix
Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center Boston, MA
Jan 28, 2017
38 Total Performances (2 RI)
Videos (8)
Articles (13)
Elite Performances
| Boys (2) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mile | F 1 2nd | 4:12.40 | David Principe Jr. | La Salle Academy | |
| Mile | F 1 7th | 4:21.00 | Mars Bishop | Barrington High School | |