Ten Events To Watch At The R.I. State Meet

First off, this race features 14 runners that have broken two minutes! How cool is that? I don't think I can recall the last time that has happened. But this is a race that will come down to just two or three at the finish. The favorite to win it all is La Salle's DJ Principe, who will be running his second of three events on Saturday. Principe recorded his all-time and state best of 1:54.70 at the Class A Meet on May 20. He will be toeing the line after competing in the 1,500m about an hour earlier. Not to diminish the talented field he'll face in the longer race, but he won't have to put an all-out effort there to snag a victory. Just a week after running 4:00.7 for the Prefontaine Classic, an 80-percent effort should still earn gold for Principe, giving him enough energy for a sure-to-be battle for the two-lapper. He'll be matched against No. 2 seed, Mars Bishop of Barrington, who looked very strong in his win at the Hendricken Invitational where he ran a PB of 1:55.30. We're figuring other middle-distance standouts like Hendricken's Harry Antone (1:56.6), North Kingstown's Jack Perrault (1:56.10) and Portsmouth's Ethan Shea (1:56.40) should also be in that lead pack for much of the race. But the real battle we're predicting could come down to Principe and a fresh-legged Bishop.