Elizabeth Sullivan, Portsmouth High
The Patriots are one of those teams that are on the brink of snagging one of the top six positions at this year's State Meet, a placement that will earn them a berth to the New England's. A key reason is their solid 1-2 punch of Nikki Merrill and this talented junior. Sullivan finished fifth at the 2016-17 championship meet and hovered between the mid 18- to mid 19-minute range for the 5K distance. Her best of 18:37.34 came from her season-opening victory at the Injury X-C Carnival. She was timed in 18:42 at the states.
Sullivan was consistently among the best in R.I. when it came to the longer distances. Additionally in X-C, she was second at the East Bay Challenge, third at the Class B meet and was the fifth Rhode Islander at the New England Championships. She is coming off an outdoor season where she was a runner-up in the 3,000m and fifth in the 1,500m at the State Meet.
If everything goes as planned, Sullivan should secure her second straight spot on the first-team, all-state squad with a top-seven finish at the states.