Girls State Meet Preview: Could A 16 Year Streak End?


Sixteen years. That is how long it has been since the lady rams of La Salle Academy did not leave the PCTA without the state championship trophy. Members of the team at La Salle currently were not alive when the record began, and it could all come to an end this weekend.  

Dynasties in girls' indoor track seem to be the trend as before La Salle went on a record-breaking 16 wins in a row, Westerly had their own 5-peat, and South Kingstown a 4-peat of their own. Now, it seems La Salle may pass the title to crosstown rivals Classical high school.  

Classical is very well-rounded this year. They have Caroline Jankowich, a Columbia commit who is ranked highly in the 1500 and 1000 while teammate Grace Doyle is ranked well in the 1500 and 3000. Together they are projected to score 20 points. Their shot put and weight throwers seem to offer similar point scores with another sixteen between Susan Adekunle and Aviana Rezendes. Their 4x200 and 4x400 both are ranked top 3 in the state as well but seem to lack top scorers in the sprinters and hurdlers.  

La Salle is led by Caroline Cummings who is seeded first in all three distance events as well as second in the 600. While it is unlikely she scores 38 points, the Georgetown commit could come away with a few state titles if she plays her cards right. However, La Salle lacks in the throws and jumps this year which will hold them back. Classical gains an upper hand in field events due to this. La Salle also has talented sprinters and solid relays so it is possible for them to put together a title defense on a good day.  

South Kingstown and Moses Brown cannot be ignored either. South Kingstown has a great chance this year thanks to Sierra Thompson who is projected to score 34 points by herself in the 55m, 55mh, 300m, and high jump. Add in a few other sprinters and strong relays they could make a podium run. However, their lack of distance runners projected to score could hurt them in the long run. Moses Brown bolsters Sophia Gorriaran. That is all that needs to be said. Two years ago Sophia and her sister Natasha Gorriaran helped Moses Brown take runner-up honors by scoring almost every single point for their team on the day. This year, they have help in the sprints and on relays. Sophia is only qualified in the 300 and 600, but if she hops on her team's relays, Moses Brown could very well see 40 points from her. That being said it is unknown if she will run at states or scratch as she has previously either for an injury like last spring or for a bigger meet.  

All in all, this meet is going to be very exciting. Dynasties are great, but seeing La Salle fight to keep it alive with their biggest challenge yet will be a spectacle to behold. It could be a four-team battle, but we give the edge to Classical followed by La Salle, South Kingstown for 3rd, Moses Brown in 4th, and sprint-heavy Cranston West rounding out the top 5.