PROVIDENCE – A personal best in the 25-pound weigh throw with the nation’s No. 1 distance, a near state mark in the 55-meter dash and a back-and-forth duel for first place in the long jump.
There was a select group of Rhode Island athletes that made their way to the victory stand at the annual R.I. Classic Track & Field Invitational on Dec. 28. And the few that did certainly made their presence known inside the confines of the Providence Career and Technical Academy field house.
Classical High standout Joe Velez perhaps made the biggest noise. The gifted senior spurred his team to a convincing win in the weight throw relay by surpassing his PB by more than seven feet with a toss of 76 feet, 11 ¾ inches. Velez’s throw made the difference in the Purple easily defeating second-place Bishop Hendricken by nearly nine feet with their combined winning distance of 190-8 ½. The Hawks finished at 181-11.
Velez’s toss broke the meet and the school mark. He also improved his own nation-leading status, and it came quickly.
“I started out with a safe throw, which was 69-10,” he said. “On my second throw, I just put it all together and surprised myself. I knew it was good.”
Velez admitted afterwards he’s not concerned too much about his rank in the country. Nonetheless, he is focusing his attention on the nearly 11-year-old state record of 81-8 ¾ by Hendricken’s Josh McCaughey in 2000.
“I wanted to come out before January and throw 75 (feet),” he said. “Eventually I am going to look for a throw over 80 feet, which would surpass the state record. That’s my goal.”
In an exciting matchup in the girls’ long jump, Classical’s versatile sophomore Madeline Berkson held of Hope’s Royal Cheatham by an inch with a leap of 18-11 ¾. Both athletes achieved their top jumps on their fifth attempts with Cheatham pulling ahead of Berkson first.
The Purple’s talented tenth-grader knew what she had to do to snare the win.
“I just tried to go crazy on the runway and go really fast and tried to go high because every time I jumped my coach was saying I am not going high enough. I am not getting enough height. I tried to get more height on that one,” she said. “None of (my jumps) felt too good, but it turned out pretty well.”
Cheatham, the state’s top sprinter, came back and captured the 55-meter dash with a fast time of 7.21 seconds. The Blue Waves’ senior juggled her time between heats in the dash and the long jump.
Head coach Thom Spann felt that had no bearing on her performance in the vertical leap.
“She ran well. She had a smooth transition coming off the long jump,” he said. “Our training is designed for the double. Her long jump was an indoor personal best. She has never jumped that far indoors. I was very happy with that.”
Cheatham’s time in the 55 is right on target for a peak performance in the not-so-distant future.
“She has run 7.20, so it was close to a season best,” Spann said. “Her personal best is 7.19, so she is right there. The state record is 7.15, so she is right there, too. That’s the ultimate goal.”
Cheatham, who is the defending state champion in the 55, 300 and long jump, concluded her busy afternoon by anchoring Hope’s victorious 4x200 relay squad. The quartet of freshman Quashira McIntosh, senior Shyneice Sanders, senior Jarnae Royster and Cheatham edged Taft Educational Campus with their time of 1:44.49 to Taft’s 1:44.75.
Berkson’s was also visible throughout the day. She competed in the mile run, finishing tenth with a time of 5:17.72, and was an anchor for Classical’s seventh-place sprint medley, running her 800 leg in 2:28.
She admitted her battle in the long jump wasn’t exactly beneficial to her work on the track.
“Usually the long jump is not first,” Berkson said.” It kind of drained me a little bit. Usually I am nice and warmed up for the long jump. This came first and I think it kind of zapped my energy and my legs. I felt pretty tired in the mile and the 800.”
Connecticut’s Sara Gillespie of Northwest Catholic coasted to the win in the featured mile race with a time of 4:59.06. Gillespie led from gun to wire, passing the 800 split at 2:24 and the 1,200 at 3:42. Waterville’s Bethany Brown was second at 5:01.97. Molly Keating of La Salle Academy, the three-time state cross-country champion, struggled to fifth with a time of 5:10.14. South Kingstown’s Paige Ethier was fourth at 5:08.99.
“I like to go out fast and then just hold on with all I got,” said Gillespie, who has an outdoor best of 4:49. “This is a huge indoor PR.”
The boys’ mile run also was captured by a Northwest Catholic runner. Senior Ben Poirer blew past freshman James Burke of Port Jefferson, N.Y., with 60 meters remaining to win with a time of 4:26.6. Burke was timed in 4:26.86.
“I thought I had a fair shot. I’m an 800 guy. I think that’s my specialty,” said Poirer, owner of a 1:53 for the 800. “I felt pretty confident going into the last 400.”
In the girls’ high jump relay, defending indoor and outdoor titlist, senior Dakota Dailey-Harris of La Salle, beat her own state record by an inch, clearing 5-8. The Rams finished seventh overall.
Junior Erica Johnson of Bay View dipped under the old meet record (2:19.77) in the 800 by taking second in 2:18.71. Connecticut’s Kellie Davis of Hillhouse won the race with a time of 2:17.59.
Also earning individual runner-up honors for R.I. in the nine-plus hour meet was Smithfield senior Angela Ragosta in the 55 hurdles (8.76), Hope senior Jarrell James in the 300 (36.41) and Cumberland junior Trevor Crawley in the 3,000 (9:09.17).
La Salle’s foursome of Emily Papazian, Alicia DeCastro, Caitlin Marino and Keating took the girls’ 4x800 relay with a time of 9:45.65, a convincing 13-second win over Colonie (N.Y.) Central. North Kingstown’s team of Montee Cawley, Mike Colman, Zach Emrich and Ben Stewart claimed the boys’ crown with an 8:22.31 clocking.
Other wins by Rhody in the relay events came from Pilgrim in the weight (121-6) and Barrington in the DMR (12:57.21) for girls and Hendricken in the DMR (10:56.44) and the shot put (131-8) for boys.
***
R.I. Classic Track & Field Invitational
At the Providence Career and Technical Academy field house
Top R.I. girls
WT relay - 1, Pilgrim 121-6 (37.04 meters); 2, Classical 115-3 (35.12); 3, S. Kingstown 102-8 (31.31); 4, Portsmouth 95-1.50 (28.99).
SP relay - 2, Pilgrim 92-11 (28.32); 6, Classical 87-6.50 (26.68); 8, S. Kingstown 85-11.50 (26.20).
HJ relay - 6, W. Warwick 13-0 (3.96); 7, La Salle 9-10 (2.99).
LJ - 1, Madeline Berkson, Classical 18-11.75 (5.78.Ties MR); 2, Royal Cheatham, Hope 18-10.75 (5.75); 9, Teondra Silva, Barrington 16-2.25 (4.93).
PV - 5, Morgan Hart, Ex./W. Greenwich 8-6 (2.59).
Mile - 4, Paige Ethier, S. Kingstown 5:08.90; 5, Molly Keating, La Salle 5:10.14; 8, Aisha Mc Adams, N. Kingstown 5:16.53; 10, Berkson, Classical 5:17.72.
Freshman mile - 6, Melanie Brunelle, Pilgrim 5:46.04; 9, Carlie Sisco, Westerly 5:48.30.
800 - 2, Erica Johnson, Bay View 2:18.71 (MR. OR: 2:19.77); 5, Kendall Feaster, S. Kingstown 2:24.52.
300 - 3, Jaimee Dorsey, E. Greenwich 41.38; 9, Dara Falaye, Classical 43.54; 10, Leah Hibbad, Portsmouth 43.86.
55m - 1, Cheatham, Hope 7.21; 7, Breyon Brown, Pilgrim 7.62; 8, Shyniece Sanders, Hope 7.66.
55mH - 2, Angela Ragosta, Smithfield 8.76; 7, Nicole Smith, Barrington 9.62.
Shuttle relay - 5, Barrington 39.31; 8, Classical 40.25; 9, Lincoln 40.60.
4x200 - 1, Hope (Quashira Mc Intosh, Sanders, Jarnae Royster, Cheatham) 1:44.49 (MR. OR: 1:46.72); 10, Lincoln 1:54.10.
4x400 - 9, E. Greenwich 4:24.55.
Freshman/Soph. 4x400 - 5, La Salle 4:57.40.
4x800 - 1, La Salle (Keating, Emily Papazian, Alicia De Castro, Caitlin Marino) 9:45.65.
SMR - 5, La Salle 4:21.45; 7, Classical 4:32.33; 9, Mt. Hope 4:41.86.
Freshman/Soph.SMR - 1, La Salle (Amanda Joyal, Mia Sardella, Steph DeTraglia, De Castro) 4:29.01 (MR. OR: 4:30.51); 8, E. Greenwich 4:48.22.
DMR - 2, Barrington 12:57.21; 7, Westerly 13:33.74; 8, E. Greenwich 13:44.30.
All times FAT.
Top R.I. boys
WT relay - 1, Classical 190-8 (58.12 meters. MR. OR: 173-5/52.86); 2, Hendricken 181-11 (55.44); 3, Lincoln 147-8 (45.00); 4, Westerly 141-5 (43.10); 5, E. Greenwich 133-0 (40.53); 8, Portsmouth 126-7 (38.60); 9, Barrington 125-5 (38.24); 10, Hope 119-9 (36.500.
SP relay - 1, Hendricken 131-8 (40.13); 2, Coventry 131-0 (39.92); 5, Barrington 129-4 (39.43); 7, Central 116-5 (35,48); 8, Classical 113-3 (34.51).
HJ relay - 1, Classical 16-3 (4.95); 4, Barrington 10-7 (3.22); 8, N. Kingstown 5-5 (1.65); 10, Lincoln 5-2 (1.57).
LJ - 5, Larry Warwick, Coventry 20-8.25 (6.30); 6, Eddy Uthman, W. Warwick 20-4.50 (6.21).
TJ - 4, Ben Shaw, S. Kingstown 42-8.50 (13.01); 5, Ndailor Sheriff, Classical 42-3.25 (12.88); 6, Ryan Rei, Cumberland 41-10.50 (12.76).
PV - 4, Nick Tyler, Portsmouth 12-6 (3.81); 6, Ryan Dube, Cumberland 12-0 (3.66).
3000 - 2, Trevor Crawley, Cumberland 9:09.17; 6, Dylan Verner-Crist, Barrington 9:23.21; 10, Scott Kulm, E. Greenwich 9:37.11.
Mile - 4, Dan Kilcoyne, Chariho 4:33.12; 5, Jake Kilcoyne, Chariho 4:34.90; 9, Connor Royley, Barrington 4:46.18.
Freshman mile - 2, Jake Grundy, La Salle 4:57.99; 3, Dave Agudelo, Cumberland 4:59.38; 6, Chris Notariansi, La Salle 5:03.95; 8, Tom Sommer, E. Greenwich 5:05.75; 9, Grant Gauthier, Hendricken 5:06.31.
800 - 3, Bryce Kelly, Chariho 2:00.98; 7, Tom Barry, Barrington 2:06.34; 8, Tom Tallo, Lincoln 2:07.66.
300 - 2, Jarell James, Hope 36.41; 4, Uthman, W. Warwick 37.23; 5, Jose Ortiz, Central 37.45; 6, Tyneil Cooper, La Salle 37.49; 8, Carl Sjogren, Pilgrim 38.22.
55m - 3, Josh Morris, La Salle 6.74; 4, Derek Jackson, Classical 6.74; Aaron Roseman, Lincoln 6.75; 8, Sjogren, Pilgrim 6.81.
55mH - 6, Dan Clarkin, Coventry 8.39; 8, Mike Kimmerlein, S. Kingstown 9.29.
Shuttle relay - 1, Classical 32.55; 2, Hendricken 33.62; 8, Classical 37.43; 10, Mt. Hope 42.23.
4x200 - 2, Central 1:34.75; 9, Hendricken 1:37.49.
4x400 - 2, Central 3:32.22; 7, Hendricken 3:42.19.
4x800 - 1, N. Kingstown (Montee Cawley, Mike Coleman, Zach Emrich, Ben Stewart) 8:22.31; 2, Hendricken 8:29;04; 3, Barrington 8:39.57; 4, E. Greenwich 8:40.48; 6, Chariho 8:47.24; 9, Lincoln 9:02.57.
SMR - 5, Hendricken 3:55.41; 7, S. Kingstown 3:57.47; 9, Cumberland 4:03.69.
Freshman/Soph. SMR - 9, Hendricken 4:21.82.
DMR - 1, Hendricken (Tyler Henesler, Cam Ricci, Mark Vuono, Mike Potter) 10:56.44; 2, La Salle 11:00.96; 3, E. Greenwich 11:04.38; 8, Cumberland 11:29.12.
All times FAT.