By BOB LEDDY R.I. Track & Field Foundation Correspondent 5 June - - There were numerous races to the finish at yesterday’s State Outdoor Track Championships, held at Brown Stadium in fine, slightly cool, conditions. Most of of these thrilling performances took place either on the track or in field event areas, of course, but the biggest overall battle involved the team prize among boys’ teams.
And in the end, it was the Chariho High boys’ team winning their first R.I. team championship in the school’s history. But it wasn’t a cake walk for the Chargers, who were, nonetheless, favored by some to win it all yesterday. Also in the hunt for team supremacy were Hendricken and La Salle, in what would prove to be a scrap for second place.
The Chargers wound up with 65 team points, five ahead of second-place La Salle (60). The Rams finished four points in front of the Hawks, who scored 56. Classical placed fourth with 53, and Portsmouth came in fifth (47). Chariho grabbed the lead from Hendricken with five events scored, and - with the exception of Classical forging ahead after 13 events were scored - held on for the top prize. The Chargers’ Innocent Jacob put his team in front early on with a second-place finish in the high jump.
On the girls’ side, it was La Salle handily copping its second straight team title. It was also a day in which two R.I. state records were toppled, both in girls’ events. Here’s a rundown:
Hope coach Thom Spann has to be a happy camper, knowing that his super star is only a junior. That would be Royal Cheatham, who yesterday walked away with three gold medals and a state record. In fact, she very nearly broke a second SR: in the girls’ long jump.
Cheatham’s state mark wasa set in the 100 meters. She clocked 11.97 seconds (in a legal wind of 1.4) in her heat of the preliminaries. That broke the record of 12.12, shared by Hope’s Angie Quiah and Alexa Monti, of East Greenwich. In the finals, Cheatham clocked a winning 12.04. The Blue Wave flash doubled in the 200, where she hit the tape in a meet record 25.01.
Over at the long jump pit, Cheatham was no less impressive. In her flight, Cheatham got off a jump of 5.81 meters (19 feet, 0.75 inches in -1.6 wind) a whisker off the 26 year-old record set by another Hope star, Pam Hughes. “I want to see her break it,’’ said Hughes, who watched the competition. Cheatham eventually won with the 5.81 mark. “It was very exciting,’’ the soft-spoken Cheatham said afterwards. “I was out to [break record]. The jump felt like it would be at least 17 feet.
Later in the day, at the high jump area, all eyes were on Dakota Dailey-Harris. The Ram junior was also aiming at breaking a state record she had tied the weekend before at the Mount Pleasant Invitational. At that meet, Dailey-Harris cleared the bar at 1.75 (5 feet, 9 inches) equaling a mark set nearly 30 years ago by Cumberland’s Christine Engert.
Yesterday, Dailey-Harris owned the high jump mark by herself. After eliminating the rest of the field (including Woonsocket’s talented Kaylnn Pitts, who went out at 5-9), the La Salle star had the bar hiked a quarter inch. On her third attempt at 5-9.25, Dailey-Harris sailed cleanly over the bar. She had officials raise the bar to 1.78 (5-10), and narrowly missed on three attempts. Before she tried the 5-10 height, Dailey-Harris took time to cheer on teammate Molly Keating, who was rounding the turn in the 800-meter run. “After last week, I approached the [state meet] competition going after 5-9,’’ Dailey-Harris said. “I had to break it. I wanted it.’’
In other top girls’ performances, Central Falls senior Aleide Fernandes retained state supremacy in two of the three field events she won here last year. Fernandes won the shot yesterday with a put of 11.88 meters (39 feet). She also took the discus with a throw of 37.00 (121-5). Fernandes won the hammer last year, but the ‘11 title went to Barrington’s Robyn McFetters, who got off a throw of 51.96 (170-6).
It was a day for underclassmen to show their talents on the track. North Kingstown sophomore Aisha Mc Adams won the 3000 meters in a time of 10 munites, 13.94 seconds over Barrington’s Abigail Jones (second in 10:24.69). “My coach wanted me to go out conservatively,’’ said Mc Adams, who battled injuries during the indoor season. “I held that place. I was just going out to win the race, not for time.’’ La Salle’s Keating, a junior who has also come back after injuries, battled with Classical protean sophomore Madeliene Berkson in the 1500. Keating beat out Berkson by two seconds, hitting the tape at 4:41.32. Berkson came in at 4:43.62. But Berkson had her day, winning the gold in the 800 meters, where she nipped Keating by a couple of seconds: 2:13.18 to Keating’s 2:15.01.
Keating was a double winner here last year, taking the 800 and 1500 titles. The ‘Novans’ Pitts, who finished second in the high jump, took the triple jump with a distance of 11.61 (38-1.25). Bay View sophomore Erica Johnson, tops in the 400 all season, won yesterday in a time of 57.04. Johnson finished second here a year go. Hope, East Greenwich and South Kingstown were winners in the 4x100, 4x400 and 4x800 relays, respectively.
Westerly junior Jeremy Octeau, tops all season in the discus and shot put, captured both events yesterday. Octeau defended his ‘10 discus title with a throw of 50.90 meters (167 feet), an improvement of 1.53 (5 feet) over his performance of a year ago. Octeau also won the shot put with a distance of 17.11 (56-1.75). He placed second in that event last year. Pilgrim’s Jon Stevens flung the javelin a winning 56.87 (186-7), while Central Falls junior Steve Vazquez cleared the high jump bar at 2.03 (6-8).
Chariho senior Innocent Jacob at alongside the long jump runway yesterday. He was doubtless thinking about the state boys’ long jump record; one that he actually had broken a week earlier at the Hendricken Invitational (but had nullified because the absence of a wind guage at the site). Jacob was aiming to break a record set by someone long since passed: Donald Blount, who, in 1936, jumped 7.32 meters (24-0.50) while competing for Moses Brown School.
At the Hendricken meet, Jacob leapt a winning 7.51 meters (24 feet, 8 inches). But because state horizontal jumps records need the reading of a wind guage (and none was at the site), the mark could not be accepted. Yesterday, Jacob hoped to rectify that by finally send Blount’s record packing. He came close, going 7.12 (23-4.50 in -1.3 wind). But that was the best the Charger standout could do. He finished second to South Kingstown’s Ben Shaw. Shaw, a junior, got off a winning leap of 7.17 (23-6.50), to Jacob’s 7.12 mark. “I’ve still got other chances,’’ Jacob said, citing next weekend’s New England Championships, and the National Scholastic meet, later this month. Portsmouth junior Nick Tyler went 3.81 (12-6) in winning the pole vault, while teammate Tyler Oliveira copped the 200 in 22.10. Shea’s Fred Gobewole won the 100 meters in an impressive 10.75.
Bobby Allen, Cranston West’s irrepressible distance man, went toe-to-toe in the 1500 with Chariho’s talented junior, Mike Marsella, and La Salle’s Zach Fraielli. At the tape, it was the Falcon senior in a meet-record time of 3 minutes 51.17 seconds. Marsella came in next (3:54.04), and Fraielli third (3:57.75).
“It’s all about technique,’’ said Allen. “Get a lead after the first 200 meters. With two t go, I had to own it.’’
Marsella was triumphant in the 800, going 1:54.13 for the win. The 3000 was won by Hendricken senior Ryan Meehan in a time of 8:27.02, a meet mark.Classical’s Jarell Forbes, who has claimed ownership of hurdles supremacy this season, won both yesterday. The Classical senior clocked 39.52 in the 300 intermediates, and won the 110 highs in 14.83.
Oval Notes: Next Saturday’s New England Championships will be held in Burlington, Vt. . . . The New Balance Nationals will be held June 16-18 in Greensboro, N.C. . . . Seen at yesterday’s State Meet: Former Westerly star Andrew Springer, who was operating the wind guage at the triple jump.
