19 Feb. 2011 – Dakota Dailey-Harris, La Salle’s super high jumper, knows when she nails a good height. “I love to jump,’’ said the Ram junior, who on Saturday eliminated three R.I. record-holders with one leap. Dailey-Harris easily cleared the bar at 1.70 meters (5 feet, 7 inches) to claim the 2011 State Indoor title.
Dailey-Harris’ mark wiped out the previous state record for the girls’ high jump; North Kingstown’s Laura Berman (1998), Katie Rowinski, of South Kingstown (2000) and West Warwick’s Felicia Terwilliger (2008) all jumped 1.68 (5-6) to jointly hold the record.
“I’m trying to control my approach,’’ said the 5-9 Dailey-Harris, who broke the thrice-held record with a leap of 1.69 (5-6.25) and sailed over the bar at 1.70 meters (5-7). “Once I feel my hips go over [the bar] I know I’m OK.’’
Dailey-Harris was mobbed by her La Salle teammates, not only because of her achievement, but the 10 points her win added to the Rams’ total of 65 points, to 44 for second-place Classical. It was La Salle’s fifth straight indoor team win.
The Purple collected 20 points from freshman Maddie Berkson, who posted victories in the 1000 (3:02.12) and the 1500 (4:52.69).
On the boys’ side of the ledger, meanwhile, Hendricken made it state indoor team prize No. 17, out pointing the Rams, 74-46.
Chariho senior Innocent Jacob was the meet’s iron man, winning two events convincingly with a sore left knee. Jacob, the state indoor record-holder in the long jump, won the event Saturday with a leap of 7.21 (23-8), and the high jump with a clearance of 2.08 (6-10). He also placed sixth in the 55 dash.
Hope High junior Royal Cheatham had a day befitting her first name. She popped a winning long jump of 5.76 meters (18 feet, 11 inches), nearly knocked off the state mark in the 300 by clocking 41.07 for a first. Cheatham also ran a 24.2 first leg of the Blue Wave’s winning 4x200 relay. Central Falls Aleide Fernandes won double-gold. She took the 20-pound weight throw with a toss of 17.02 meters (55-10.25), and the shot put (11.61m/38-1.25).
Aisha McAdams, the North Kingstown sophomore, took the girls’ 3000 with a time of 10:21.34. Bay View’s Erica Johnson posted a winning time of 1:34.88 in the 600. Smithfield’s Angela Ragosta went 8.64 to take the 55 hurdles. Hope, East Greenwich and La Salle won the 4x200, x400 and x800 relays respectively.
Jacob plays through pain The Chargers’ Jacob, his left knee taped up, was at the long jump area before reporting to starting line of the 55 hurdles. Then it was back to the bar, where he battled Rogers’ Devon Baily, and finally cleared 2.08 before missing three attempts at 7 feet. In the long jump, Jacob never quite equaled his state-record distance, but handily won the event.
Bob Allen, Cranston West’s irrepressible distance man, battled Hendricken’s Ryan Meehan and North Kingstown’s Zach Seites-Rundlett to win the 3000 meters. “With five [laps] to go, I started working off ‘em,’’ said Allen, who fell back in the pack before surging ahead and winning in 8:46.69. Allen came back to win the 1500 in a thriller against La Salle’s Zach Fraielli. Allen clocked 4:03.75 to Fraiellli’s 4:03.88.
Westerly’s John DiGangi continued his supremacy in the 600 by winning the State Meet race in 1:23.16, to 1:23.48 for the Hawks’ Andy Sakovits. Shea’s Fred Godewole blazed to a winning 6.43 in the dash, and Jarell Forbes, of Classical, was victorious in the hurdles (a meet-record 7.69). Charger Dan Kilcoyne outdueled Feaielli in the 1000; Kilcoyne’s time a 2:33.04 to Fraielli’s 2:35.03. Classical’s Joe Velez, who led the boys’ league all season in the 25-pound weight, won the event on Saturday. Velez got off a throw of 21.78 meters (71-5.50). Gustavo Reynoso, of Classical, put the shot 15.79 (51-10) to claim the gold medal.
Hendricken won the 4x400 and 4x800 relays, and La Salle took the 4x200.
Oval Note: Tomorrow (Sunday, 20 Feb.) is set for “Under the PCTA Big Top’’, the R.I. Track & Field Carnival for 2011. There will be a jump-fest for the state pole vault and triple jump titles, the New England weight throw championsips, and tune-ups for qualifiers for the Mar. 4 New England Championships, at Reggie Lewis Center, Roxbury, Mass. Events get under way at 1 p.m. Former Mount Pleasant track coach Dick Duggan will oversee the jumps, and veteran throws official and coach Bob Gourley will direct the throws portion.
