It’s a wrap!
After three exciting days of the best track & field this indoor season, the New Balance Nationals at The Armory came to a close on Sunday. There were seven national records, several meet marks and nation No. 1 efforts and some great performances from our Rhode Island athletes, too.
The biggest news came on Sunday with Barrington High junior Adam Kelly winning the national title in the 25-pound weight. The best thrower all season long, Kelly got the much-deserved win during the preliminaries with a heave of 77 feet, 9.25 inches.
Going into his final throw, the Barrington standout wasn’t sure if his best effort would stand after eventual second-place finisher and No. 2 seed, Daniel Haugh of Throw I Deep and St. Pius X, had his best effort of 77-4 on his last attempt.
“I saw it land and it was way too close to be able to tell from where I was standing,” Kelly said. “(The official) gave me the distance in meters. He said 23.57. I was confused for a second. I wasn’t sure if I won or not. He then said congratulations. That’s when I figured it out. I was happy but I also wanted to focus on my next throw and get a better one.”
Kelly, who had a 70-footer on his initial attempt, becomes the first R.I. athlete to win a national title since Westerly’s Andrew Springer copped the mile at the now-defunct Nike Indoor Nationals in 2009. He was an 11th place finisher in 2013.
“I definitely had the experience of coming here last year which helped a lot. I had the experience of coming to the Armory occasionally so I knew the place and it felt a lot like home here,” said Kelly, who won the New Balance Armory Collegiate Invitational at the New York venue back in February. “The nerves went away when I got my first 70-footer. I still had five more throws to go to go out and get one so I was definitely happy with that.”
Another All-American performance from Mistowski
For the second straight year, Leia Mistowksi made it to the podium. The Narragansett senior finished sixth in the 20-pound weight with a distance of 54-8.25. At last year’s NBN, Mistowski was also sixth.
The event was won by Gabby Figueroa of Austintown Fitch, Ohio, with a heave of 62-1.75.
“I thought I did pretty well,” Mistowksi said. “During my throws I was kind of scared I wasn’t going to make in into the finals. I was really happy that I made it into the finals.”
The Narragansett throwers best toss came on her last attempt. The NBN meet capped off a winter campaign that saw Mistowski win her first state title, a meet she set her PB of 54-11.
“The season has gone really well,” she said. “I am really excited for outdoor. I am really excited about what I am going to do in the future.”
Principe cracks 4:30 in frosh mile
La Salle Academy’s D.J. Principe finished a strong second in the freshmen mile with personal best time of 4:28.69. The race was won by Eric Coston of St. Paul’s School, La., in a time of 4:24.66.
Principe, who improved on his best by more than six seconds, stayed among the lead pack in the early stages of the race, around fourth and fifth. He went through the 800 at 2:13. The Ram ninth-grader passed the front-running Coston at about 1,000 meters and tried to push the pace.
Coston regained the lead with 400-meters left and maintained it to the finish.
“I knew some of the guys had some great kicks in the race,” Principe said. I knew with (600) to go I had to put some distance to try and take the kick out of him. He ran a great race. I have to tip my hat to him.”
Just like Principe, Coston also has enjoyed some success as a young runner. Last year he won the middle-school mile with a time of 4:35.
“He took it out hard,” Principe said. “I was planning on doing the same thing and trying to take the kick out of him. He has a great base under him. There is nothing I could have done better.”
In the girls’ frosh mile, North Kingstown’s Katarina Ho placed ninth overall with a time of 5:11.92.
Bests for Bouthillette, Salisbury
La Salle’s Matt Bouthillette and Jack Salisbury concluded their indoor season on a strong note. The two sophomores each set personal best in their respective events on The Armory’s banked oval.
Competing in the unseeded two mile, Bouthillette finished sixth in his heat and 14th overall with a time of 9:15.29. In the mile, Salisbury was timed in 4:17.36 to take fourth in his heat and 18th overall.
Well-deserved honor for Spann
It wasn’t just the top athletes that were honored at the New Balance Nationals this weekend.
During the opening ceremonies on Sunday, longtime Hope High coach Thom Spann was awarded the meet’s annual Mick Byrnes’ Coach of the Year award.
In his 35 years of coaching high school athletes, a career that began at North Kingstown in 1979, Spann has produced numerous all-staters and All-Americans. Members of his track teams have broken 47 state records of which 27 are still standing. He has been named R.I. Coach of the Year 11 times. His teams have also won eight state titles.
Spann, who has been at Hope since 1983, has also been involved in youth track & field with his Providence Cobras Track Club, a club he formed with former Hope and current Rhode Island College coach Kevin Jackson back in the late 1970s.
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Local results provided by BOB LEDDY, R.I. Track & Field Foundation
GIRLS
R.I. finishers
WT - 6, Leia Mistowski, Narr. 54-8.25 (16.67 meters); 10, Tori Ebert, EWG 48-2.50 (14.69); 12, Bianca Donadio, Class. 47-1.50 (14.36); 14, Lysah Russell, Class. 46-8 (14.22); 21, Carly Timpson, Narr. 43-7.25 (13.29); 25, Jackie Esmay, LS 42-7 (12.98); 28, Oluasun Yuseff 40-5 (12.32); 29, Abby Cousens, Ports. 39-11.25 (12.18); 30, Cheyenne Nalle, Woons. 39-2.25 (11.94).
EE WT - 21, Tara Rochefort, Woons. 37-1.75 (11.32); 32, Summer Murray, EG 32-10.25 (10.01).
SP - 33, Ebert 39-7 (12.06).
EE HJ - 7, Timpson 5-2.50 (1.59).
EE Two mile - 23, Beth Nunnery, NK 11:33.42.
Fr. mile - 9, Katarina Ho, NK 5:11.92 (= 4:48.9 @ 1500m).
800 - 18, Maddy Berkson, Class. 2:14.01; 20, Abby Livingston, Barr. 2:15.01.
EE 800 - 31, Shannon Hugard, Middletown 2:20.50.
400 - 31, Berkson, 57.67 (4 H8).
EE 400 - 56, Hugard 1:02.60.
200 - 19, Quashira McIntosh, Hope 24.92.
EE 60m - 1 (H1), McIntosh 7.65 (SR. OR: 7.78 Mc Intosh 2/13/13, 2/23/14). 3 (Ch. Final), 7.66.
EE 60mH - 55, Alicia Holloway, Class. 9.77.
EE 4x200 - 11, Hope 1:45.20.
4x800 - 9, La Salle 9:18.14.
DMR - 9, La Salle 12:04.27.
EE = “Emerging Elite” category. All times FAT.
BOYS
R.I. finishers
WT - 1, Adam Kelly, Barr. 77-9.25 (23.70 meters); 6, Tom Vadis, Class. 68-11.25 (21.01); 10, Connor Fugere, Woons. 64-2.25 (19.56); 15, Chris Celona, BH 62-3 (18.97); 16, Bryan Zapata, Hope 62-1.75 (18.94); 18, Stefan Balestra, Linc. 62-0.50 (18.91); 19, Ed Barber 59-11 (18.26); 21, Mike Alvernaz, Barr. 58-8.5 0 (17.89); 25, Joe Mattson, Rogers 52-5.15 (15.98).
EE WT - 11, Austin Taft, Woons. 53-10.50 (16.42); 14, Shamar Spruill, Prov. 52-3.75 (15.94); 18, Jared Briere, Woons. 51-5 (15.67); 24, Gelson Silva, Prov. 48-11.50 (14.92).
EE SP - 14, Fugere 50-0.75 (15.26).
EE HJ - 12, Ben Murphy, BH 6-2.25 (1.89); 18, Jacob Reilly, Middletown 6-0.50 (1.84).
EE LJ - 12, Lee Moses, BH 21-2 (6.45).
EE 200 - 16, Nick Snow, MB 22.89.
Two mile - 14, Matt Bouthillette, LS 9:15.29.
Mile - 18, Jack Salisbury, LS 4:17.36 (= 3:58.4 @ 1500m).
Fr. mile - 2, D.J. Principe, LS 4:28.69 (= 4:08.6 @ 1500m).
EE Mile - 20, Garrett Scanlon, EG 4:27.63 (= 4:07.7 @ 1500m).
5000 - 10, Colin Tierney, BH 15:04.15 (SR. OR: 15:13.13, Nick Ross, EG 2009).
EE 400 - 19, Amos Cariati, MB 50.64.
4x55m SHR - 9, Classical 31.70 (SR. OR: 32.10, Classical 2013).
EE 4x200 - 44, Hendricken 1:34.52; 55, Central 1:35.11.
EE SMR - 16, Central 3:38.79.
4x1-mile - 7, La Salle 17:45.81; 20, Hendricken 18:33.07.
EE = “Emerging Elite’’ category. All times FAT.