The R.I. Interscholastic League Indoor Track and Field Championships featured a new state mark, a meet record and a few outstanding multiple-winning performances.
The high jump area drew considerable attention to the athletes and spectators that made their way into the Providence Athletic Facility for the four-hour meet.
La Salle Academy junior Dakota Dailey-Harris etched her name in the books in the girls’ vertical leap. The starting point guard for the school’s basketball team and a part-time leaper during the indoor season, Dailey-Harris beat a talented field with a winning effort of 5-foot-7 in only her third appearance this winter.
A third-place finisher at the outdoor state meet this past June, Dailey-Harris broke the existing mark of 5-6 , shared by North Kingstown’s Laura Berman (1999), South Kingstown’s Kate Rowinski (2000) and West Warwick’s Felicia Terwilliger (2008).
Chariho’s versatile senior Innocent Jacob did not disappoint the masses. Ranked No. 3 nationally in the long jump - a new addition to the state meet - Jacob copped that event with ease with a distance of 23-4. Earlier in the meet, he won the high jump in near record fashion when he cleared the bar at 6-10, an inch less than his sterling win at the Boston Holiday Challenge on Dec. 28.
Jacob had to withstand a gallant effort by Rogers’ Divon Baily, who took his rival to the limit by taking the runner-up slot with a PB of 6-8, two inches higher than his seed entering the meet.
“I didn’t expect that from him, but things happen,” Jacob said. “I am really proud of him. That only made me go harder on my performance.”
After clearing his winning height, Jacob elected to go for the meet record of 7-1 ½.
Unfortunately, after making two strong attempts at the magical number, he was summoned over to the track for his heat in the 55-meter dash - a race he eventually finished sixth overall in 6.76.
“I was a little bit tired for the last one,” he said. “After doing the dash and then coming back and trying for 7-1, it wasn’t easy. I was a tired. I wasn’t expecting myself to clear it.”
Jacob now has his eyes set on the New Balance Nationals in mid-March where he’ll compete in the high jump and the long jump. He believes he has his best chance to snare gold in the long jump, an event he once owned the top distance nationwide with his best of 24-4.
“There are two kids ahead of me and not by much,” he said. “Hopefully I will get some competition over there and hopefully I’ll improve my record from now. I was looking forward to doing it here. If it happens, it happens. I am just looking forward to the nationals.”
Hope junior Royal Cheatham, the defending champion in the 55 dash, repeated her performance from a year ago with a meet-record of 7.23. Her day was far from finished, though. Besides running the leadoff leg for the school’s winning 4x200 relay squad (1:45.04), Cheatham also made it to the victory stand in the 300 and the long jump. The gifted sprinter blazed her 300 in 41.07 and then blew open the competition in the long jump with a distance of 18-11.
With the 40 points that Cheatham collected, Hope finished second to La Salle for the team title, 65-51. It was the Rams fifth straight year taking home the plaque.
“I didn’t even think I could do it, honestly. I thought the negatives would just come and hit me,” said Cheatham, about her multiple victories. “But it didn’t. I fought right through it.”
Cheatham was in second in the long jump behind Prout School sophomore Karly Gregory (second, 17-9 ¾). She attained gold on her fifth attempt.
“I didn’t know it was coming,” she said. “I had to get height and jump. That’s what my coach said. I didn’t really think I jumped that far. To me, it looked like it was a regular 16-, 17-foot jump. “
Central Falls senior Aleide Fernandes and Cranston West senior Robert Allen were also multiple champions, each winning two events.
Fernandes continued her dominance inside the circle with titles in the 20-pound weight and the shot put. In the weight, the country’s fourth best thrower won by more than five feet with an effort of 55-10 ¼. She came back and took the shot with a season-best 38-1 ¼.
Fernandes, who has seven individual state titles (outdoor and indoor) in her career so far, will be concentrating her efforts solely on the 20-pound weight at next month’s nationals. She owns a best this year of 56-2 ¼.
“I wasn’t trying to beat my record (at the state meet),” she said. “I just wanted to win. I want to do well at nationals. The states matter, but the nationals mean more to me.”
Allen, the state and New England titlist in cross country this past fall, won both distance events – the 1,500 and the 3,000. He benefitted from a slow, tactical race at the beginning to eventually break away from a talented field in the 3,000 in 8:46.69. Bishop Hendricken’s Ryan Meehan, putting in one final surge on the last straightaway, was second at 8:47.33.
With Allen nestled behind, the early-race leaders went through the first mile in slightly less than five minutes. That didn’t bother the Falcon runner, considering he would be back on the line for the 1,500 less than an hour later.
“The whole thing going into the race is I knew I had the 1,500 and I needed to conserve my energy,” he said.
Allen had to hold off fast-charging Zach Fraielli of La Salle to win the 1,500.Taking the lead on the final lap of the 200-meter oval, the Cranston West all-stater broke the tape in 4:03.75. Fraielli, the 2010 champion in the 1,000, was second at 4:03.88.
Bishop Hendricken junior Joe Velez, who is ranked No. 4 nationally in the 25-pound weight, was slightly ahead of his personal-best distance this season with a winning toss of 71-5 ½. As a team, Velez and the Hawks won their 17th consecutive team championship, defeating La Salle, 79-51.
The R.I. Interscholastic League Indoor Track and Field Championships featured a new state mark, a meet record and a few outstanding multiple-winning performances.
The high jump area drew considerable attention to the athletes and spectators that made their way into the Providence Athletic Facility for the four-hour meet.