Many of the top high school track and field athletes in New England will travel to Saco, Maine on Saturday to compete in the New England High School Championship meet. It’s not often that this many talented athletes are in one spot to compete against each other, so you can expect plenty of fast times, big throws, and soaring heights. On the girls side there are several returning champions, Vanessa Clerveaux (100m hurdles), Precious Holmes (400m), Jen Esposito (300m Hurdles), Sarah Gillespie (1600m), Kellie Davis (800m), & Lexie Schachne (Pole Vault) who will be looking to add more hardware to their collection. The great thing about track and field is what you did last year doesn’t matter so everyone has a shot at making the podium & being crowned the New England champion.
Sprints
100m Hurdles: Defending champion Vanessa Clerveaux (Brockton) has run a NE #1 14.08 this season, and enters the meet as the favorite to repeat. Look got NH champion & NE#2 Betsy Garnick (Bishop Guertin) to push Clerveaux, her best time is 14.27.
100m Dash: This race is wide open with a handful of girls in the mix. VT champ & NE #3 Mollie Gribbin (South Burlington) is one to keep an eye on she hasn’t been pushed all spring. NE #2 Briana Robitaille (Attleboro, MA) has run 12.09 this spring, and is coming off a win at the MA All-State meet running 12.31, she was 4th last year. CT Champ & NE#4 Shatajah Wattely (Montville) is another who will be aiming for the win.
200m Dash: All eyes will be on Precious Holmes as she attempts to add more hardware to her already extensive collection, the Hillhouse junior, who won titles at 100m & 400m last spring, and 400m & 600m indoors. Precious is NE #1 & US #37 in the 200m with a best of 24.04 this spring. CT Champion Adrian Jones (Bloomfield), Shatajah Watttely (Montville, CT) & Molly Gribbin the VT champion have all run under 25 seconds this spring.
300m Hurdles: US #14 ranked 400m hurdle Jen Esposito (Mansfield) the defending champion in the event looks primed to add a 2nd NE title to her resume. Last year she broke the meet record with a 42.82, can she regain her form to lower it? Look Maine champion & NE #1 Sarah Perkins (Gorham) to be in the mix, her best time this year was 44.49, the extra competition is sure to push her to a faster time. NH Champion & NE#2 Hillary Holmes & Katy Sprout (Tolland, CT) have both run under 45 seconds as well, Sprout earned All NE honors with a 5th place in 2011.
400m: Another sprint event another defending champion is back. Precious Holmes (Hillhouse, CT) is US #9 in the event with a 53.76, the NE meet record is 54..6h set 26 years old ago and well within reach. Look for Sydnee Over (Windsor, CT) to make a run at the previous record as well; her time of 54.6 is US#26.
Distance
800m Rhode Island’s Molly Keating is seeded #1 2:11.15 however she may have already run the 1600m previously however that didn’t affect her at the RI championship. NE#1 Sarah Gillespie (Northwest Catholic, CT) is also entered; she is the defending 1600m champion. Freshman Hannah Parker (Coe Brown, NH) is NE#2 & NH champion, her time of 2:11.60 makes her one to watch. Don’t sleep on defending champion Kellie Davis (Hillhouse, CT) she is the #7 seed. Last year’s runner-up Maddy Berkson (Classical, RI) won the indoor 1000m championship, can she take the top spot at 800m outdoors? Others to watch NE#3 Syndee Over who also is ranked highly in the 400m, and Molly McCabe (Bishop Guertin) NE#5. This could be one of the closest and most exciting races of the day
1600m Defending champion Sarah Gillespie will have her hands full if she is going to repeat, she is ranked NE#3 in the event. Look for RI 1500m champion Maddy Berkson (Classical) who ran a RI state record & US #8 4:27.92 to be the favorite while RI runner-up Molly Keating the indoor Mile champion will look to turn the tables after finishing 2nd to Berkson. Keating ran US #13 4:30.01. NE #1 at 1600m Bethanie Brown (Waterville) won’t be afraid to mix it up with the top girls, she was the runner-up to Keating indoors, and is just off the Maine All-time in the event with her 4:51.84 clocking for earlier this spring. Also one to watch is 2011 runner-up Elle Purrier of Richford, VT who is the #3 seed.
3200m NE #1 Bethanie Brown (Waterville, ME) is the top seed, she’s run a best of 10:32.90 & was an All-American at 2 miles indoors. CT’s Reid Watson (Glastonbury) is NE#2 10:39.41 & no stranger to success at the NE championships. Aisha McAdams (North Kingstown, RI) is seeded at 10:39.71 after the conversion from 3k, while Liliana Harrington NE#3 (Conard, CT) has a best of 10:40.74 which should make for a tight race at the front of the pack.
Throws
Discus—NE#1 Katja Neves (Hope, RI) is the only thrower in the field over 140ft, Neves threw a best of 141-10 to win the RI state title. NE#2 Kylie Fustini (Ledyard, CT) has a best of 133-2 will be looking to avenge a 4th place finish at the CT all-state meet. The other thower over 130ft in the field is VT champion Riley Blankenship (Lyndon Institute) with a best of 131-0.
Shot Put- CT Champ & NE #1 Cherraine Davis (Southington) is the top seeded thrower with a best fo 45-11 this spring. NE #2 Katja Neves (Hope, RI) had a seasonal best to win the RI title, 43-4 ¾, she is also top seed in the discus. NE #3 Elizabeth Bary (Wakefield, MA) won the MA title, and has thrown 42-3 this spring.
Javelin- NE#1 Ellie Gravitte (Ridgefield, CT) won the CT Championship with her best throw of the season 143-5, right behind her is NH Champion Elise Rubchinuk (Newport) 140-9. Three others in the field have thrown over 130ft with Siaina Campbell (Milford, MA), Elizebeth Christensen (Guildford, CT) & MA champion Laura Kennedy (East Longmeadow)
Jumps
High Jump- US #3 Dakota Dailey-Harris (LaSalle Academy, RI) enters as the favorite after clearing 5-10 to win the RI state meet & break her own state record. The next best jump is 5-6 achieved by 3 others in the field.
Pole Vault- NE #1 & defending champion Lexie Schacne (Staples, CT) will be looking to shake off losing the CT all-class meet with a shot to surpass the NE record of 12-0. Schacne has jumped a best of 12-0 this spring. NE#2 Allison Sullivan (Norwich Free, CT) defeated Schacne to win the CT all-class meet with a jump of 11-6. MA champion Casey Teska (Nashoba) has also cleared 11-6. NE#2 Lauren O’Connell has a best of 11-7 as does fellow CT cocmpetitor Emily Savage (Weston)
Long Jump NE#2 Carrie Abraham (Winchester, MA) 18-7 ½ will look to come back strong after a 3rd in the MA All-State meet, she’ll have to contend with NE#3 Mollie Gribbin (South Burlington, VT) who jumped a best of 18-4 ¼ to win the VT state championship. RI champ Karly Gregory ( Prout) jumped a seasonal best 18-3 to edge Dakota Dailey-Harris (LaSalle) 18-0 ¼. CT Champion Natori Jones (Bloomfield) has also jumped 18-0.
Triple Jump The name Gribbin has been mentioned a lot in this preview, and this maybe the event that she has the best shot to win. Gribbin is NE#2 having jumped 39-1 ¼ this spring, NE #3 Hillary Holmes (Exeter, NH) is the #2 seed with a best f 38-5, Janae Wilson (Windsor, CT) was 2nd at CT championship but is ranked NE#4 38-4 ½.
Relays
4x800- Barrington,RI is the top seed with a NE#1 9:17.46, they’ll be chased by NE#4 Lincoln-Sudbury (9:26.48), NE #5 Tolland, CT, along with NE #6 Franklin , MA & NE #8 Londonderry,NH are the top teams
4x100-NE#1 & CT Champs Bloomfield are the heavy favorites to win, they clocked a best of 47.84, NE#2 & MA champ Brockton has a best of 48.75.
4x400-NE #2 Windsor, CT is the top seed with a 3:55.14, they’ll be challenged by NE#3 Mansfield 3:55.30, Bishop Guertin, the NH champs are NE#7 ranked 3:56.88.