“Around the Oval’
By BOB LEDDY (TAFWA)
R.I. Track & Field Foundation
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24 April – – Four young men from La Salle Academy’s track team will be heading back to Rhode Island sporting brand-new wrist watches, plus a first-place prize, compliments of the Penn Relays. Electrifying a crowd estimated at 39,000 at Franklin Field in Philadelphia on Friday, the Rams’ distance medley relay of Matt Bouthillette, Cam Morenzi, Dan Paiva and Jack Salisbury ran the races of their careers in turning in a combined 10 minutes, 12.10 seconds for the victory. The Mc Donogh School, of Owings Mills, Md. hit the tape second, at 10:12.19. Perennial powerhouse Christian Brothers Academy of New Jersey placed third (10:12.78). Temperatures at racetime were in the 50s, with clouds and some wind.
The Ram coaching staff was decidedly celebratory after the race.
“Billy [assistant coach Bill Myers] and I felt very good about this team all week,’’ said Ram head coach Vin McGinn. “We felt the 800 [meter] leg was important to maintain position. Dan knew he had to deliver. We’ve been really lucky with this team. It’s just great.’’
“I felt my job was to get Jack [Salisbury] in good position to win,’’ said Paiva, a senior, who took the baton from Morenzi in fourth place, and wound up clocking 1:57.20 for his leg. ‘I knew we had a great team.’’
Bouthliiette, a junior, posted a 3:09.44 for his 1200-meter leadoff, while junior Morenzi went 50.96 for his 400-meter split. That put La Salle’s fortunes in the capable running legs of junior Jack Salisbury, who clocked 4:14.52 for the 1600-meter anchor.
“The guys put me in great position,’’ Salisbury said. “I didn’t want to go out to quickly; blow it out and lose the race. I just wanted to hold on. I made a move at 300 [meters left in the race]. My goal was just to win. I heard the crowd cheering for CBA [Christian Brothers Academy], and that made me want us to beat them.’’
Oval Notes: La Salle’s gold medal performance was its first at Penn since 1942, when a Ram 4×800 relay claimed the honor. In 1988, a St. Raphael DMR also won at Franklin field . . . In the girls’ distance medley relay on Thursday night, the La Salle girls finished in 11th place with a time of 12:23.35. Sheridan Wilbur, Jess Apagee. Karina Tavares and anchor leg Eliza Rego comprised the Ram foursome.
Other R.I. results
Girls’ 4×100 – 103 (2, H 13), Hope 52.33.
Girls’ 4×400 – 8, La Salle 4:16.79; 9, Hope 4:18.29.
Boys’ 3000 – 16, Tommy Sommer, E. Greenwich 8:50.28; 18, DJ Principe, La Salle 8:54.30.
Boys’ 4×100 – 118 (4, H 2), Hendricken 45.14.