By BOB LEDDY (TAFWA)
R.I. Track & Field Foundation
June 19 – – David “DJ’’ Principe returned to the Belk Track in Greensboro, N.C. on Friday night in the championship division 5000-meter run. But this time the La Salle junior had greater success. Competing against a national field, Principe ran steady, fought a headwind and crossed the finish line the winner in 14 minutes, 37.09 seconds. What’s more, the indefatigable distance man broke his own R.I. state record – which he set a year ago at this very meet. (At the ’15 New Balance Games, “DJ’’ went 14:42.91, placing fifth.)
Principe beat senior Mason Coppi, of California, who clocked in at 14:42.38. Principe’s performance ranks him No. 2 in the United States this year. “I was running for time,’’ Principe said, ‘’and trying to improve on [state-record time of last year]. Going into the race I was getting my own splits. I went out hard, but there was a strong headwind on the backstretch.’’
The 29-man race was broken into two sections; Principe was in the first. “There were [originally] 32, but a few dropped out,’’ he said. Principe went through the first mile in 4:31. “During the first two miles I was consistently 67 to 69-[second splits]. I was pretty tired at the end, but I knew I had a safe lead.’’
Central High’s “Fab Four’’
The Central High boys’ sprint corps finished second in the so-called Swedish relay (legs of 100, 200, 300 and 400 meters). Frank Mercado, Austin Wolo, Damterius O’Connor and Donatein Djero clocked a state-record 1:54.93. The same Knight runners finished fourth overall in the Championship 4×200 relay. Their time of 1:27.53 bettered the state record of 1:29.81 set by a Hope quartet at the 2007 Nationals. Returning to the Belk oval later in the day for the 4×100 relay, the Knight’s “Fab Foursome” eliminated a 9 year-old R.I. record in Heat 6 with a time of 41.86. The old mark belonged to a Hope relay: 42.20 clocked at the 2007 State Championships. (They placed seventh in the finals with a time of 42.43.)
It just kept getting better for Cenral’s sprint program on Sunday afternoon, as Anthony Vega ran third leg on the championship 4×400 relay, which posted a state-record time of 3:18.98, and copped the U.S. title. The Knights also broke a 12 year-old mark of 3:18.7 (hand-held), set by a Hendricken relay in 2004. Wolo anchored with a 48.34 split.
Colantonio notches U.S. hammer prize; Drezek: Record run in the 2000m steeplechase
Bobby Colantonio, who all season has stood atop the U.S. rankings list in the boys’ 5.44-kilogram hammer, continued that domination on Saturday evening. The Barrington High senior unloaded the 12-pound ball a winning 240 feet (73.17 meters), a notable 27 feet (8.23 meters) ahead of the second-place throw. Colantonio was a national runner-up to teammate Adam Kelly at this meet last year.
One of the oldest record on state legers was broken by Cumberland High’s Ben Drezek. The Clipper junior bettered the 1993 mark in the 2000-meter steeplechase by clocking 6:23.51 for 20th place. The original mark, set by Amilcar Tavares, of Shea High in 1993, was a hand-held 6:43.5 clocked at the former URI Interscholastic meet in Kingston. Drezek also owns the state record in the 3000-meter steeplechase, set last month at the Louckes Games in New York.
On Sunday, the La Salle girls’ 4-mile relay of Eliza Rego, Karina Tavares, Grace Connolly and Emily Kane placed second in 20:23.95. The winning team, from Temecula, Calif., finished first in 20:10.30.
TWO STATE RECORDS FOR BOUTHILLETTE
Competing at the Brooks PR Invitational in Renton, WA on Saturday afternoon, La Salle senior Matt Bouthillette finished eighth in the two-mile run with a time of 8 minutes, 53.94 seconds. That betters the 2012 standard of 9:00.90 clocked by Chariho’s Mike Marsella at a meet in Charlottesville, Va. Enroute during Saturday’s race, Bouthillette went through 3000 meters in an official 8:21.10, which surpasses the previous SR of 8:23.3, clocked by Westerly’s Andrew Springer at the 2009 Hendricken Invitational. Bouthillette also has the state 3200-meter record.
R.I. 2016 Outdoor All-Americans
DJ Principe, Eliza Rego, Karina Tavares, Emily Kane, Grace Connoly, La Salle; Frank Mercado, Austin Wolo, Dametrius O’Connor, Donatein Djero, Anthony Vega, Central; Bobby Colantonio, Barrington; Mike Coppolino, Cumberland; Courtney Jacobsen, Toll Gate; Gianna Rao, Ponaganset;
R.I. GIRLS’ RESULTS
Championship
HT (9-lb./4-kilo) – 3, Courtney Jacobsen, Toll Gate 175-1 (53.36 meters); 6, Gianna Rao, Ponaganset 168-0 (51.22); 11, Samantha Andrews Lincoln 159-1 (48.50); 14, Annika Kelly, Barrington 149-10 (45.68); 20, Faith Polando, Barr. 144-7 (44.06); 24, Molly Botts, Cr. East 138-8 (42.28); 28, Sydney Polando, Barr. 135-1 (41.17); 29, Meagan Malloy, Smithfield 134-9 (41.08); 33, Amanda Taft, Woonsocket 15-8 (35.27).
JT – 18, Alyssa Colbert, Smith. 120-3 (36.67).
LJ – 44, Meagan Scullin, Cumberland 17-3.50 (5.28).
Two mile -17, Beth Nunnery, N. Kingstown 10:59.04 (= 10:10.6 @ 3000m).
5000 – 20, Ellie Lawler, S. Kingstown 17:40.86.
4×1-mile – 2, La Salle (Rego, Tavares, Kane, Connolly) 20:23.95.
Emerging Elite
HT – 1, Andrews, Lincoln 161-9 (49.30 meters); 3, Kelly, Barrington 146-11 (44.79); Katrina Kurowski, Woonsocket 132-3 (40.30); 16, Taft, Woons. 125-0 (38.11); Jenn Iozzi, Cr. West 113-0 (33.68); 25, Gabby Ribiero, Woons. 110-6 (33.68); 27, Maggie Tarmey, Linc. 102-7 (31.27).
DT – 23, Colbert, 112-7 (34.32).
Frosh. mile – 17, Elizabeth Sullivan, Portsmouth 5:19.79 (= 4:56.3 @ 1500m); 32, Tea Bishop, Barrington 5:29.66 (= 5:05.1 @ 1500m).
Frosh. two mile – 4, Lily Nunnery, N. Kingstown 11:17.75 (= 10:27.8 @ 3000m); 9, Sullivan, 11:31.42 (= 10:40.3 @ 3000m).
Two mile – 24, Amy Laverty, Cumberland 11:47.99 (= 10:55.96 @ 3000m).
4×100 – 30, Cumberland 50.56.
R.I. BOYS’ RESULTS
Championship
HT (12-lb./5.44 kilo) – 1, Bobby Colantonio, Barrington 240-0 (73.17 meters); 6, Mike Coppolino, Cumberland 207-1 (63.12); 7, Jared Briere, Woonsocket 201-6 (61.43); 12, Jody Harris, Central 183-11 (56.07); 13, Adrian Matos, Cent. 182-11 (55.76); 15, Dilyn Cote, Woons. 179-2 (54.61); 19, Joe Palazzo, Classical 176-4 (53.74); 20, Jacob Greenless, Woons. 175-10 (53.60); 22, Zeke Cohen, Class. 170-7 (52.01); 27, Kevin Fofana, Class. 164-11 (50.28); 28, Evan Grivers, Lincoln 160-11 (49.95).
LJ – 20, Anthony Shepard, S. Kingstown 21-10 (6.65).
Mile – 7, Sam Toolin, N. Kingstown 4:13.43 (= 3:55.6 @ 1500m); 9, Sean Laverty, Cumb. 4:13.92 (= 3:55.2 @ 1500m).
2000 STP – 20, Ben Drezek, Cumberland 6:22.51 (SR. OR: 6:43.5h, A. Tavares, Shea 1993).
5000 – 1, David Principe, La Salle 14:37.09 (SR. OR: 14:42.91, Principe 2015).
4×100 – 2 (H6) Central (Mercado, Djero, Wolo, O’Connor) 41.86 (SR. OR: 42.20, Hope 2007). Finals – 7, 42.43.
4×200 – 4, Central (Mercado, Wolo, O’Connor, Djero) 1:27.53 (SR. OR: 1:29.81, Hope, 2007).
4×400 – 1, Central (Wolo, Djero, O’Connor, Anthony Vega) 3:18.09 (SR. OR: 3:18.7h, Hendricken 2004.
4×800 – 27, E. Greenwich 8:09.10
Swedish relay (@ 1000m) – 2, Central 1:54.93 (Mercado, O’Connor, Wolo, Djero) 1:54.93 (SR. OR: 2:00.28, Central, 2012).
Shuttle relay – 7, Hendricken 1:02.01 (Est. SR).
Emerging Elite
HT – 1, Adrian Matos, Cent. 187-11 (57.29 meters); 3, Jody Harris, Cent. 180-1 (54.89); 17, Zeke Cohen, Class.153-2 (46.70); 20, Derin Paskanik, Woons. 146-6 (44.67); 22, Jake Dunn, Barr. 145-4 (44.30); 23, Grivers 144-11 (44.19).
Frosh. mile – 14, Joe Dis Reis, La Salle 4:36.36 (= 4:16.0 @ 1500m).
110HH – 5, Nate Narcisse, Class. 14.49.
4×200 – 19, Hendricken 1:32.59.
All times FAT.