New England Championships: Boys Preview

The Reggie Lewis center will be bustling with athletes & spectators on Friday evening as the 25th New England Indoor Track & Field Championship invades the oval. Athletes from Maine, Massachussetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, & Rhode Island will be facing off against eachother in hopes of being the crown best in New England. The indoor championships ceratinly have some uniqueness to them as states like New Hampshire had their championship meet almost a month ago while Massachusetts held their All-State Championship just 5 days ago. 

While there will be some great showdowns on the track, you never quite know which events athletes will run as often they are entered in all events they qualified in during their state championships. Often at New England's some of the top runners will choose a single event to focus their energy on in hopes of a personal best, school record or a spot on the podium. Then sometimes you'll see athletes bypass individuals events for team relay glory. And a few will bypass the event altogether to prepare for the New Balance National Meet which gets underway next weekend. Regardless the meet is packed with state champions, new england champions & some of the top track & field athletes in the country. Let's take a closer look.

Sprints

This race is wide open with a handful of athletes capable of nagivating 5 hurdles to stand atop the podium as the fastest hurdler in NE. Danielle Lewis (Hillhouse, CT) has the fastest time in NE this winter 7.61. He won the CT All-State Championship. MA All-State champion Liam Cross (Falmouth, MA) has the top seed in the meet, after his personal best 7.64 last weekend. Also watch for NE #3 Adam Robertino (Norwalk, CT) he is the top returner from last year, he has the 6th fastest seed time.

There is a ton of speed in this race, so that means the meet record of 6.38 could be in danger as the top speed has run within .01 of the mark. US#10/NE#1 Jerickson Fedrick (Salem, NH) has the top time of time in the field 6.39, he is also the top returner after a 3rd place finish in 2011. Fellow NH runner NE#6  Ethan Druskat (Oyster River) has the top seed time of 6.49. NE #7 Valerio Silva (Woburn, MA) is a threat with a seasonal  best of 6.50. NE#8 Harold Cooper (Hillhouse, CT)  has run a best of 6.51 and was the CT Open champion, Cooper is just a sophomore. Last year's 6th place finish NE#10 Josh Ojukwu (Nasnoba Regional, MA) will look to get on the podium for the 2nd straight season, he was 3rd in the MA All-State meet.

The 300m race is loaded with some of top sprint talent in the country. Leading the way is pair of nationally ranked sprinters, US#16/NE#1 Donovan Henry (Catholic Memorial, MA) the MA All-State champion has run 34.72 this season, while US#22/NE #2 James Jarrell (Hope, RI) the RI state champion has a seasonal best of 34.97. Nathan Pierre-Louis (Waltham, MA) is a threat as well, he is coming off a runner-up finish in the MA All-State meet running US#23/NE #3 35.02. Also in the field & podium threats are NE#6 Keith Bond (Trumbull, CT) 35.36, NE#4 Kiivone Howard (Foxborough, MA) with a seasonal best of 35.32 as well as NE #10 Marcus Motil (Greenwich, CT) 35.54

The long sprint 600m, features defending champion Andrew Rolim (Somerville, MA) who is back to defend his title, Rolim is currently ranked US#4/NE#1. Rolim has been running unpushed all season can he take a stab at the 1:18.72 meet record of Cas Loxsom remains to be seen. US#11/NE#2 Marcus Motil (Greenwich, CT) will try to make a run at Rolim. US#16/NE#4 Zac Campo (South Kingstown, RI) is the RI state champion his time of 1:21.91 is the 5th seed. Campo placed 6th last year in the event & will be looking for a return trip to the podium. Maine 400m champion Alex Nichols (Brunswick, ME) will be moving up in distance, his 400m time converts to 1:20.15 the 2nd seed in the meet, along with Nate Bucknell (Gorham, ME) who is the #4 seed, Bucknell ran many 600yd races so should handle the longer distance.

Distance

The 1000m  could be the race of the night. US#14/NE#5 Henry Wynne (Staples, CT) is the top seed. MA All-State runner-up US#17/NE#7Joe Vercollone (Pembroke, MA) 2:29.89 is just .33 off the top time. Fellow MA runner US#19/ NE#8 Ben Groleau (Framingham, MA) is no slouch at 2:30.73. If  Mike Marsella (Chariho, RI) opts to run it will make the race even better, Marsella is US#4 in the mile (4:10.54), he is NE #9 in the 1k (2:30.88) but certainly would be capable of a faster time if he runs it fresh.

The Mile field is diluted a bit with the top 5 NE milers opting for other races there is still plenty of talent for these 8 lappers. MA All-State runner-up US#36/NE#7 Wesley Gallagher (Pembroke, MA) leads the way with his 4:17.29. Look for him to be challenged by CT Champion & returning ALL-NE winner US#44/NE#9 Clark Shurtleff (Amity, CT), with a seed of 4:17.97. Shurtleff was the runner-up last winter. us#34/NE#6 Mike O'Donnell (Meuthen, MA) 3rd in the MA-All State meet is a real threat, he has the toptime in Mile this winter of anyone in the field 4:17.05

This race should produce some top times even without NE#1 Conor US#26/NE#3 Harlow Ladd (Messalonskee) has the top seed in the field, he is coming off a state meet record in Maine, 9:21.87, which he did on a double. MA All-State runner-up & NE#10 Chernet Sisay (Brookline, MA) is a threat as well. Along with US#39/NE#6 Daniel McDonald-Meteer (Arlington, MA) who has run 9:23.50 this season, he was 4th at the All-State meet. NE#7 Mark Perry (Brookline, MA) is in the field, as is Matthew McClintock (Madison, ME) who placed 15th at the Footlocker National XC meet, McClintock has races just 3 times all winter, his 3k time of 8:38.92 shows he can challenge for the win. Also entered is Mike Marsella (Chariho, RI) who may choose to throw is hat in the ring for this race,

Field Events

The field is tightly packed in the long jump with several jumpers with a chance to take home the title. US#37/NE#2 Eddie Uthman (West Warick,RI) has the top seed from the state meet, but watch out for US#24/NE#1 Olisa Obiefuna (Saugus, MA) who has furthest mark of anyone in 2012 23-2 3/4. Dont count of NE#3 Jake Scinto (Cheshire, CT) who is the defending champion in the event, Scinto is more than capable of repeating. Another returning podium finisher from 2011 is Maine state champion Mackenzie Gary (Mt. Ararat, ME)

The high jump field is loaded with strong jumpers, misses at lower heights will play a big part on who ends up on the podium. US #7/NE #1 Adam Couitt (Somerset, MA) has the top jump in the field this winter 6-9, he'll be pushed all thee way by a pair of RI jumpers, US#9NE#2 Divon Baily (Rogers, RI) & US#9/NE#2 Steven Vasquez (Central Falls, RI) who have cleared 6-8. There are two others jumpers in the field who have cleared 6-7 this year, NH Champ Kevin Shea (Nashua South, NH) & Chris McDowell (Hingham, MA)

In the shot US#10/NE#1 Swardick Mayanja (Newton North, MA) has throw over 3 feet further than the rest of New England this season. Mayanja was the runner-up last year will be looking to move up one spot on the podium with the 60ft barrier in mind. US#29/NE#2 Colin Hay (Lowell, MA) will look to pull the upset along with NE#4 Aaron Comery (Coventry, RI).

Relays

The 4x800's lead off the meet & this should be a great way to get the racing on the track underway. Defending champion & NE#2 Acton-Boxboro, MA will be looking to make it back to back titles, they have speedster James Sullivan leading the way. Watch out for RI champion & US#5/NE#1 Chariho, RI who cruised at their state meet but have run 7:50.25 this season, which is 5 seconds faster than any other team in NE. The meet record is 7:53.50, which is in danger. Chariho features standout Mike Marsella. NE#4 Brookline, MA is the other team in the field that has broken the 8 minute barrier with their 7:59.98

New England record alert in the 4x200's. As US#10/NE#1 Chelmsford, MA will attack the 20 year old 1:29.6h meet record, they ran a 1:29.7 to win the MA All-State, they feature Connor Brimely. US#27/NE#2 Catholic Memorial, MA will be looking to make a run at the title with top speedster Donovan Henry. CT Champ Greenwich NE#4 fields a strong team with the talented Marcus Motill.