Meet the 2023 Providence Journal All-State Boys Indoor Track Team
The Providence Journal, with the 2023 All-State Rhode Island High School Sports Awards program, presented by Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, is proud to announce the nominees for Boys Indoor Track Player of the Year. The winner will be announced during the live show Tuesday, June 27, at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium.
During the live show, these nominees will be honored, along with the athletes of the year in 29 other sports as well as Athletes of the Year, Coaches of the Year and Team of the Year.
Nominated athletes can register for their free ticket to the show here, thanks to sponsors: Nominee Registration for the 2023 All-State Rhode Island High School Sports Awards (smartsheet.com)
General public tickets are on sale here: 2023 All State Rhode Island High School Sports Awards Tickets (enmotive.com)
Vote for your favorite school for the Spirit Award here: 2023 Show Your School Spirit (gannettcontests.com)
More information about the show, including other nominees, can be found here: All-State Rhode Island High School Sports Awards (usatoday.com)
The All-State Rhode Island High School Awards show is part of the USA TODAY High School Sports Awards, the largest high school sports recognition program in the country. Last year’s show can still be viewed here: 2022 All-State Rhode Island High School Sports Awards - YouTube
More: Meet the 2023 Providence Journal All-State Girls Indoor Track Team
Projo's All-State Athletes: Here are the best winter high school athletes in RI
Jared Gibbons, La Salle
Senior, Sprints
One of the best sprinters in state history, Gibbons did what he does best in big meets — win. The two-time defending champ in the 55 meters, Gibbons qualified for the finals in third but came up big when it mattered, running a 6.48 to become the first three-time champion in the event.
Kitwana Ruddock, East Providence
Senior, Sprints
One year earlier, Ruddock wasn’t even competing, but his lone indoor state meet ended with a gold medal. Ruddock, who started track last spring, ran a blistering 36.56 seconds in the 300, beating Hendricken’s Jacob Coates by 0.24 seconds and setting himself up for a big spring season.
Ethan Knight, Barrington
Junior, Hurdles
All it took was a little wake-up call for Knight to get his first gold. Finishing third in the 55 hurdles preliminaries, his first loss of the season, Knight came back big in the final. He finished in 7.74 seconds, besting West Warwick’s Damon Wilson by 0.08 seconds.
Elijah Saddlemire, Smithfield
Senior, Middle distance
A second-team All-State selection in cross country in the fall, Saddlemire was one of Rhode Island’s best 1,000 meter runners this winter. He won a Suburban Division title with a 2:35.95 and bested it at the state meet with a 2:33.85, 0.68 seconds behind St. Raphael star Devan Kipyego.
Thomas Speltz, Moses Brown
Senior, Middle Distance
Speltz made his mark in the state in the fall, earning First-Team All-State honors in cross country. His indoor season saw him run his best when it mattered most and, after finishing fourth in the 600 in the Division C meet, Speltz ran a 1:23.30 to finish second behind St. Raphael’s Devan Kipyego.
Devan Kipyego, St. Raphael
Senior, Distance
The best runner in the state closed his career with a state meet no one will soon forget. He was on cruise control in wins in the 3,000 and 1,500 and wins in the 600 and 1,000 gave him four golds, becoming the first runner in Rhode Island history to win four individual state titles in one year.
Nick Martin, East Greenwich
Senior, Distance
Nobody chased St. Raphael’s Devan Kipyego more at the state meet than Martin, an All-State in cross country this past fall. The senior finished 1.41 seconds behind Kipyego in the 1,500 but dominated the rest of the field by more than eight seconds and also had a third-place finish in the 1,000.
Alex Morin, Hendricken
Senior, Throws
An All-State on the football field, Morin showed off his strength in the throwing circle this winter. The top-seeded performer in the shot put, his put of 51 feet, 3.25 inches bested the field by nearly 3 feet and gave the future Bryant University thrower his first indoor gold medal.
Christian Toro, Lincoln
Senior, Throws
Toro was pushed a little harder than expected at the indoor state championships but managed to get the job done. The top seed in the weight throw, his toss of 75 feet, 6.25 inches was 2 feet, 4.25 inches better than Hendricken’s Keith Daigneau and set the future Duke thrower up for a big spring season.
Salter Arms, Moses Brown
Senior, Jumps
The senior showed off his impressive athleticism and walked away with his first career gold medal. Arms started his state meet running a 6.53 seconds in the 55 dash, good for second place, before his leap of 23 feet, 10.25 inches gave him a win in a loaded long jump field.
Brady Fisher, La Salle
Senior, Jumps
Fisher did it all at the state meet, including defending his high jump title. The Rams’ senior star took third in the long jump and 55 meter hurdles, but took home a gold medal when he was able to clear 6 feet, 4 inches in fewer attempts than Central’s Demetrius Outland in a thrilling high jump final.
La Salle 4x200 Relay
Jared Gibbons, Senior; Garrett Giroux-Pezzullo, Freshman; Joel Noel, Senior; Brady Fisher, Senior
The Rams won the event the season before and with Gibbons and Fisher back, the addition of Noel helped them continue their success. The quartet finished the relay in 1:32.19, besting the team from Central by 0.92 seconds.
La Salle 4x400 Relay
Ian McMahon, Senior; Eoin Stansfield, Senior; Blake Santos, Senior; Thaden Leomensah, Sophomore
The Rams have had plenty of success in the other relays, but didn’t get over the hump in the 4x400 until this season. McMahon, Stansfield, Santos and Leomensah put together a stellar performance, finishing in 3:31.78 and besting rival Hendricken by 1.78 seconds.
La Salle 4x800 Relay
Grady McGinnis, Sophomore; David Parenteau, Senior; Blake Santos, Senior; Phillip Simas, Senior
This was a title the Rams wanted back. La Salle went back-to-back before North Kingstown won the race the last two seasons, but McGinnis, Parenteau, Santos and Simas owned the race at the state meet, finishing in 8:15.92 to beat Hendricken by 1.57 seconds.
2023 Providence Journal All-State Indoor Track Second Team
Sprints — Jacob Coates, Hendricken, Junior
Sprints — Jubril Bamgbala, La Salle, Senior
Hurdles — Damon Wilson, West Warwick, Senior
Middle distance — Blake Santos, La Salle, Senior
Middle distance — Ian McMahon, La Salle, Junior
Distance — Cole Francis, Narragansett, Sophomore
Distance — Troy Silvestri, Hendricken, Senior
Throws — Tyler Durang, Lincoln, Junior
Throws — Keith Daigneau, Hendricken, Senior
Jumps — Demetris Outland, Central, Junior
Jumps — Ethan McCann-Carter, St. Raphael, Senior
4x200 relay — Central (Adonis Medina, Junior; Saquan Hall, Senior; Gabriel Dosunmu, Senior; Elijah Gardea, Junior)
4x400 relay — Hendricken (Edmund Lok, Senior; Jacob Coates, Junior; Noah French, Sophomore; Elliot Gauvin, Senior)
4x800 relay — Hendricken (Tommy Flanders, Junior; Noah French, Sophomore; Ollie Ide, Sophomore; Anthony Manna, Senior)
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: The 2023 Providence Journal All-State Boys Indoor Track Team
