Who are the potential stars of boys outdoor track and field? 10 athletes to watch this spring
Hendricken won its 27th overall boys outdoor track and field title last year and fourth in the last five seasons.
Can anyone unseat the Hawks this spring? The Barrington boys captured their first indoor title just a few weeks ago with a balanced team that earned 97.5 points despite having just one first-place finisher. The Eagles topped second place La Salle (64.5), followed by Hendricken (57).
If Barrington can pull off the track and field sweep, it would be the first public school to win the outdoor crown since Central in 2017.
We kept the athletes to watch to 10, as we do with these season previews for each sport, but with 19 outdoor events, there’s plenty of stars to see. We didn’t even add the relay pairings, which Central (4x100), Hendricken (4x400) and St. Raphael (4x800) will look to defend. And we balanced track vs. field events with four athletes to watch away from the rubber.
(Athletes listed in alphabetical order)
Aidan Bienvenue
Senior, North Smithfield
A standout soccer player for the Northmen is also a track star. Bienvenue won the 300 hurdles last year and took second in the 110-meter event. The senior also took third in the 55 hurdles just a few weeks ago at the indoor championships.
Damon Buchanan
Senior, Hendricken
Buchanan won the javelin title (169-2) by nearly two feet for Hendricken and could be the favorite to repeat in the event. The throwing contributions for Hendricken added to its overall score of 113 points.
Carson Dean
Junior, Hendricken
You’ll have to look to the sky to find this Hawk. Dean won the pole vault gold last spring and was the only athlete to clear 12 feet as Hendricken beat second place La Salle by 36 points. Dean finished tied for ninth at the New England Championships in the event.
Konny Ezeama
Senior, Smithfield
Maybe last year’s best championship performance came from the now senior. Ezeama dusted the triple-jump field by almost a foot with a winning distance of 43 feet, 3¼ inches.
Ethan Knight
Senior, Barrington
Knight edged Bienvenue in the 110-meter hurdles by a hair last spring (15.02 to 15.12). He also won the 55 hurdles in the winter as Barrington won its first boys indoor track and field championship.
Demetrius Outland
Senior, Central
Outland won the 2023 outdoor and the recent indoor high jump titles with the same height — 6 feet, 4 inches. Despite winning, he was trying to clear 6-6 in the winter. Can he hit that mark this spring and is there anyone that can take his championship hardware?
Alonso Parker-Sharpe
Senior, Cranston West
The speedster was on the doorstep of first-place finishes last season. Second in the 100 (11.41) and third in the 200 (23.10). Parker-Sharpe’s championship hopes should be high entering the spring season.
Eli Sposato
Senior, Chariho
The Chargers’ superstar has the school record in the 400 and won the event in 2023 (50.09). He also finished 14th in the 400 at the New England Championships. Just a few weeks ago, he also took gold in the 300 meters.
Marshall Vernon
Sophomore, La Salle
Vernon took seventh in the 3,000 last spring. But he’s not on this list for what he did last year. At the indoor championship, he was a first-time winner in the 1,500 and 3,000 (and fourth in the 1,000). Will that success continue this spring?
Xavier Wilkens
Senior, Hendricken
Wilkens handled the sprint events for the Hawks last spring and finished first in the 200 meters (22.46) and snagged fifth in the 100. The senior also finished seventh at the New England Championships last year in the 200.
jrousseau@providencejournal.com
On X: @ByJacobRousseau
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Ten outdoor track and field boys athletes to watch this spring
