PROVIDENCE — The East Providence High School boys’ squad tallied 20 points to share seventh place while their female counterparts earned two during the 2013 State Indoor Track and Field Championship Meet held Saturday, Feb. 16, at the Providence Career & Tech Academy Field House.

In the team competition, the Bishop Hendricken boys returned to prominence, regaining the title it lost last year to Chariho by garnering 75 points. The win was the Hawks 25th overall and 17th in the last 18 years. E.P., Cumberland and North Kingstown each scored 20 points to split seventh place in the team standings.

For the girls, LaSalle maintained a share of the state championship for the seventh year in a row, splitting top honors with Classical as each scored 89 points.

Gordon School product Maddy Berkson led Classical to its half of the title, sweeping the distance races and earning 30 points. Berkson won the 3,000 meters (10 minutes, 21.42 seconds), the 1,500 (4:36.23) and the 1,000 (2:58.84).

Bay View shared 12th place in the team standings with 11 points, 10 of those provided by senior standout Erica Johnson’s win in the 600 meters (1:34.49). Johnson became just the second female track athlete in state history to win an event four years running, joining former Chariho star hurdler Mary Serdakowski, who accomplished the feat from 1999 to 2002.

For East Providence, its 4×200 relay team accounted for its points Saturday. Sierra Cunningham, Tayla Carnevale, Haley Martins and Kaitlyn Bellamy clocked a time of 1:50.42, qualifying to compete in the New England Championships in two weeks. The top six finishers in each of the boys’ and girls’ events Saturday advanced to the regional meet.

Boys’ notes

The Townies’ Chris Moura came agonizingly close to claiming an individual state title, though had to settle for third in the long jump.

Moura covered what would have been a winning distance during his final attempt in the long jump, but was deemed to have committed a foot foul less than an inch over the board. The senior’s best attempt of the day was a season-best 21 feet, 9.5 inches. Hendricken’s Lee Moses won the long jump with a distance of 22’2.25.” E.P.’s Josh Rambert finished just behind his teammate in fourth, covering 20’11.”

Junior Ryan Williams was the other Townie to place individually Saturday, running 37.49 to place fourth in the 300. Derek Jackson, of Classical, won the event in 35.66. Williams, Rambert, Moura and Justin Pelletier accounted for the other E.P. points with their third-place run (1:36.66) in the 4×200 relay. Hendricken won the event in 1:33.03.

Of note as well locally, two city residents placed for the LaSalle boys. Freshman standout Jack Salisbury ran a close second (2:35.55) to East Greenwich’s Ben Fazio (2:35.13) in the 1,000-meter final. Senior Adam Rego ran sixth (2:41.18) for the Rams in the 1,500.

Regionals

Regional events take place over the next two weeks, including the New England Throwing Championships Monday night, Feb. 25, at the PCTA Field House starting at 5 o’clock. The main regional meet, the 26th Annual New England High School Indoor Championships, take place Saturday, March 2, at its traditional home, the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston, beginning at 10:30 a.m.

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