The indoor track and field and gymnastics meets kick off the 2025 Rhode Island Interscholastic League's winter sports state championship events as each contest their most important meets of the season Saturday, Feb. 15, and Sunday, Feb. 16.

Indoor track states take place at the sport's home base the Providence Career and Tech Academy Fieldhouse beginning Saturday morning. The team, February 15, and individual, February 16, gymnastics competitions are set for Rhode Island College's Murray Center.

More gymnastics notes
The Mt. Hope High gymnastics team, unfortunately, didn't qualify for that portion of the state event, but three Huskies will travel to RIC Sunday, Feb. 16, for the Midge Palmer Individual State Meet led by sophomore standout Kara Pisasale.

After finishing 11th all-around at states a year ago, Pisasale has consistently earned totals this winter that would place her among the Rhode Island's top tumblers.

In fact, Pisasale enters the Palmer meet in a tightly-bunched group atop the regular season all-around rankings.

LaSalle's Lauren Horrigan finished the dual meet schedule with the best average, 35.95, followed by Barrington's Sophie Dunham, 35.58, Pisasale 35.56, Cranston West's Gianna Desmarais 35.53 and Burrillville's Riley Allen 35.47.

She's joined at states by two freshmen mates, Charlotte Piper and Madeline Rozea. Piper just missed qualifying to compete all-around during her fine first-year effort. She'll participate on vault, beam and floor. Rozea emerged late in the season after recovering from injury earlier in the winter to qualify on bars.

Rozea and a hearty group of Huskies competed the previous weekend in the Rhode Island Gymnastics Coaches Association junior varsity state meet held Sunday, Feb. 9, at the New Generation Academy in West Kingston. Rozea was the only all-arounder on the day, finishing with a 31.9 total.

Cassidy Areia, Isabella Brando, Evalina Minella, Madeleine St. Pierre, Reese Rybak and Sarah Sustakowsky joined Rozea at the meet.

No MHHS athlete placed in the six scoring positions on any apparatus. Rozea and Rybak each earned 8.35s on vault. Areia got an 8.3 and Minella an 8.2. Rozea earned a 7.8 on bars and a 7.75 on beam. Also on bars, Minella was scored at 7.5 and Sustakowsky a 7. On beam, Rozea received a 7.75 on beam, St. Pierre and Brando 7.6s, Rybak a 7.5, Sustakowsky a 7 and Areia a 6.9. Sustakowsky and Rozea earned 8s on floor. Minella got a 7.9 and Brando a 7.5.

Indoor track notes
Some Mt. Hope High School indoor track and field athletes continued their preparation for the upcoming 2025 varsity state championship meet by participating in their respective junior varsity competitions held the fieldhouse earlier in the week.

On Tuesday, Feb. 11, three Huskies placed in the boys' competition. Andy Charest clocked a time of 2 minutes, 57.6 seconds to finish third in the 1,000 meters. Vlad Horvatic of Barrington won the event in 2:55.76 followed by Portsmouth's Jack Marston in second with a 2:56.65

Mt. Hope's Jackson Cicchinelli ran fourth in the 1,500 with his 4:30.13. Chariho's Leo Haxton was the winner in 4:26.41 with East Greenwich's Jeremiah Moon the runner-up in 4:28.75 and Hendricken's Justin Stockford third in 4:29.

Of note as well for the locals, Gavin Stegall ran seventh in the 600 with a time of 1:32.52. Conor Johnson of Lincoln High won the event in 1:30.01.

At girls' JV states held the previous evening, February 10, the Mt. Hope quartet of Sarah Bissonnette Chloe Questel, Kyleigh Durette and Avery Walsh turned in the lone scoring performance with their sixth-place time (13:00.19) in the 4x800 meter relay. The Barrington entry won the event in 11:16.5.

Indoor varsity states
As for the 2025 Interscholastic League's state meet set to take place Saturday at the fieldhouse, Mt. Hope will have a small, but strong contingent vying in the girls' competition that gets the day going at 9:30 a.m.

Thea Jackson (55 dash, 55 hurdles and long jump), Lola Silva (55 hurdles and long jump) and Jessica Deal (3,000 meters) are all among the contenders in their respective events. Jackson is a threat to either win or place near the top of all three of her events, though, like Silva in both of her's, she must contend with nationally-ranked West Warwick superstar Lisa Raye.

On the boys' side, their meet beginning at 2 p.m., the foursome of Cicchinelli, Stegall, Charest and Tyler Scarborough seem set to have qualified to run in the 4x8 relay.