The East Providence High School indoor track and field teams, as their sport traditionally does, get the 2023-24 winter championships schedule started this weekend when the girls contest the Sullivan Division Meet Saturday morning, Jan. 27, at the Providence Career and Tech Academy Fieldhouse.

The Townies placed third in the just completed dual meet regular season with a 9-2 record behind unbeaten league champ Moses Brown at 11-0. Lincoln was second at 10-1 and Chariho was fourth at 8-3. The Sullivan championship starts at noon.

East Providence would usually enter the division meet as among the favorites considering its dual meet finish, but the Townies will be without several of their and the league's top competitors due other commitments.

Said EPHS head coach Mike Almeida, "We're missing (sprint standouts) Nazarae (Phillip) because she's on a retreat. The Daniel sisters will be in Florida. Keira Mullen (top hurdler and sprinter) and Audrey Lepine have volleyball tournaments...If they were all there we would have an excellent chance to win. We will score on the three relays (4x200, 400 and 800 meters) and Trinity Johnson Carter could score in the hurdles and long."

The EPHS boys, meanwhile, will vie in their Metropolitan Division Championship Meet also at the PCTA Fieldhouse on Tuesday night, Jan. 30, at 5:30 p.m.

The Townies finished their dual meet regular season last week with a 7-3 record, good for fourth place behind unbeaten LaSalle, once-beaten Classical and 8-2 Barrington.

"I’m glad we finished 7-3 and accomplished our first goal of having a winning dual meet season. Now comes the tough part. I’m hoping all three high jumpers can place and one of them can win," said EPHS head coach Bob Lyons.

Lyons was referring to his superb high jumping trio of Cameron Evora, Dylan Slavick and Kenaz Ochogwu. Slavick or Jaidin Ivy could place in long jump. Jack Pawlick and Jietan Ruiz are possibilities to place in the 55 dash. Ivy could also be in the 300 mix as could Nolan Travassos in the 55 hurdles and Gerry Gagnon in the 600.

Added Lyons, "I'm also hoping we can place in all three relays and I'm hoping we improve our standings on the performance list and get some qualifiers for the state meet."

More girls' notes
The EPHS girls' indoor track and field squad split its Sullivan Division dual meets last week, defeating Chariho by a 64-43 score and falling to Lincoln by a 59-50 count at the PCTA Fieldhouse Thursday night, Jan. 18.

Phillip paced East Providence with an individual win in the 55 meter dash in 7.6 seconds and also running a leg of the Townies' winning 4x200 meter relay team along with the Daniel sisters, Kandace and Kendra, and Samantha Clarke in 1:50.39. EP also won the 4x4 relay as Clarke, Kendra Daniel, Keira Mullen and Tatum Santos ran 4:27.05. Kathryn Patalano added the other solo victory for the locals, clocking a 12:48.62 in the 3,000.

The Daniel sisters also ran fifth and sixth in the 55 dash in 8 and 8.07 seconds. The pair was also sixth and seventh in the 300 in 46.36 and 46.74. Phillip was the runner-up in 45.74. Keira Mullen was second in the 55 meter hurdles, running a 9.52. Trinity Johnson-Carter was third in 9.74. Phillip chipped in a third in the high jump, clearing 4 feet, 8 inches. Malia Mullen was seventh at 4'4." Johnson-Carter was fourth in the long jump with a distance of 14'7." Wendy Cabral was EP's top thrower on the evening, placing eighth in the shot put with a toss of 23'2.5."

Up next
The Townies return to action Saturday, Feb. 3, for the Class A Championship Meet at the PCTA Fieldhouse beginning at 9 a.m.