PORTSMOUTH — Sean Gray had one goal when he stepped onto the track Saturday at the Rhode Island outdoor track and field state championships.

The Portsmouth High School senior planned to take the lead immediately and chase the state record in the boys 3,000 meters.

Mission accomplished.

Gray led from the opening strides and never looked back, winning his third consecutive state title in the event while setting a new Rhode Island state meet and state record of 8 minutes, 18.90 seconds at Brown University.

“I was trying to go for the state record,” Gray said after the race. “I might have been able to go a little faster, but racing it solo today was a little bit challenging. I think I could have run around 8:10, 8:15 if I had someone with me in the race today.”

Most of the top competitors had already raced the 1,500 meters earlier in the day, leaving Gray largely alone at the front of the pack.

“They came into this race tired,” he said.

The performance capped an already memorable weekend for Gray, who graduated with Portsmouth High’s Class of 2026 the night before.

“I stuck around for some pictures,” he said. “I did not have a cigar, but held one in spirit. Got out of there, had a carb-loaded dinner and headed to bed as soon as I could to get ready for the race today.”

The victory also made history. According to Portsmouth coach Shaun Hogan, Gray became the first Rhode Island boy to win the 3,000-meter state championship three times.

“Sean opted to just run the 3000 just a day before the state meet,” Hogan said. “The plan had been to try to win both 1,500 and 3,000, but weather for Saturday was going to be high 80s and would certainly affect his ability to race the double effectively.”

Gray’s dominant victory helped lead Portsmouth’s boys team to fourth place overall with 31 points. The girls team finished 12th with 21 points.

Other standout performances

Portsmouth’s success extended well beyond Gray.

Junior Shane Rogers produced one of the biggest surprises of the meet. Entering the boys 100-meter dash ranked 16th, Rogers surged to third place and earned All-State honors. His preliminary-round time of 10.92 seconds established a new Portsmouth school record for a fully automatic-timed 100 meters.

Rogers also exceeded expectations in the 200 meters, moving from 14th in the rankings to fifth place with a personal-best time of 22.47 seconds. He added a 10th-place finish in the high jump after clearing 6 feet and later ran the opening leg of Portsmouth’s 4x400 relay.

Gavin Howley also scored for the Patriots, placing fifth in the 100 meters after posting a season-best 11.03 in the trials.

For the girls, Lucy Tate delivered a memorable performance in the long jump. After fouling on her first two attempts in the preliminary round, she needed a legal jump on her final try simply to advance.

“She came through on her last trial attempt to move into second place overall,” Hogan said. “It was a little nerve-wracking for everyone watching, but she didn’t seem phased.”

Tate then produced an 11-inch personal best in the finals to secure second place behind defending champion Thea Jackson. She also finished sixth in the 300-meter hurdles with another personal best, qualifying for the New England championships despite competing in her first season as a hurdler.

Tate later anchored Portsmouth’s 4x400 relay team, joining Lexi Owen, Sienna Adams and Meg Adams. The quartet recorded the fourth-fastest time of the day, narrowly missing All-State honors and finishing just two seconds shy of the school record.

Sienna Adams placed sixth in the girls 1,500 meters with a personal-best 4:47.44, while twin sister Meg Adams finished seventh in 4:49.52.

Other Portsmouth scorers included Patrick Orbon, who placed fifth in the boys 3,000 meters in 8:49.78, and senior Steve Harvey, who closed out his career with a seventh-place finish in the shot put at 47 feet, 9¾ inches.