Standout performances were the order of the day for a number of indoor track and field athletes with ties to South County in the opening weeks of the season, with those efforts providing a base for potential improvement later in the campaign.
North Kingstown alum Liam McGovern kicked off his winter in style by winning the weight throw at a tri-meet held at the University of Rhode Island on Dec. 5, doing so while representing New Hampshire.
His best attempt of 19.79 meters enabled the former Skipper to spearhead a Wildcat sweep of the podium in the event, out-distancing teammates Yoofi Abaka-Amuah and Jack Washam to take out top honors.
It was one of three victories achieved by the UNH squad in a tightly contested meet that saw the Wildcats finish in third spot with 89 points, just two behind runners-up Stonehill and also within reach of the 96 posted by the host Rams.
The next day was Narragansett graduate Abigail Philbin’s turn to showcase her prowess inside the throwing circle, twice etching her name into the upper reaches of the Franklin Pierce record book at the Springfield Season Opener.
A 15.11-meter heave in the weight throw from the ex-Mariner is now good enough for third best in program history, which also resulted in a third-place outcome for the sophomore as part of a trio of Ravens to fall inside the top five.
Philbin then switched her focus to the shot put, unleashing the sixth-furthest toss in Franklin Pierce annals to nab second position among a field of 22 competitors, mustering an effort of 11.49 meters in the process.
Not to be outdone, Sierra Thompson showed off her versatility when the South Kingstown product made her season debut for Sacred Heart on Dec. 4 at the University of Rhode Island Pentathlon, securing a second-place finish.
Top threes in the long jump, high jump and 60-meter hurdles were key contributions towards the ex-Rebel’s final total of 3,674 points, which also led to her selection as the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference’s field athlete of the week.
More recently, Thompson set a new Pioneer standard in the 300 meters at Friday’s Wagner Seahawk Shootout on Staten Island, flirting with the 40-second barrier but falling just shy with a time of 40.04 seconds.
Now in the midst of a break from competition, McGovern, Philbin and Thompson will return in the new year by taking part in separate meets, with the latter scheduled to resume her campaign first on Jan. 10 at the West Point Open.
South Kingstown alum Brody Shiels ran the opening leg of Rhode Island College’s victorious 4×400 meter relay at the Elm City Challenge held in New Haven last Saturday, clocking a split of 54.26 seconds en route to the Anchormen quartet breaking the tape with a time of three minutes, 32.35 seconds.
Loomis Chaffee graduate and South Kingstown native Leila Fournier racked up 23 saves in Assumption’s 5-0 blanking of Saint Michael’s on Nov. 15 to snag her first collegiate women’s hockey triumph and shutout.
Former Skipper Landon Bodington has suited up for Johnson & Wales men’s basketball in 10 contests thus far, compiling averages of 20.2 minutes and 4.1 points per game for the Wildcats.
