The Ocean State Invitational, presented by Marathon Sports and HOKA, is considered one of the top cross-country meets in the eastern region.
There’s a reason.
Besides producing a well-organized event, the meet directors of the OSI have consistently drawn the numbers to Warwick’s Goddard State Park with schools from throughout the northeast region and several more from beyond making their way to Rhode Island for the late September meet. This year, a school from California (Long Beach Poly) and Utah (Park City) have booked coast-to-coast flights.
We can’t forget that there’s also the talent that Ocean State yearly attracts.
Take last year’s meet, for example. In the featured Championship races, 24 boys cracked 16 minutes for the fast five-kilometer layout and 17 girls were under 19 minutes. The current course records are held by former Saint Raphael Academy standout Devan Kipyego and multiple national record-holder and North Rockland alum Katelyn Tuohy. In 2022, Kipyego blazed the scenic course in a time of 14 minutes, 57.7 seconds. Tuohy, who would go on to star at North Carolina State, clocked an eye-popping 16:06.87 in 2018. That effort was more than two minutes ahead of her closest pursuer and would have placed her second overall in the boys’ Championship race had she answered the gun there.
Look for the competition to be back again this weekend and fast times to follow. The weather is predicted to be ideal for the two-day meet.
The middle-schoolers kick things off on Friday afternoon with six races being held at Goddard. On Saturday, the high school teams take center stage with Freshmen, Junior Varsity, Varsity and Championship races all take place in precision-like fashion. A total of 16 different races to be exact.
Click HERE for complete entries and more information about this year’s 17th annual event. Remain here for our preview of the top individuals in the featured Championship girls’ race, set to begin at 12:45 p.m. Breaking down the team entries, this race will be represented by states from Massachusetts (9), Rhode Island (2), Connecticut (3), New York (2), New Jersey (1), Vermont (1), California (1) and Utah (1).
Here’s our list…
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Chase Gilbert, Old Lyme (CT) – Gilbert is one of three runners from the Nutmeg State that have a chance at winning on Saturday. As a tenth-grader last year, Gilbert was third in the this race with a time of 17:49.8. She was the Division S champion and also won the Shoreline XC Championships in 2023 with a best of 17:06.50 on a very generous 5K terrain. Gilbert started off her season this year with a bang by taking top honors at the 12th annual Connecticut River Valley Invitational where she clocked a fast, early-season time of 17:43.08. We’re listing Gilbert as one of the favorites this weekend. Where she may hold the edge over her competitors in the closing stages of the race, especially if its a close one. She has 59-second speed for the 400m and is also one of the fastest in the field for the 1,600m/mile with a PR of 4:50.02 for 1,600m.
Tess & Liv Sherry, Conard (CT)- The twin sisters finished among the top 10 last year with Tess placing fourth (17:53.0) and Liv taking eighth (18:18.0). Both siblings have a chance at breaking the tape this weekend, much like their older brother and current Stanford junior Gavin Sherry did in 2021 when he captured the boys’ crown with a then course record of 14:58.6. During the 2023 season, Tess and Liv went 3-4 at the CIAC State Open. Tess was also fourth at the New England’s with a sub-18 performance of 17:58.6, while Liv was ninth in the race with a time of 18:09..94. On the track, the sister duo both broke 4:50 for the mile. Liv got the best of her familiar and friendly rival this past Saturday by winning the Large School race at the Winding Trails XC Invitational in 18:33.52, less than two seconds ahead of Tess. As they often do, look for this talented tandem to work together with hopes of achieving prosperity at the end. A potential 1-2 finish is not too far-fetched.
Aoife Shovlin, Cambridge Rindge & Latin (MA) – Here’s another runner that has a chance at striking it rich this weekend. The Falcons senior is the two-time defending Division 1 champion in MA and also a Foot Locker finalist after placing tenth overall at the Northeast Regionals in 2023. This past weekend, she proved she’s a legit threat to win on Saturday by taking first at the Frank Kelley Invitational in Wrentham with a PR of 17:54.5, an improvement of 40 seconds from her third-place finish a year earlier.
Abbie Tighe, North Kingstown (RI) – As a ninth-grader last fall, the Skippers’ talented underclassmen won the Freshmen Div. 1 race by averaging six-minute mile pace for the 2,.5-mile course with her time of 15:04.2. Tighe would go on to capture the frosh state crown and earn first-team, all-state honors at the RI championships with a seventh-place showing. During the outdoor season, Tighe was a runner-up in the 3K and a bronze medalist in the 1,500m at the State Meet. She’s off to a great start to her fall season so far, twice going under 19 minutes. She won her race at the Injury Fund Carnival on Aug. 31 and in a league meet with South Kingstown and West Warwick last week. Tighe certainly has a chance to finish in the top 10 on a course that’s less than 20 minutes from her school’s campus.
Macey Shriner, Plymouth North (MA) – Two years ago, the Eagles’ runner was seventh in the Championship race. She was 19th in 2023 during a fall campaign where she competed in just four races. When healthy, she has the capabilities to be among the elite in a race like this. Her best performance so far this season is a runner-up finish at the Vineyard X-C invitational on Sept 7 where she was timed in 18:25.8. A little more than a week ago, she won the Ted Dutkiewicz Memorial Invitational.
Mari O’Connell, Marblehead (MA) – O’Connell is the last of four returnees that placed among the top 10 in this race last year, securing the tenth position with a time of 18:28.6. The Marblehead standout would follow that performance just a few weeks later with a third-place finish at the Bob Glennon Twilight Invitational where she clocked 17:48 on the fast 5K layout. She was the Div. 2A victor last fall and a runner-up at the Meet of Champions. Just like last year, this will be O’Connell’s first competition of the season. You know she’s aiming for a hot start to her junior season.
Abby Hennessy, Westford Academy (MA) – At last year’s meet, Hennessey was second overall in the Div. 1 Varsity race where she was timed in 19:07.6. We’re expecting a lot faster that weekend in the featured race of the day. As a tenth-grader in 2023, Hennessey was second at the Div. 1 A meet and third at the Meet of Champions with her 18:40 efforts. Coming off a fantastic outdoor track season where she ran PRs of 2:09 for the 800m and 4:45 for the mile. Hennessey is somebody that can’t be taken lightly on the dirt trails. She could certainly be in the mix this weekend with sub-18 a possibility.
Avery Peck, Long Beach Poly (CA) – With a six-hour flight from the west coast, Peck had the longest journey to get to this weekend’s meet. Don’t ignore her on Saturday. She could make the cross-country trip well worth the time. She recently finished sixth at the Woodbridge X-C Classic where she covered the three-mile course in 17:11.2, 44 seconds faster than her time at the race last year. She boasts best of 10:39 for two miles and 5 minutes for the mile.
