The Mt. Hope girls track team placed 12 with 24.20 points during the RI state track championships at Conley Stadium on Saturday.

Sophomore Thea Jackson had a good day in both the track and field events, placing 4th in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.36 seconds and fifth in the 200-meter dash with a time of 25.01. The speedster also placed 4th in the triple jump with a leap of 36 feet, 4.5 inches and 5th in the long jump with a jump of 17 feet, 5.5 inches.

“Thea had exceptional performances in all four of her events,” said head coach Renae Cicchinelli. “I was pleased with how we did overall. It’s always great to end the season on a high note and be able to have the athletes PR after working so hard all season.”

Junior Lola Silva who also played for the girls lacrosse team, placed 6th in the long jump with a leap of 17 feet, 3 inches. On the track, she placed 10th in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 50.55 seconds and placed 15th in the triple jump with a leap of 32 feet, 4.5 inches.

“Lola did very well in the long jump even though she has been battling her shins all season,” Coach Cicchinelli said. “Being able to juggle lacrosse and trying to get rest and recovery in there as well, I think jumping over 17 feet is pretty amazing.”

Freshman Kara Pisasale qualified in three events and placed well at her first state championship meet. She tied for 6th in the pole vault with a jump of 9 feet. Pisasale also placed 14th in the 400-meter run with a time of 1:02.30 and 15th in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:25.97.

“The coaches are very proud of Kara for qualifying in three events in her freshman year and also placing sixth in the pole vault,” Coach Cicchinelli said. “It’s been great having some pole vaulters this year and we are excited to see how she progresses with it.”

Sophomore Jessica Deal placed 7th in the 1500-meter run with a time of 5:07.13. and she started off the girls 800-meter relay team with teammates Sarah Bissonnette, Lucy O’Brien and Evelyn Towers. The Huskies, who were running in their second state meet, placed 15th in the event with a time of 11:03.32.

“Jess podiumed in the 1500 and has really taken a liking to the shorter distance,” said Coach Cicchinelli. “We are hopeful that it will help her gain speed going into the cross country season in the fall.”

“Sarah made the switch to distance this year,” said Coach Cicchinelli. “She has really been excelling there and Evelyn is a freshman and has a lot of potential. I am excited to see what they will do next season.”

Senior Kali Rocha placed 13th in the triple jump with a leap of 33 feet, 02 inches. 

The Huskies boys 4x800 relay team of Tyler Scarborough, Owen Schenck, Gavin Stegall and Jackson Cicchinelli finished 11th with a time of 8:45.15.

Lacrosse team falls to North Smithfield 11-7 in semifinals

The Mt. Hope lacrosse team fell to Smithfield 11-7 in the Division 3 semifinals at North Smithfield on Wednesday night. The Huskies were nipping on the heels of the Northmen, who held a narrow 6-5 lead after three quarters. North Smithfield broke out for 5 goals in the final quarter to end Mt. Hope’s season with a record of 9-7. Charlie Knapman scored 3 goals for Mt. Hope. Aiden Nelson scored 2, Ben Brown and Nate Carpenter each scored 1. Goaltender Ethan Labolita made 13 saves between the pipes in the loss.

Boys volleyball team loses to Juanita Sanchez 3-0 in quarterfinals

The boys volleyball team fell to Juanita Sanchez 3-0 (24-26, 15-25, 21-25) in the Division 3 quarterfinals on Thursday. The Huskies had four set points to win the first set, but were unable to convert.

“That first set was a very hard fought battle, but it was a back-breaker,” said head coach Lisa Lunney. “We had them and we let it get away from us. Volleyball is a game of momentum.” 

“We did some impressive things throughout the match but we struggled to regain momentum after that first set,” she said. “Juanita Sanchez is a talented team but we definitely had our chances.”

The Huskies finished with a 13-4 record and exceeded Coach Lunney’s expectations compared to last year’s 5-9 team.

“I go into every season setting the expectation of winning it all,” she said. “We fell a little short of that goal, but they should be super proud of themselves. I am very proud of the work they did this year. Mt Hope boys volleyball was most definitely a contender. They set a new bar for themselves moving forward.”

Peters shoots 78 at state golf tournament

Mt. Hope sophomore golfer Ben Peters shot a 163 during the state golf tournament at Cranston Country Club on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. Peters made the cut by shooting a first round 78 which left him just six strokes behind leader and eventual winner, Justin Capalbo of Prout, who shot a 72.

Peters unfortunately shot a much tougher second round of 85 on day 2, which placed him tied for 32nd place.

“He’s a lot more confident standing over the ball this year,” said golf coach Nolan Ross. “He’s also been working a lot at the range with Coach Lima and it’s been beneficial.”

Peters started playing the sport at a young age with his dad, Russell, at the par 3 in Bristol. He recently has been playing more at Swansea CC where he has been working on his swing, focus and other nuances of the game.