Woonsocket throwers named All-Americans
Paskanik, Cote, Kurowski impress at Hershey Junior Olympics
WOONSOCKET – Marc Piette hasn’t had the chance to organize his own youth track and field club yet, as he’s been too busy mentoring the boys’ and girls’ throwers with the Woonsocket High indoor and outdoor squads, and caring for his young family.
But after watching most of the eight individuals excel at the Hershey/USATF National Junior Olympics in Lawrence, Kan. the week of July 24-30, he says it’s just a matter of time.
Three kids – including Derin Paskanik, Dilyn Cote and Katrina Kurowski, all Piette products with the Villa Novans – earned topeight placements, thus qualifying them as All-Americans.
“We flew into and stayed in Kansas City, which is about a 45-minute drive from Lawrence, and spent almost a week there,” he stated. “As a whole, it was a pretty solid collective outing. I was anticipating we’d land four or five All-American performances, and we only had three.
“My overall assessment is Derin, Katrina and Isabella (Piette) all had PRs in their events, and we had three gain All-American status, so that equals a very successful trip.”
Because the eight youngsters don’t represent a youth team per se, they competed as “unattached” athletes at Rock Chalk Park, the training and competition site not far from the University of Kansas campus.
Paskanik, a WHS junior-to-be, finished second in the boys’ 15-16 age division hammer throw with a spectacular heave of 178-5.
“He lost by just four inches to a kid from Massapequa, N.Y., Joe Ryan, but it was his best-ever distance by 14 inches,” Piette stated. “His previous best came at the Classical Classic way back in April. For Derin, it was easily his best meet of the year, including high school. He had a lifetime-best throw, but it was also his best series (of three).
“His family travels for most of the summer, so he had very limited practice time, but for him to register those distances, it was pretty impressive.”
Kurowski placed fourth in the girls’ 17-18 category hammer with a best-ever heave of 150-0, just two feet, eight inches behind third-place Shannah Mallett of Georgia. In a preliminary round, Kurowski achieved a PR of 148-1, besting her previous mark by five feet, one inch.
“Katrina is very dedicated; she works so hard,” Piette acknowledged. “I’ve been reminding her constantly that if she continued to work hard, the distance would come, and it did again. She actually finished fourth in the Emerging Elite division at the New Balance Interscholastic Outdoor Championships in Greensboro (N.C.) in June. That means, in the span of less than two months, she’s improved seven feet, four inches. “That’s outstanding.” Cote, who just graduated from Woonsocket, captured fourth overall in the boys’ 17-18 hammer with a toss of 192-8, far off his life timebest, while junior-to-be Marissa Henley took 11th in the girls’ 17-18 HT (136-6); classmate Gabriela Ribeiro 15th in the girls’ 15-16 hammer (112-7) and 40th in the discus (87-10); and Bridget Damon 18th in the 15–16 division hammer (108-8).
“Bridget has been battling a back injury, so that was an ‘OK’ throw for her,” Piette said.
In the boys’ 17-18 400 meters, WHS junior Hezekiah Adeyeye took 47th in 51.30; and Johnathan Upshur, entering his senior campaign with the Novans, failed to clear the opening height of 5-10 ¾ in the boys’ 17-17 high jump.
“That was surprising because Johnathan had a great meet at the Region I Championships at Fitchburg (Mass.) State; he jumped 6-6, which was a PR by four inches,” Piette stated.
Last but certainly not least, Isabella Piette, who will enter the fifth grade at Bernon Heights Elementary School come September, competed in the girls’ 9-10 shot put and javelin. In the former, she mus- tered 26th of 47 with a PR throw of 19-6 ¾, but had been seeded 33rd.
As for the 300-gram spear, she achieved a distance of 49-10.
“It was a beautiful facility,” Coach Piette noted. “It’s always good to see a new place, compete in a collegiate setting. A lot of these kids have dreams of competing in college. I actually had one girl, Gabriela, ask me if I could help her get into Kansas; that’s how impressed she was by the stadium.
“When she asked me, she had just finished the hammer,” he added with a chuckle. “I just said, ‘When it comes time, heck, yeah, I’ll help you.’”