Choquette, DaVeiga finally win titles at Brown
jbaker@pawtuckettimes.com
PROVIDENCE – It was obvious from the reaction upon crossing the finish line how much this meant to Cumberland High senior phenom Chris Choquette.
He had just put every fiber of strength and every ounce of his energy into sprinting his trademark 110-meter high hurdles, and once he reached the end, he sensed victory. He immediately lifted his face to the skies and thrust his index finger into the air while photographers snapped photos and hundreds of fans in the Brown Stadium stands at these R.I. Interscholastic Outdoor Championships screamed their approval.
That’s right, Chris. You’re the newest 110 hurdles state champion.
For the record, he wasn’t alone. Central Falls High sophomore Leonardo DaVeiga collected the 200-meter dash crown with a blistering time of 22.35 seconds.
“It’s phenomenal; it’s my first-ever outdoor title, and it’s about time,” Choquette grinned while trudging toward the water table for some celebratory ice water on Saturday afternoon. “I’ve been waiting for this for such a long time.
“When I woke up, I felt (Saturday) was for me; it was all about having fun, having a blast,” he added. “I wanted to see all of my friends in the track community do well. We have a group, an organization we call RISE (an acronym for Rhode Island Somewhat Elite), and it’s for anyone who’s pretty good or at the top in the state in track.
“We get together and socialize, talk about track and our goals and try to lift each other up, get each other more motivated. I love being part of this track community.”
With that being said, he had to scamper off to take part in the triple jump.
Truth be told, Choquette didn’t have the complete day he had hoped for, but he was plenty excited about the 110 triumph. He also took seventh in the long jump (20-8), 13th in the triple jump (39-6 ½) and 14th in the 300 low hurdles (43.82).
“We’re thrilled Chris could get an outdoor title; we thought he was deserving after winning two indoor championships (in the 55 high hurdles),” coach Josh Lima stated. “In the 300, he said his legs gave out on him down the final straightaway, so he shut it down.”
The good news for the Clippers: Sophomore Noah Kell managed fifth in the same race Choquette won (15.87), and senior Mark Coppolino took sixth in the hammer (193-2).
“It wasn’t a bad day for us,” Lima acknowledged. “We knew coming in it would be tough for some of our athletes to place in the top six, but we had a lot of strong performances. Noah had a great preliminary and final, and Mark broke 190 (feet), which is huge for him. We had a lot of kids with PRs.”
As for DaVeiga, he bested North Kingstown senior Andrew Whitney by 23- hundredths of a second, and – like Choquette – seemed to know right away he had reigned.
“I’ve never won a state title before, and it feels so great,” he said after confirmation came in from the PA announcer. “I’m relieved, but you know what? There’s going to be even more pressure when I come back next year.
“I thought I felt good; I woke up this morning with more energy than I thought I’d have, and I came out strong,” he continued. “I nailed my start, which for me is unusual, and I was able to maintain my speed throughout the race.”
He explained he chose to scratch himself out of the 100 dash about three days before the states and the reasoning behind it.
“I just felt the 200 was a better event for me and I had a better chance to win,” he stated. “I told our coach (Elliott Butcher) that I wanted to do that, and he was fine with it. He knew I was stronger in the 200.”
When asked if he could believe the triumph, he grinned ear-to-ear, “Absolutely, because I worked for this.”
North Smithfield junior Xavier Croteau didn’t win an individual event, but he wasn’t about to complain after landing fourth in the 100 dash (11.07) and sixth in the 200 (22.71).
“I have no idea what my time was, but it feels incredible to finish fourth (in the 100),” he laughed. “Last year, I was bummed out because I finished 12th in the 1 and 10th in the 2, but – with these places – now I’m going to the New Englands (at the University of New Hampshire next Saturday), and that was my primary goal coming in.
“I wanted to place in the top 10 in the 100, but fourth is icing on the cake,” he added. “In the 200, my PR was 23.03, so I’m elated with 22.71. I did the 23.03 last week at the Hendricken Invitational, so I had a feeling I’d have a good day. I can’t believe it; I’m under 23 for the first time. That’s been my goal all season.”