Nehemiah Oyanrobi of #Trinity High School competes in the 55 meters at the New England Interscholastic Indoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday at the Reggie Lewis Center in Roxbury.@andrewsylvia @ManchInkLink pic.twitter.com/USmi5RQDN5
— Bill Gilman (@bgilman66) March 3, 2024
BOSTON, MA — Central High senior Harriet Barber capped an exceptional season by placing second in the 300m at the New England Interscholastic Indoor Track and Field Championships, Saturday at the Reggie Lewis Center.
It took an historic effort by a Rhode Island phenom to keep Barber off the top spot on the medals podium.
Barber, the New Hampshire State champ, engaged in a breathtaking duel with Lisa Raye, a sophomore from West Warwick, RI. Barber and Raye had come into the event as co-top seeds, each with a best time this winter of 39.59. But it was quickly apparent those times would be left in the dust.
Raye would win the showdown, holding off Barber and crossing the line in 38.74. Not only was her time a personal record but it was also good for 15th best time among high school runners in 2024. Barber was second in 39.11. While not a personal record, it was her best time this season and good for 20th in the USA in 2024.
Harriett Barber of @chslittlegreen competes in the preliminaries of the 55 meters at the New England Interscholastic Indoor Track and Field Championships at the Reggie Lewis Center in Roxbury.@andrewsylvia @ManchInkLink pic.twitter.com/fLZ48TnjsU
— Bill Gilman (@bgilman66) March 3, 2024
Breanna Braham of Dennis-Yarmouth (MA) was third, in 39.62, followed by Raye’s sister, junior Xenia Raye, in 39.63.
Her in in the 300 capped off a double victory for Lisa Raye. Earlier in the afternoon, Raye won the 55m in 6.82 seconds. Her winning time set a new meet record and was 5th best in the USA in 2024. Coming in second was Xenia Raye, in 6.95.
Barber also competed in the 55m prelims but her time of 7.33 was not good enough to make finals.
Manchester was also represented at the New Englands Chase Burris of Memorial, Eshaya Lauder of West and Nehemiah Oyaronbi and Rere Edokpolo of Trinity.
Burris, a junior, placed 7th in the long jump with a best leap of 21-06.00. Edokpolo, a junior, also competed in the long jump but fouled on each attempt.
Chase Burris of @athleticsMMHS competes in the long jump at the New England Interscholastic Indoor Track and Field Championships. Burris would place 7th.@andrewsylvia @ManchInkLink pic.twitter.com/HtF1f4oRpJ
— Bill Gilman (@bgilman66) March 3, 2024
Lauder, a junior placed 9th in the girls long jump with a best leap of 17-03.5.
Oyaronbi, a senior, placed 10th in the 55m prelims in a time of 6.56 seconds. He just missed qualifying for the finals by two one-hundreths of a second.
