Senior Alison Pankowicz headlined Titan performances at the Providence Career and Technical Academy on February 17 at the RIIL Indoor Championships. She won her first State Title in her 4-year career as an indoor track athlete with her finish of 3:00.97 in the 1000 meters, a personal record for her, and Toll Gate’s first champion since Erika Pena won the 55m Hurdles in 2015. Pankowicz is the first female Toll Gate athlete in history to win the 1000 meters. In one of the most exciting races of the meet, Pankowicz pulled away from the rest of the field with 200 meters to go and outkicked Pilgrim’s Keaney Bayha and St. Raphael’s Rory Sullivan for a decisive victory. The University of Rhode Island commit looks to carry her success into the outdoor season, which kicked off on April 1. The Outdoor State Meet will be held at Bryant University on June 1st, where Pankowicz is already considered a favorite in the 1500 meters.
Pankowicz was joined by sophomore Vanessa Jones at the Girls State Meet. Jones competed in the Weight Throw, where she threw 46-04 feet for an impressive 4th-place finish and was the first sophomore. The Titans placed 14th with 15 points overall. On the boy’s side, sophomore Kevin Barker placed 7th in the high jump, jumping 6 feet. Seniors Mason Tanner and Jamie Luna placed 14th and 17th respectively in the the 55m Dash. In the 4x200m relay, Mason Tanner, Jamie Luna, Trevor DiPanni, and Rhontahn Vega ran a PR of 1:35.44, and their 5th-place finish earned them a spot at the New England Championships in Boston. The same 4 athletes placed 10th in the 4x400m relay. In the 4x800m relay, Rhontahn Vega was joined by juniors Ryan Brady, John Maynard, and Joshua Maynard to place 8th with a PR of 8:40.70. The Titans had their most successful regular season since 2017, finishing 8-1, and placed 21st overall at the State Meet.
