Here's how a track champion has Barrington tennis chasing a three-peat
· Yahoo Sports
SOUTH KINGSTOWN – The most important factor in the 2026 RIIL boys tennis championship could end up being the result of the 600 meters at this year’s indoor track championships.
Henry Stockwell’s biggest goal was to win individual track gold, something the Barrington senior accomplished at this winter’s state meet. That win led him to adjust his plans for the spring, giving the sport he grew up playing a chance and changing the trajectory for the Barrington boys tennis team’s hopes to three-peat as state champions.
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Monday, Stockwell showed off his athleticism and skill that has only gotten better as the season goes on. He cruised to a win at No. 4 singles and helped the Eagles take down South Kingstown, 6-1, to remain in second place in Division I as they get ready to make a run at a title.
“We feel pretty good about where we’re at,” Stockwell said. “… Our coach told us if we lose this one, we drop down to the three seed instead of the two. We definitely knew the important going in and we also know what we’re capable of and wanted to show that.”
Barrington won the last two state titles, but graduated its top two players from last spring’s team that left it with some holes to fill.
The Eagles knew what they had coming back, knew what they had coming up, but got a pleasant surprise with the addition of Stockwell.
Stockwell is a track star and came into his senior indoor season with his eyes on one prize. At the 2026 RIIL Boys Indoor Track and Field Championship, Stockwell achieved it, running the 600 meters in 1:23.26, besting La Salle’s Eamon O’Brien by 1.88 seconds.
That one win changed everything for Stockwell, who decided he wanted to see what he could do on the tennis court, playing a sport he was serious about until he started running track in high school.
Stockwell showed up to a few preseason meetings to express his interest in joining the team. He spoke to both Barrington tennis coach Story Salit and Barrington track coach Bill Barrass and devised a plan for how he could make things work.
“There was some hesitancy, at least from my side, about how that would go,” Salit said. “He’s been the biggest pleasant surprise you can ask for. He never misses practice, he’s been one of our most reliable players on match days and, from a strategic standpoint, having him has saved our season as a contender in a lot of ways.”
Stockwell picked up a racket for the first time days before the season officially started, trying to knock off the rust that’s built over the past four years. He didn’t play as well as he hoped during tryouts, but played well enough to earn a spot in the varsity lineup as a doubles player.
It didn’t take long for Stockwell to work his way up. While everyone chased him in the 600 this winter, he spent the spring chasing the people ahead of him in the ladder. He worked as hard as possible to improve his game on the court, all while doubling workouts to maintain his speed on the track.
“It’s been a roller-coaster,” Stockwell said. “Sometimes you feel really well, almost better than you ever were. The lows are really low and it’s hard to stay consistent, but just through practice I’ve gotten better every week.
“I’ve made a lot of progress from where I was in the beginning of the season and I’m confident I’ll be able to continue to do that.”
“His nickname is Henry ‘Has Potential’ Stockwell and he’s really shown that potential,” Barrington No. 1 Gabe Anderson said. “He came all the way from second doubles all the way at fourth singles. He’s proved his spot on the team and put in a lot.”
Many No. 4 singles matches are a battle of who can make the fewest mistakes, but Stockwell plays with the mentality of a No. 1. Up against South Kingstown’s Prosper Lin, Stockwell showed little interest in sitting back on the baseline to play human backboard.
He ripped forehands. He charged the net. He was the aggressor, from start to finish, and when Lin tried to counter-attack, Stockwell used his elite athleticism to chase down shots.
“I’m not surprised he’s risen that far and this fast because he’s by far the best athlete I’ve ever had on the team,” Salit said. “He has a higher ceiling than a lot of the other guys you get out here.”
It’s been a terrific turnaround season for South Kingstown, which has an 8-4 record, three less wins than it had in the previous three seasons combined. The Rebels – who have players from Exeter-West Greenwich as part of a co-op – were trying to work their way up to the No. 3 spot, but couldn’t match Barrington on Monday.
The Eagles earned their first point with a win from Justin Kuo at No. 2 singles and Stockwell was off with the next point. Anderson gave the Eagles a third and the No. 2 doubles team of Merritt Birbiglia and Andrew Goblick grabbed the fourth point just ahead of the No. 1 team of Carlo Flores and Jason Lu.
“It’s great to get this win at the end of the season,” Anderson said. “… It was really nice to prove to ourselves that we deserve this spot and coming into the playoffs, we have a good chance at winning.”
Barrington has two matches left to close the season, hosting North Kingstown on Wednesday and traveling to play Division II defending champ Prout on Thursday. The Eagles won’t catch East Greenwich for the No. 1 spot, but they’re comfortably ahead of Moses Brown for No. 2.
With losses to both teams – both by 4-3 scores – the Eagles are aware that they have what it takes to win a title but can also be beat on any given day.
“Expectations are still high,” Salit said. “Our goals from the first day were still the same [as the past] – to be playing on the last day.”
If Eamon O’Brien is a little faster, maybe Barrington doesn’t have that chance.
But because Stockwell won gold, he’s now got a chance to get another – and the senior is excited to do what he can to make it happen.
“Just to know that we can win a state championship, that’s probably part of the reason I joined, to be honest,” Stockwell said. “Because I knew I could be playing in some pretty important matches and be a real difference-maker. It’s really fun.”
Barrington 6, South Kingstown 1
SINGLES: Gabe Anderson, B, def. Jonah Plonsky, 6-3, 6-0, SK; Justin Kuo, B, def. Ian Lin, 6-1, 6-0; Connor Meehan, B, def. Jayce Plonsky, 6-2, 7-5; Henry Stockwell, B, def. Prosper Lin, SK, 6-1, 6-3.
DOUBLES: Carlo Flores/Jason Lu, B, def. Jeff Hill/Ronan Ray, 6-4, 6-4; Merritt Birbiglia/Andrew Goblick, B, def. Owen Kostarides/Miles Licht, SK, 7-5, 6-2; Wrigley Crocker/Ethan Lepine, B, def. Ian Grden/Kai Schneider, SK, 6-1, 6-3.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Score from Barrington at South Kingstown boys tennis on Monday May 11