Men’s Cross Country Earns Fourth-Straight USTFCCCA All-Academic Team Award

Three Skyhawks collect individual All-Academic accolades

Santo

Demeule

Dowd

EASTON, Mass. (February 10, 2017) – The Stonehill College men's cross country team has earned All-Academic honors for the 2016 season from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), while three Skyhawks collected individual All-Academic accolades.

Senior Joe Santo (Newburyport, Mass./Newburyport) and sophomores Alexander Demeule (Merrimac, Mass./Pentucket Regional) and Riley Dowd (Peabody, Mass./Peabody Veterans Memorial) were recognized for posting a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 or higher while also finishing among the top-30 percent of total eligible runners at the regional championship or in the top half of the field at the NCAA Championships.

Stonehill was among 115 men's NCAA Division II teams to earn All-Academic honors from the USTFCCCA. To qualify for this award, programs must have compiled a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher and scored at their NCAA regional meet. The Skyhawks placed second at the Northeast-10 Conference Championship for the third-straight year in a row in late October, before grabbing their seventh runner-up mark at the East Region Championship and capping the 2016 season with their 14th-consecutive appearance at the NCAA DII Championships. Academically, Stonehill registered a 3.03 cumulative GPA through the fall semester.

Santo received his first USTFCCCA All-Academic Honor this year after finishing third overall at the Skyhawk Invitational, 23rd at the NE10 Championship, 15th at the NCAA Division II East Regional and 154th at the NCAA Championship. The senior has been named to the NE10 Commissioner's Honor Roll four semesters and the Athletic Director's Honor Roll for two semesters. He has also been recognized on the All-East Region team during his senior and sophomore years, while also being tabbed on the NE10 All-Conference second team his sophomore year.

Demeule also received his first USTFCCCA All-Academic accolade as he posted two top-20 finishes this season. He finished 19th at the NE10 Championship and 15th at the NCAA Division II East Regional Championship with a personal best time of 32.14.8 in the 10-kilometer race. The sophomore was tabbed on the All-East Region team for his first honor this year, while also being named on the NE10 All-Conference third team, also for his first recognition. The Merrimac, Massachusetts native was tabbed on the NE10 Commissioner's Honor Roll for two semesters.

Rounding out Stonehill's three USTFCCCA All-Academic performers for the 2016 season is Dowd who posted three top-20 finishes this season with two personal best times. The sophomore finished 20th at the Skyhawk Invitational, 11th at the NE10 Championship and 10th at the NCAA Division II East Regional Championship. He posted his best 10-kilometer race time at the East Regional clocking in at 32:06.9 and his best eight-kilometer race time at the Paul Short Invitational with a time of 25:44. This season, Dowd also received his first NCAA All-East Region team honor and NE10 All-Conference second team recognition.

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