No. 15 Men’s Cross Country Captures Ninth NE10 Championship

Six Skyhawks named to All-Conference teams

WESTFIELD, Mass. (October 22, 2017) – The Stonehill College men's cross country team, ranked 15th in the nation and first in the East Region in the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Association (USTFCCCA) Division II poll, won its ninth Northeast-10 Conference Championship Sunday afternoon at Stanley Park.

The Skyhawks scored 44 points for its ninth conference championship in dominating fashion with six of seven runners finishing in the top 21, making All-Conference teams. Stonehill just merely beat out American International College, as the Yellow Jackets totaled 46 points with four of its runners in the top 21. Southern New Hampshire University finished third with 105 points, while Adelphi University (135 points) and Bentley University (139 points) rounded out the top five teams.

The Stonehill men's cross country team dominated the course Sunday afternoon, placing three runners in the top 10. Stonehill is second in conference history with nine titles, while Bentley University leads the way with 13 titles. The men's squad picked up its last title in 2013 and had taken second place to American International for three-straight years before today. 

Junior Alexander Demeule (Merrimac, Massachusetts/Pentucket Regional) led the team with his first cross country All-Conference first team honor. Demeule finished fifth among the field of 150 competitors with a time of 25:21.24, just under a minute behind of first place. Senior Jimmy Murphy (Mansfield, Massachusetts/Mansfield) finished right behind Demeule with his first All-Conference nod as well, finishing with a time of 25:23.18, good for sixth place.

Junior Lawrence Carney (Lowell, Massachusetts/Lowell) crossed the finish line eighth, for his best mark of his career at the championship and first All-Conference honor. Carney who was named to the second team, clocked in at 25:26.26. Senior Kenny Vinacco (Scituate, Rhode Island/Scituate) and junior Lucas Taxter (Readville, Massachusetts/Xaverian Brothers) joined Carney on the second team, placing 12th and 13th, respectively. Vinacco clocked in at 25:35.99, as Taxter finished with a mark of 25:39.31.

Freshman Kevin Wheelock (Melrose, Massachusetts/Melrose), in his first conference championship appearance, was the last Skyhawk to take home an All-Conference nod, placing 18th with a time of 25:52.64. Junior Christopher Drace (Franklin, New Jersey/Pope John XXIII) was the seventh Purple and White across the finish line tallying the final points for Stonehill, placing 25th with a time of 26:07.45.

Junior Riley Dowd (Peabody, Massachusetts/Peabody Veterans Memorial) took home 29th with a time of 26:14.54, while freshman Jeff Pichie (Burriville, Rhode Island/Burriville) and senior Sam Bradford (Bedford, Massachusetts/Bedford) weren't far behind in 31st and 33rd place, respectively. Pichie finished with a time of 26:20.52, while Bradford clocked in at 26:24.06.

Alex Southiere (Cumberland, Rhode Island/Cumberland) placed 39th with a time of 26:37.89, while John Onken (Holbrook, New York/Sachem North) finished 41st crossing the finish line in 26:40.58. Freshman Sean Conlan (Melrose, Massachusetts/Melrose) ran in his first conference championship finishing 68th with a time of 27:30.04. Sophomore Chris Gendron (Lowell, Massachusetts/Lowell) ran in his second conference championship, placing 76th with a time of 27:52.34.

Stonehill will take some time off, as it prepares for the NCAA Division II East Regional Championship, hosted by Daemen College in Amherst, New York on Saturday, November 4.

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