Thomas, DMR Post All-America Performances at NCAA Championships


Thomas earned his third-straight All-America honors for the indoor high jump on Friday night. (PHOTO BY Brian Gaus)

Thomas places third in high jump defense, Skyhawks sixth in DMR

MANKATO, Minn. (March 10, 2012) – Stonehill College junior Corey Thomas (Brookline, Mass./BC High) and its 4000-meter distance medley relay team both posted All-America performances as the Skyhawks wrapped up their indoor season at the 2012 NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships, hosted by Minnesota State University, Mankato at Myers Fieldhouse on Friday night.

Thomas collected All-America honors for the third-straight year in the high jump, despite falling short in his defense of his 2011 NCAA national championship for this event. He took home third place on Friday by clearing 7-feet, 0.25-inches before missing on his three attempts at 7-01.25. It marks the third-straight year he has earned All-America honors for the indoor high jump, bringing his career All-America totals up to six with his two outdoor high jump honors as well as one for the 60-meter high hurdles in 2011. Thomas was leading after the 7-0.25 height, having cleared each progression to that point before his three-straight misses at his final height.


Junior Sean Hanlon earned his second-straight All-America award for the DMR. (PHOTO BY Brian Gaus)

2010 indoor high jump champion Christopher Copeland, a senior from Saint Augustine University won the event for a second time by clearing 7-3.00, with Western State University junior Oliver Harsanyi, who cleared a Division II-high 7-5.00 earlier this winter, taking second at 7-1.25.

Stonehill collected All-America honors for the second-straight year and fifth time over the last six seasons in the 4000-meter distance medley relay. The Skyhawks placed sixth in the event and third out of the four Northeast-10 members in the race with their time of 10:04.69. Junior Sean Hanlon (Georgetown, Mass./St. John's Prep), the lone returning member of the 2011 DMR team ran the 800-meter third leg to collect All-America honors for the second-straight year, while sophomore Justin Blaszczyk (Saint James, N.Y./Smithtown) ran the opening 1200-meter leg, freshman Patrick Cooney (Douglaston, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) the 400-meter second leg and then freshman Daniel Zawalich (Paxton, Mass./St. John's) on the anchor mile leg to all earn their first All-America honors.

Augustana (S.D.) University won the event in 9:49.06, with fellow NE-10 member Southern Connecticut State University second in 9:55.34. The University of Massachusetts Lowell took fifth in 10:02.87 to finish just ahead of Stonehill. 

Thomas placed 13th overall in the 60-meter hurdles preliminaries on Friday with his time of 8.10-seconds, just 0.04 shy of his own school record and 0.14 off the pace needed qualify for Saturday night's final. Grand Canyon University senior Tyler Sipes posted the fastest qualifying time at 7.77-seconds.

Stonehill, who sits in sixth place in the team standings after day one of the NCAA Championships with nine points, is back in action on March 30-31, when it opens the outdoor season at the Raleigh Relays, hosted by NC State University, from March 30-31, with some competing at the University of Connecticut's All-Connecticut Championships on March 31.


Stonehill's 2012 Indoor All-Americans (l-r): Freshman Daniel Zawalich (DMR), sophomore Justin Blaszczyk (DMR), junior Corey Thomas (high jump), freshman Patrick Cooney (DMR), junior Sean Hanlon (DMR) and junior Samuel Spencer (DMR-alt.)