Medway, Mass., native honored for seventh time overall after performance at Holy Cross Invitational
Staley, who has also earned NE-10 Field Athlete of the Week honors once this spring, has now been named the NE-10 Field Rookie of the Week seven times overall during his first indoor and outdoor seasons at Stonehill with this three-straight outdoor awards. He helped the Skyhawks to a third place team finish at the Holy Cross Invitational in Worcester, Mass., on Saturday with a second place finish in the high jump. He cleared 6-feet, 6.75-inches to finish second to teammate Corey Thomas (Brookline, Mass./BC High) for the second-straight week. The duo have swept the top two spots in the event for three-straight events.
Staley won the high jump at the George Davis Invitational on April 7, with a winning height of 6-feet, 8.75-inches, marking the first time Staley placed higher than Thomas head to head in a competition as the former indoor high jump national champion finished third. Staley has provisionally qualified for the NCAA Division II Championships next month in Pueblo, Colo., with his leap of 6-10.75 at the Skyhawk Invitational on April 14 - currently good for 14th nationally in Division II. He has also competed in the long jump and 200-meter dash during his first outdoor season, posting a season-best distance of 20-feet, 5.75-inches to place eighth for the long jump at the Skyhawk Invitational.
Staley earned All-East Region honors from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) following his first collegiate indoor season in the high jump with his season-best leap of 6-feet, 10.25-inches at the Charley Torpey Memorial Invitational that provisionally qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships and finished ranked 17th nationally. He also earned All-New England honors with his fourth place finish at the New England Championships (6-8.25). Staley also posted a pair of first place finishes in the high jump during the indoor season at the Reggie Poyau Invitational (6-8) at Brandeis and Jay Carisella Invitational (6-9.75) at Northeastern to go with two other second place showings.
Stonehill, ranked second in this week's USTFCCCA East Regional rankings index, will split its squad between two events this weekend as the Skyhawks will compete at the historic Penn Relays Thursday through Saturday in Philadelphia, Pa., as well as the Brown Springtime Open in Providence, R.I., on Sunday.