#25 Stonehill Strong in Two Events on Busy Saturday


Senior All-American Corey Thomas won the high jump again this week with a height of 7-feet, 0.25-inches. (PHOTO BY Richard Orr)

Skyhawks post impressive third place finish at URI Coaches' Tribute Meet
Skyhawks dominate 5000-meter run at Tufts Stampede

EASTON, Mass. (February 2, 2013) – The Stonehill College men's track & field program, ranked 25th in this week's U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division II ratings index, posted impressive showings at two events on Saturday. The Skyhawks placed third at the URI Coaches' Tribute Meet, hosted by the University of Rhode Island's Mackal Fieldhouse, and also placed 14th while competing in just one event at the Tufts University Stampede, at Gantcher Athletic Center in Medford, Mass.

Stonehill posted 69.50 points at Rhode Island to place third behind just host URI who won with 193 points and second place University of New Hampshire with 83.50. Fordham University (62.50 points) and rival UMass Lowell (58.50) rounded out the top five.

Stonehill dominated the 5000-meter run at the Tufts Stampede, taking four of the top seven spots and placing six runners in the top 12, to compile 17 points in just that event alone to place 14th in the team standings. Senior Ethan Penney (Haverhill, Mass./Haverhill) led the Skyhawks with a second place finish in 15:19.48. Sophomore Bryan Wilcox (Plantsville, Conn./Southington) finished fifth in 15:33.17, while junior Stephen Leonard (Chatham, N.J./Chatham) took sixth in 15:40.48 and junior Paul Cina (Pembroke, Mass./Pembroke) placed seventh in 15:41.34.


Senior Ethan Penney led Stonehill's contingent in the 5000-meter run at Tufts. (PHOTO BY Richard Orr)

At Rhode Island, senior All-American Corey Thomas (Brookline, Mass./BC High) turned in Stonehill's lone event win on the day with his first place finish in the high jump. He cleared seven-feet for the second straight week with his height of 7-feet, 00.25-inches. Sophomore Nick Staley (Medway, Mass./BC High) took second place in the event with a height of 6-10.25.

Senior Luke Byrnes (Glen Head, N.Y./Chaminade) tied for second place in the pole vault with his height of 14-feet, 9-inches.

Senior Tim Johnson (Thomaston, Conn./Thomaston) and sophomore All-American Daniel Zawalich (Paxton, Mass./St. John's of Shrewsbury) led four Stonehill runners in the one mile run, including three in the top six, with second and third place showings, respectively, both provisionally qualifying for the NCAA Championships in Birmingham, Ala., next month with their converted times to a banked track. Johnson placed second in 4:15.10, with Zawalich third in 4:16.97 and senior Sam Spencer (Seekonk, Mass./Seekonk) finishing sixth in 4:19.29.

Junior Xavier Dixon (New Bedford, Mass./New Bedford) finished fourth in the 60-meter high hurdles with his time of 8.34-seconds after qualifying second in 8.35-seconds in the preliminary round.

Sophomore Teague Grubel (Phoenix, Ariz./Shadow Mountain) turned in a pair of strong finishes in sprint events. He and junior Michael Harris (Danvers, Mass./Danvers) both qualified for the 60-meter dash final. Grubel placed fifth in 7.20-seconds after qualifying second in 7.22, while Harris finished sixth in 7.24-seconds after qualifying fourth with an identical time in the prelims.


Senior Luke Byrnes took second place in the pole vault at URI on Saturday. (PHOTO BY Richard Orr)

Grubel was fifth in the 200-meter dash with his time of 23.05-seconds, winning his heat, while Harris took tenth place in 23.31-seconds.

Freshman Nick Kirkpatrick (Carmel, Ind./Brebeuf Jesuit Prep) and senior All-American Sean Hanlon (Georgetown, Mass./St. John's Prep) ran sixth and seventh, respectively, in the 800-meter run. Kirkpatrick finished in 1:57.10 with Hanlon right on his heels with his time of 1:57.15.

Sophomore Daniel Cormier (Methuen, Mass./Methuen) posted a pair of top ten finishes in throwing events. He placed sixth for the shot put with a distance of 46-feet, 6-inches – just an inch and a half shy of the school record. He also took seventh in the weight throw with his distance of 51-feet, 5.50-inches. Freshman Mason Griffin (Wellesley, Mass./Wellesley) finished 11th in the shot put with a throw of 43-05.00.

Stonehill had a team finish ninth in the 4x400-meter relay with their time of 3:33.61. Hanlon ran the lead leg in 53.8-seconds, followed by Kirkpatrick with a 53.9-second split on the second leg, before Spencer completed the third leg in 52.2-seconds and then junior Christopher Dooley (Weymouth, Mass./Weymouth) with a time of 53.3-seconds on the anchor leg. 

Other Stonehill Highlights Include:

Sophomore All-American Patrick Cooney (Douglaston, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) finished eighth in the 500-meter dash with a time of 1:08.87. 

Sophomore Robert Smith (Woburn, Mass./Woburn Memorial) placed eighth in the triple jump with his distance of 40-feet, 5-inches.

Freshman Robert Massey (Chelmsford, Mass./Chelmsford) finished 12th in the 3000-meter run with his time of 9:01.18. 

Junior All-American Justin Blaszczyk (Saint James, N.Y./Smithtown) placed 14th in the 1000-meter run with his time of 2:38.71.

Stonehill will also do dual duty next Saturday when it splits between the Boston University Valentine's Invitational, starting at 9 a.m., and Tufts Cupid Challenge at 11 a.m. The 2013 Northeast-10 Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships are just two weeks away on Saturday, February 16, at the Reggie Lewis Track & Athletic Center, starting at 4 p.m.

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