Senior All-American Sean Hanlon ran the 800-meter third leg for the Skyhawks distance medley relay team that posted the eighth-fastest time in Division II this season. (PHOTO BY Richard Orr) |
Distance Medley Relay provisionally qualifies for NCAA Championships
Cormier highlights three event winners with school-record in shot put
MEDFORD, Mass. (February 11, 2013) – The Stonehill College men's track & field program, ranked 24th in this week's U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division II ratings index, tuned up for this weekend's Northeast-10 Conference Championships by competing at the Tufts University Cupid Challenge at Gantcher Athletic Center tonight.
Tonight marked the season debut of Stonehill's 4000-meter distance medley relay team and the squad didn't disappoint, provisionally qualifying for the NCAA Division II Championships next month in Birmingham, Ala. The Skyhawks placed second in the event with a time of 10:06.93 and after the conversion from a flat track, their time of 9:58.80 is ranked eighth nationally. Running the event for the Skyhawks were sophomore event All-American Daniel Zawalich (Paxton, Mass./St. John's of Shrewsbury) with a 3:03.4 split on the opening 1200-meter leg, before senior Sam Spencer (Seekonk, Mass./Seekonk) ran the 400-meter leg in 50.8-seconds, senior Sean Hanlon (Georgetown, Mass./St. John's Prep), a two-time All-American in the event, completed the 800-meter leg in 1:56.1 and then senior Tim Johnson (Thomaston, Conn./Thomaston) ran the 1600-meter anchor leg in 4:16.7.
Sophomore Daniel Cormier (Methuen, Mass./Methuen) won the shot put with his school-record throw of 47-feet, 3.75-inches. He broke his own previous record of 46-11.50 set at the season-opening UMass Boston Indoor Invitational on December 1. Cormier also placed third in the weight throw with his distance of 51-feet, 2.25-inches.
Sophomore Dan Cormier won the shot put event with a school-record effort. |
Freshman Nick Kirkpatrick (Carmel, Ind./Brebeuf Jesuit Prep) and sophomore All-American Patrick Cooney (Douglaston, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) took first and second, respectively in the 800-meter run as Stonehill runners took three of the top four spots. Kirkpatrick won the event in 1:57.85, while Cooney was less than two tenths of a second behind in second place with a time of 1:58.03. Spencer took fourth in 1:59.01.
Junior Xavier Dixon (New Bedford, Mass./New Bedford) won the 60-meter high hurdles in 8.36-seconds. He also posted a ninth place showing in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.44-seconds.
Senior Luke Byrnes (Glen Head, N.Y./Chaminade) placed second in the pole vault on attempts after matching the first place height of 14-feet, 7.25-inches.
Junior Christopher Dooley (Weymouth, Mass./Weymouth) ran third in the 1000-meter run with his time of 2:31.45. Junior All-American Justin Blaszczyk (Saint James, N.Y./Smithtown) was seventh in 2:36.11.
Sophomore Teague Grubel (Phoenix, Ariz./Shadow Mountain) placed fifth in the 200-meter dash with his time of 22.93-seconds. Junior Michael Harris (Danvers, Mass./Danvers) finished eighth in 23.25-seconds, while sophomore Robert Smith (Woburn, Mass./Woburn Memorial) was ninth in 23.37.
Stonehill opens its championship season this Saturday when it competes at the Northeast-10 Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center at 4 p.m.
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