Junior All-American Nick Staley is seeded first in the high jump. (PHOTO BY Richard Orr) |
Skyhawks picked second in NE-10 coaches' pre-championship poll
NE-10 Indoor Track & Field Championship Information Page
EASTON, Mass. (February 21, 2014) – The Stonehill College men's track & field program looks to defend its Northeast-10 Conference Indoor Championship when it heads to the Reggie Lewis Track & Athletic Center in Boston, Mass., tomorrow night when the 2014 Championships get underway at 4 p.m.
Stonehill, which captured its first NE-10 track and field championship in program history by edging ten-time team title winners Southern Connecticut State University by just 2.50 points last winter, has been picked second in the pre-championship coaches' poll conducted by the NE-10's ten head coaches. The Skyhawks, who received three first place votes, is second in the poll with 75 points, trailing championship favorites Southern Connecticut State with 79 points and seven first place votes. American International College is picked third with 62 points, with Franklin Pierce University ranked fourth (54 points) and Adelphi University (48) selected to round out the top five.
Stonehill, ranked second in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division II East Regional computer rankings, has finished in the top two each of the last three indoor championships, capped by last year's championship. The Skyhawks feature three individuals that have provisionally qualified for the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships in Winston-Salem, N.C., in three weeks as well as the 4000-meter distance relay team. The DMR is currently ranked ninth nationally in Division II with a converted time of 10:01.72 set at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational at Boston University on February 8. Stonehill's DMR has won each of the last two NE-10 Indoor Championships, finishing in the top three the last three years and is seeded first again this weekend.
Junior All-American Patrick Cooney (Douglaston, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) is expected to compete on the DMR on Saturday night and is also seeded first in the 800-meter run with his NCAA provisional qualifying time of 1:54.07 at the Valentine Invitational. He ranks 19th nationally for the event and earned All-Northeast-10 Conference honors in the 800 as a sophomore with a second place finish, while also running as part of the DMR last winter. Cooney earned All-America honors as part of the DMR which finished sixth at the 2012 NCAA Championships.
Junior All-American Patrick Cooney could be part of three gold medal performances. |
Junior All-American Nick Staley (Medway, Mass./BC High) is seeded first in the high jump this weekend after winning the event for the first time last weekend with a season-best height of 6-feet, 10.75-inches at the Tufts University Cupid Challenge. He is currently ranked ninth nationally for the event and seeks his first NE-10 title for the event, after earning All-Conference honors with a second place finish last winter, having won both the New England Indoor and Outdoor Championships last season.
Senior Xavier Dixon (New Bedford, Mass./New Bedford) aims to win Stonehill's fifth-straight indoor hurdles championship and his first championship as the No. 2 seed for the 60-meter high hurdles. He has collected All-Northeast-10 honors in the hurdles each of the last three seasons with second place finishes at 60-meters last season and 55-meters as a sophomore and junior. Dixon is presently ranked 12th nationally for the event with his personal-best time of 8.10-seconds at the Joe Donahue Games in the Reggie Lewis Center on January 24.
Senior Tyler Moules (Billerica, Mass./Billerica) is the defending 500-meter NE-10 champion and will run the event tomorrow night. He is seeded second with his season-best time of 1:04.89 set at the Valentine Invitational. Moules is also expected to run as part of Stonehill's 4x400-meter relay team which is seeded second.
Sophomore Nick Kirkpatrick (Carmel, Ind./Brebeuf Jesuit Prep) is seeded second in the 1000-meter run with his time of 2:30.33 set at Tufts University last weekend. He will also run the DMR and finished third in the 800-meters in the 2013 NE-10 Championships. Senior All-American Justin Blaszczyk (Saint James, N.Y./Smithtown) is seeded third with a time of 2:31:38 at BU.
Junior Teague Grubel (Phoenix, Ariz./Shadow Mountain) is expected to have an impact in the 60-meter and 200-meter dashes and will also likely run as part of the 4x400 relay. He is seeded eighth in the 60 with his time of 7.09-seconds at the Joe Donahue Games, while ranking fourth in the 200 after a time of 22.19-seconds at the Valentine Invite.
Stonehill's 4x800-meter relay is seeded fourth, but has finished second at the NE-10 Championship two straight years to earn All-Conference accolades for its participants. The 4x400-meter relay is seeded second with its time of 3:21.01.
Senior Tyler Moules seeks to defend his 500-meter final. |
Stonehill has six entries in the 5000-meter run, led by senior Paul Cina (Pembroke, Mass./Pembroke) who is seeded second with his time of 14:53.95 set at Boston University's John Thomas Terrier Invitational on January 24. He finished seventh at the 2013 Indoor Championships and eighth in 2012.
Junior All-American Daniel Zawalich (Paxton, Mass./St. John's of Shrewsbury) is seeded third in the one mile run with his time of 4:13.65 set at the University of Rhode Island Coaches' Tribute Meet on February 1. He finished fourth in the event at the 2013 NE-10 Championships after running third in the 800-meter run in 2012. Zawalich is also slated to run the DMR as well, in which he collected All-America honors in 2012.
Junior Daniel Cormier (Methuen, Mass./Methuen) is seeded high in both throwing events, checking in as the third seed this weekend for the weight throw with his distance of 52-feet, 8.25-inches. Freshman Morgan Johnson (West Newbury, Mass./St. John's) is seeded sixth for the event with his throw of 47-09.00 at the Sorlien Invitational.
Cormier is also seeded sixth for the shot put with his throw of 48-07.25 at the season-opening UMass Boston Invitational. Sophomore Mason Griffin (Wellesley, Mass./Wellesley) is ranked eighth for the event with his distance of 46-05.25.
Freshman Matt Baldasare (Mansfield, Mass./Mansfield) is seeded fourth in the 400-meter run with his time of 49.72-seconds at the Valentine Invitational earlier this month. He is also scheduled to run with the DMR.
Senior Trent Fontanella (Pelham, N.H./Bishop Fenwick) is seeded third in the 3000-meter run with his time of 8:29.90 at the Valentine Invitational after finishing fourth in 2013, fifth in 2012 and seventh in 2011.
Stonehill student-athletes who have qualified will compete at the New England Championships, hosted by Boston University, on Friday (4 p.m.) and Saturday (10 a.m.).
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