Stonehill Sits Third After Day One of NE-10 Championships


Junior All-American Daniel Zawalich won the 1500-meter run in an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 3:52.49.

Zawalich wins 1500-meter run, while Dixon qualifies fastest in 110m hurdles 

EASTON, Mass. (May 2, 2014) – Host Stonehill College, ranked second in this week's U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Men's Division II East Regional computer rankings, is tied for third place in the team standings at the conclusion of day one of the 2014 Northeast-10 Conference Men's Track & Field Championships at W.B. Mason Stadium today.

Stonehill compiled 48 points through seven events on day one of the championship and is tied with Franklin Pierce University in the team standings. 11-time defending NE-10 Champions Southern Connecticut State University leads the way with 66 points, while American International College is second with 49.

Junior All-American Daniel Zawalich (Paxton, Massachusetts/St. John's of Shrewsbury) won the 1500-meter run with an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 3:52.49, good for 38th nationally in Division II. Senior Justin Blaszczyk (Saint James, New York/Smithtown) finished ninth in 4:02.62, while sophomore Robert Massey (Chelmsford, Massachusetts/Chelmsford) placed tenth in 4:03.49.

Zawalich also ran the anchor leg for Stonehill's 4x800-meter relay which finished fifth in 7:47.73. Freshman Duncan Burleigh (Hingham, Massachusetts/Hingham) ran the lead leg, followed by Blaszczyk and then freshman Steven Bomba (Putman Valley, New York/Iona Prep) before Zawalich.


Senior Alex Willgoos is second after the first five events in the decathlon.

Senior Xavier Dixon (New Bedford, Massachusetts/New Bedford) qualified first for tomorrow's 110-meter high hurdles final and improved his NCAA provisional qualifying time by finishing in a meet-record 14.26-seconds – just 0.02 shy of former teammate and All-American Corey Thomas, '13, school record. His qualifying time ranks 12th nationally in Division II.

Senior Alex Willgoos (Newington, Connecticut/Newington) sits in second place after day one of the decathlon, collecting 3,193 points through five events. Merrimack College's John Braga leads the six competitors with 3,475 points. Willgoos placed first in the shot put with a distance of 33-feet, 9.25-inches in the third event of the day. He also placed second in both the 100-meter dash (11.45-seconds) and 400-meter dash (53.83-seconds) to book end the first day. Willgoos was third in both the high jump (6-feet, 0.50-inches) and long jump (20-feet, 2.25-inches).

Senior Ryan Perkins (Shrewsbury, Massachusetts/St. John's of Shrewsbury) placed third in the pole vault with a height of 13-feet, 11.25-inches. Classmate Taylor Viotto (Washington, New Jersey/Warren Hills) finished fourth in the javelin throw with a distance of 182-feet, 6-inches.


Senior Xavier Dixon posted the 12th-fastest 110-meter hurdles time in the country to qualify first for tomorrow's final.

Senior Stephen Leonard (Chatham, New Jersey/Chatham) led four Stonehill runners in the 10,000-meter run that swept the No. 3 through 6 positions with his third place effort in 32:26.63. Freshman Joe Santo (Newburyport, Massachusetts/Newburyport) finished fourth in 32:57.55, while senior Scott Waller (Andover, Massachusetts/Andover) took fifth in 33:05.02 and junior Bryan Wilcox (Plantsville, Connecticut/Southington), the defending champion for the event, placed sixth in 33:12.05.

Sophomores Mason Griffin (Wellesley, Massachusetts/Wellesley) and Morgan Johnson (West Newbury, Massachusetts/St. John's Prep) finished sixth and seventh, respectively, in the hammer throw. Griffin logged a distance of 135-feet, 11-inches, while Johnson had a throw of 133-02.

Junior Teague Grubel (Phoenix, Arizona/Shadow Mountain) qualified for tomorrow's 200-meter dash final with a time of 22.48-seconds to rank sixth among the 22 entries today. Junior Robert Smith (Woburn, Massachusetts/Woburn Memorial) placed 12th in 22.90-seconds.

Freshman All-American Matt Baldasare (Mansfield, Massachusetts/Mansfield) and Grubel finished tenth and 11th, respectively in the 100-meter dash prelims to fall just outside the qualifiers for tomorrow's final. Baldasare finished in 11.20-seconds, while Grubel clocked in at 11.23. Senior Michael Harris (Danvers, Massachusetts/Danvers) placed 15th out of the 29 entries for the event in 11.52-seconds.

Day two of the NE-10 Championships gets underway at W.B. Mason Stadium tomorrow with the first decathlon event of the day at 10 a.m., as well as the men's discus throw. The men's 4x100-meter relay will open the track events at 12:30 p.m.

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