Sophomore Mark Hamalian placed first in the Heptathlon today at the Tufts Stampede

Hamalian places first in Heptathlon, while Griffin and Balestra lead throwers

MEDFORD, Mass. (January 30, 2016) – The Stonehill College men's track & field program, ranked seventh in this week's U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division II East Regional rankings, turned in a second place team finish at the Tufts Stampede, hosted by Tufts University, at the Gantcher Athletic Center today.

Sophomore Mark Hamalian (West Bridgewater, Massachusetts/Bridgewater-Raynham) complied 4,251 points to place first in the Heptathlon today, earning the lone individual event win for Stonehill.

Senior Mason Griffin (Wellesley, Massachusetts/Wellesley) placed fourth out of 33 entries in the shot put with a distance of 47-feet, 7.25-inches, while sophomore Stefan Balestra (Lincoln, Rhode Island/ Lincoln) finished third in the weight throw posting a distance of 51-feet, 8.50-inches.

Junior Joe Santo (Newburyport, Massachusetts/Newburyport) finished second out of 20 entries and placed first among collegiate runners in the 5000-meter run with a time of 15:39.84. Junior Antonio Xelhua (Arlington, Massachusetts/Arlington) placed third in 15:40.98, while freshman Lawrence Carney (Lowell, Massachusetts/Lowell) was fourth in 15:43.80.

Sophomore James Murphy (Mansfield, Massachusetts/Mansfield) led three Stonehill runners in the top five in the 1000-meter run with a third place finish in 2.38.54. Freshman Alexander Demeule (Merrimac, Massachusetts/Pentucket Regional) finished fourth in 2:39.12, while classmate Riley Dowd (Peabody, Massachusetts/Peabody Veterans Memorial) took fifth, clocking in at 2:39.65.

Senior Mason Griffin placed fourth out of 33 entries in the shot put.

Dowd also ran the second leg of Stonehill's 4x800-meter relay team which finished first in 8:21.20. Freshmen David Lockhart (Stoughton, Massachusetts/Stoughton), Demeule and classmate John Onken (Holbrook, New York/Sachem North) also ran legs for the Skyhawks.

Junior All-American Matt Baldasare (Mansfield, Massachusetts/Mansfield) placed seventh in the 200-meter dash with a time of 23.64, followed by sophomore Patrick Ahern (Charlotte, North Carolina/Providence Day School) who clocked in at 24.20, good for 15^th place.

Sophomore Jason Dimmick (Sutton, Massachusetts/Sutton) ran to a second place finish in the 600-meter run with a time of 1:23.37, while junior Steven Bomba (Putnam Valley, New York/Iona Prep)     finished in sixth at 1:28.05.

Sophomore Alex Southiere (Cumberland, Rhode Island/Cumberland) and freshman Matthew Shaw (Goffstown, New Hampshire/Goffstown) both recorded top five finishes in the 800-meter run, placing fourth and fifth respectively, with times of 2:02.36 and 2:02.63.

Freshman Lucas Taxter (Readville, Massachusetts/Xaverian Brothers) led a group of four Stonehill runners who finished in the top 15 in the one mile run. Taxter placed tenth (4:30.92), while Lockhart finished right behind in 11^th (4:35.49). Junior Daniel Nolan (Chelmsford, Massachusetts/Chelmsford) and sophomore Sam Bradford (Bedford, Massachusetts/Bedford) placed 13^th and 14^th, respectively, with times of 4:37.24 and 4:37.26.

The 4x200-meter relay consisting of Connolly, Ahern, Baldasare and sophomore Joshua Hubbell (Gloucester, Massachusetts/St. John's Prep) finished in second with a time of 1:35.50.

Sophomore Jordan Sullivan (Sound Beach, New York/Miller Place) placed fourth in the high jump, leaping 6-feet flat.

Sophomore Anthony Innamorati (Clinton, Massachusetts/Clinton) placed sixth in the pole vault, clearing a height of 13-feet, 5.25 inches, while freshman Daniel Bomba (Putnam Valley, New York/Iona Prep) finished in 11^th, clearing 12 ­feet, 5.50 inches.

Freshman Chase LeMay (Clinton, Connecticut/The Morgan School) finished third in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.02.

Freshman Joe Connolly (Wilmington, Massachusetts/Austin Prep) placed fourth out of 47 entries in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.21.

Stonehill will be back in action next Saturday at the URI Coaches Tribute Meet, hosted by the University of Rhode Island at the Mackal Fieldhouse in Kingston, Rhode Island.

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