Mid-Distance, Distance Pace Men's Track & Field at Beantown Challenge


Vercollone finished second in the 800-meter run and anchored the 4x440-meter relay. (PHOTO BY SportsPix)

Vercollone, Burleigh and Santo lead Skyhawks in return to action

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (January 15, 2017) – Stonehill College returned to the track for the first time in over the month after the exam and holiday break as the lone non-Division I program competing at the Beantown Challenge, hosted by Harvard University, inside Gordon Indoor Track today.

Sophomore Stephen Vercollone (Pembroke, Massachusetts/Pembroke) took second in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:56.90 – just 0.05 behind Jackson Gallagher of UMass Lowell. Senior Duncan Burleigh (Hingham, Massachusetts/Hingham) finished fourth in 1:58.56.

Vercollone and Burleigh were also part of Stonehill's 4x440 yard one mile relay that finished sixth in 3:29.95. Vercollone ran the anchor leg, taking the baton from Burleigh after junior Joshua Hubbell (Gloucester, Massachusetts/St. John's Prep) ran the lead leg and senior All-American Matt Baldasare (Mansfield, Massachusetts/Mansfield) ran the second leg.

Hubbell also placed seventh in the long jump with a distance of 21-feet, 2.00-inches, while Baldasare finished 15th in the 200-meter dash with a time of 23.60-seconds, and 17th in the 60-meter dash prelims in 7.15-seconds.

Senior Joe Santo (Newburyport, Massachusetts/Newburyport) led five Stonehill entries in the 3000-meter run, including four in the top nine, with a third place finish in 8:37.66. Senior Daniel Nolan (Chelmsford, Massachusetts/Chelmsford) placed sixth in 8:56.16 and classmate Tyler Henseler (Coventry, Rhode Island/Bishop Hendricken) was eighth in 9:00.11, while junior Kenny Vinacco (Scituate, Rhode Island/Scituate) took ninth in 9:01.36.


Santo was third in the 3000-meter run, leading four Skyhawks in the top nine. (PHOTO BY SportsPix)

Sophomore Riley Dowd (Peabody, Massachusetts/Peabody Veterans Memorial) led four Stonehill runners in the one mile run with his eighth place finish in 4:23.47. Sophomore Alexander Demeule (Merrimac, Massachusetts/Pentucket Regional) was right behind Dowd in ninth with a time of 4:24.20, while classmate Christopher Drace (Franklin, New Jersey/Pope John XXIII) was 12th in 4:26.59.

Dowd, Drace and Demeule, as well as junior James Murphy (Mansfield, Massachusetts/Mansfield) ran the 4x880-meter two mile relay, which finished third in 8:01.20. 

Other Results Include:

Junior Jonathan Naval (Stratford, Connecticut/Bunnell) placed ninth in the triple jump with a distance of 44-feet, 2.50-inches. 

Sophomore Matthew Shaw (Goffstown, New Hampshire/Goffstown) placed eighth in the 1000-meter run in 2:32.63.

Sophomore Darren Shi (Yarmouth, Maine/Yarmouth) placed 14th in the shot put with a distance of 42-feet, 3.25-inches.

Junior Stefan Balestra (Lincoln, Rhode Island/Lincoln) took 15th in the weight throw with a distance of 43-feet, 11.75-inches.

Stonehill returns to action next Saturday when it competes at the Sorlein Invitational, hosted by the University of Rhode Island, at 11 a.m.

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