Men's Track & Field Competes on Opening Two Days of 53rd Colonial Relays


Connolly turned in two spring PRs on Friday for the Skyhawks. (PHOTO BY Mark Connolly)

Connolly posts two PRs as Skyhawks log three personal best through two days

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (April 6, 2018) – The Stonehill College men's track and field program logged three personal-bests to highlight its performances through the first two days of the 53rd Annual Colonial Relays, hosted by College of William & Mary, at Zable Stadium.

Junior Joe Connolly (Wilmington, Massachusetts/Austin Prep) finished tenth out of 64 entries in the championship flight of the 100-meter dash in a personal-best time of 10.84-seconds – surpassing his previous PR set at this same event in 2016 and posting the fourth-fastest time in the NE10 this season to date. Sophomore Justin Ireland (Norton, Massachusetts/Norton) placed 21st in a season-best 10.997-seconds, good for fifth on the NE10 outdoor performance chart. Connolly was also 36th in the 200-meter dash championship flight out of 75, with a personal-best time of 22.128-seconds, while Ireland finished 41st in a season-best 22.18. Connolly's 200-meter time currently ranks second on the NE10 performance chart, while Ireland is third.

Senior Anthony Innamorati (Clinton, Massachusetts/Clinton) placed fifth in the championship flight for the pole vault, clearing a height of 15-feet, 1-inch, on his second try to earn four points for Stonehill in the team standings. It marks the highest vault in the NE10 this season.

With Innamorati's four points, Stonehill sits 35th in the team standings – good for tenth among non-Division I programs at the meet.


Innamorati placed fifth in the pole vault on Friday. (PHOTO BY SportsPix)

Junior All-American Stephen Vercollone (Pembroke, Massachusetts/Pembroke) finished 12th out of 84 entries in the 800-meter dash in 1:53.04, good for second among non-Division I entries in the event and second on the NE10's outdoor performance chart. Junior David Lockhart (Stoughton, Massachusetts/Stoughton) placed 45th in 1:56.78, while classmate Matthew Shaw (Goffstown, New Hampshire/Goffstown) was 68th in 2:00.64.

Junior All-American Lucas Taxter (Readville, Massachusets/Xaverian Brothers) finished 21st out of 87 entries, including four from Stonehill, in the championship flight of the 1500-meter run with a time of 3:55.75, ranking eight among non-Division I runners in the event and posting the second-fastest time in the NE10 this spring. Classmate Riley Dowd (Peabody, Massachusetts/Peabody Veterans Memorial) finished 32nd in 3:59.12, good for fourth in the NE10 this season, while junior All-American Alexander Demeule (Merrimac, Massachusetts/Pentucket Regional) placed 41st in 4:00.87 and classmate Christopher Drace (Franklin, New Jersey/Pope John XXIII) was 44th in 4:01.33.

Freshman Kevin Wheelock (Melrose, Massachusetts/Melrose) finished 23rd out of 68 runners in the championship flight of the 5000-meter run in 15:03.41 – the fastest time in the NE10 this spring to date. Senior Sam Bradford (Bedford, Massachusetts/Bedford) placed 37th in 15:19.50, good for fourth on the NE10's performance chart.

Senior Kenny Vinacco (Scituate, Rhode Island/Scituate) finished 26th in the championship flight of the 10,000-meter run on Thursday night, with a personal-best time of 31:30.96 to mark the fastest time in the NE10 for the event this spring. 


Vinacco posted a PR and the fastest 10,000-meter time in the NE10 this season on Thursday night. (PHOTO BY SportsPix)

Other Stonehill results include:

Senior Stefan Balestra (Lincoln, Rhode Island/Lincoln) placed tenth in the championship flight of the hammer throw with a distance of 160-feet, 1-inch on his third attempt. 

Freshman Ethan Famiano (Warwick, Rhode Island/Bishop Hendricken) finished 16th out of 37 entries in the 110-meter high hurdles championship flight with a time of 15.39-seconds, the third-fastest time in the NE10 this spring. He also placed 45th in the 400-meter hurdles championship flight in 1:00.18. 

Junior Daniel Madsen (West Haven, Connecticut/Notre Dame-West Haven) placed 51st out of 75 entries in the 400-meter dash championship flight in 50.989-seconds. 

Senior Jordan Sullivan (Sound Beach, New York/Miller Place) finished tenth out of 18 entries in the university flight of the high jump, clearing a height of 6-feet, 0.75-inches, on his third attempt. The height currently ranks second on the NE10's spring performance list. 

Senior All-American Joshua Hubbell (Gloucester, Massachusetts/St. John's Prep) placed 15th out of 30 entries in the university flight of the long jump, clearing a distance of 21-feet, 0.75-inches on his first attempt, tops in the NE10 this spring to date. Hubbell was also 68th in the championship flight of the 200-meter dash in 22.78-seconds. 

Stonehill will wrap up its weekend in Virginia tomorrow with the final day of the Colonial Relays at William & Mary. Stonehill will host its 11th annual Skyhawk Invitational on Saturday, April 28.

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