Innamorati earns All-Region honors for the eighth time in his career. (PHOTO BY SportsPix) |
Ireland and Taxter lead the Skyhawks list with two awards each
Innamorati earns All-Region honors for eighth time over his career
USTFCCCA Announces Division II Outdoor Track & Field All-Region Honorees
EASTON, Mass. (May 16, 2018) – Ten members of the Stonehill College men's track & field program, ranked third in the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) East Region rankings, have earned a combined 12 All-East Region honors from the USTFCCCA, the organization announced this week. The awards recognize each region's top five performers in individual events and top three teams in relay events.
Junior All-American Lucas Taxter (Readville, Massachusetts/Xaverian Brothers) and sophomore Justin Ireland (Norton, Massachusetts/Norton) lead the group for Stonehill by earning All-East Region honors in two events. Ireland earns the first two All-Region awards of his career after posting a personal-best time of 10.81-seconds in the 100-meter dash prelims at the Northeast-10 Conference Championships on May 4, while also running the second leg of the Skyhawks 4x100-meter relay which posted a school-record time of 41.71-seconds at the NE10 Championships on May 5 to also earn All-NE10 honors. Taxter now has six All-Region honors to his credit after provisionally qualifying for the NCAA Division II Championships in the 800-meter run with a first place and school-record time of 1:51.53 at the Skyhawk Invitational on April 28, and recording a personal-best 1500-meter run of 3:53.94 in a second-place finish at the Silfen Invitational on April 14.
Balestra |
Bernal |
Carney |
Connolly |
Hubbell |
Innamorati |
Ireland |
Taxter |
Vinacco |
Young |
Also part of Stonehill's 4x100-meter relay to earn All-Region honors with Ireland were senior All-American Joshua Hubbell (Gloucester, Massachusetts/St. John's Prep), junior Joe Connolly (Wilmington, Massachusetts/Austin Prep) and freshman Desmond Bernal (Warwick, Rhode Island/Bishop Hendricken). Hubbell earns All-Region honors for the fifth time in his career, while Connolly and Bernal earn All-Region honors for the first time.
It marks the third-straight season Stonehill has posted double-digit All-East Region performers after 11 student-athletes picked up 14 All-Region awards last spring and 12 earned 14 during the indoor season.
Senior Anthony Innamorati (Clinton, Massachusetts/Clinton) earns All-Region honors for the eighth time over his career in the pole vault as he cleared a season-best 15-feet, 3-inches at the NE10 Championships to finish second and collect All-NE10 honors, before adding All-New England accolades at the New England Outdoor Championships this past weekend.
Seniors Stefan Balestra (Lincoln, Rhode Island/Lincoln), who posted a school-record distance of 179-feet, even, for a first place finish in the hammer throw at the Holy Cross Invitational on April 21, and Kenny Vinacco (Scituate, Rhode Island/Scituate) both picked up All-East Region honors for the third time in their careers. Junior Xavier Young (Barnegat, New Jersey/Barnegat) collects All-Region honors in the shot put for the second-straight season in his first collegiate year on the track & field team, while junior Larry Carney (Lowell, Massachusetts/Lowell) joins Bernal and Connolly as a first-time All-Region performer.
Stonehill's Men's Outdoor Track & Field All-Region performers:
Stefan Balestra, Senior (Lincoln, Rhode Island/Lincoln)
Hammer Throw (179-feet, 0-inches/Holy Cross Invitational) – school-record
Desmond Bernal, Freshman (Warwick, Rhode Island/Bishop Hendricken)
4x100-meter relay (41.71-seconds/Northeast-10 Outdoor Championships) – school-record
Larry Carney, Junior (Lowell, Massachusetts/Lowell)
5000-meter run (15:03.01/Silfen Invitational) – personal-best
Joe Connolly, Junior (Wilmington, Massachusetts/Austin Prep)
4x100-meter relay (41.71-seconds/Northeast-10 Outdoor Championships) – school-record
Joshua Hubbell, Senior (Gloucester, Massachusetts/St. John's Prep)
4x100-meter relay (41.71-seconds/Northeast-10 Outdoor Championships) – school-record
Anthony Innamorati, Senior (Clinton, Massachusetts/Clinton)
Pole Vault (15-feet, 3-inches/Northeast-10 Outdoor Championships)
Justin Ireland, Sophomore (Norton, Massachusetts/Norton)
100-meter dash (10.81-seconds/Northeast-10 Outdoor Championships) – personal-best
4x100-meter relay (41.71-seconds/Northeast-10 Outdoor Championships) – school-record
Lucas Taxter, Junior (Readville, Massachusetts/Xaverian Brothers)
800-meter run (1:51.53/Skyhawk Invitational) – NCAA Provisional Qualifier/school-record
1500-meter run (3:53.94/Silfen Invitational) – personal-best
Kenny Vinacco, Senior (Scituate, Rhode Island/Scituate)
10,000-meter run (31:30.96/Colonial Relays) – personal-best
Xavier Young, Junior (Barnegat, New Jersey/Barnegat)
Shot Put (50-feet, 7.5-inches/Silfen Invitational) – personal-best
Stonehill wrapped up its 2017-18 track & field season having posted a pair of third place team finishes at the Northeast-10 Conference Indoor and Outdoor Championships, and placing sixth at the New England Indoor Championships, to go with its 25th place finish at the Outdoor Championships. The Skyhawks 4000-meter distance medley relay earned All-America honors with a fifth place finish at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships, while two student-athletes also provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships as individually in three events over the indoor and outdoor seasons.
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