Vercollone provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 800-meter run today. |
Pembroke, Massachusetts, senior provisionally qualifies for NCAA Championships
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (April 6, 2019) – Senior All-American Stephen Vercollone highlighted the final day at the 54th Colonial Relays, hosted by College of William & Mary, for the Stonehill College men's track and field program at Zable Stadium today.
Vercollone competed in the invitational flight for the 800-meter run and finished sixth in a personal-best 1:51.59 – just 0.06 shy of the school record – to provisionally-qualify for the 2019 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Kingsville, Texas, next month. Vercollone's time currently ranks first in the Northeast-10 Conference so far this spring and ninth nationally in Division II. He was the lone non-Division I entry in the elite level race that featured 16 runners overall.
Stonehill was the first non-Division I finisher out of 23 teams overall in the 4000-meter distance medley relay, with a time of 10:05.89. Senior All-American Lucas Taxter ran the 1200-meter lead leg in 3:00.1, followed by junior Jeremy Breen for a 50.17-second split on the 400-meter leg, with junior Christopher Lanahan completing the 800-meter leg in 1:56.6, before senior All-American Alex Demeule took the baton for the one mile anchor leg in 4:17.9.
Stonehill finished eighth out of 17 teams entered in the 4x200-meter relay with a time of 1:29.59. Running for the Skyhawks were senior Joe Connolly, junior Justin Ireland , sophomore Ethan Famiano and freshman Jack Bowers. Ireland ran the lead leg, followed by Bowers and Famiano, before Connolly completed the anchor leg.
Connolly anchored a 4x200-meter relay to a school-record time (PHOTO BY Mark Connolly) |
Stonehill finished the three day event with 12 points to finish 24th in the team standings. Host William & Mary won the team title with 74 points, followed by Bucknell University with 69 points. The Skyhawks were fourth among Division II programs at the event.
Other Stonehill Results Include:
Stonehill finished 12th in the 4x1500-meter relay, clocking in at 16:38.17, with freshman Nickolas McNamee running the lead leg, followed by seniors Matthew Shaw, Christopher Drace and Riley Dowd.
Senior Xavier Young placed 21st out of 29 entries in the discus throw with a distance of 128-feet, 2-inches.
Sophomore Jeff Pichie finished 39th out of 51 entries for the 10,000-meter run with a time of 32:42.18.
Stonehill is back in action next weekend, when it competes at the Ocean State Invitational, hosted by Providence College and Brown University, on Friday and Saturday. Stonehill will host its annual Skyhawk Invitational on Saturday, April 27.
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