Pioneer representative Matt Tobin (center) presents (l-r) Stonehill Director of Athletics Brendan Sullivan, Groundskeepers Rory Maguire and Gus DiMestico and Assistant Director of Athletics Steve Fitzgerald with their "Fields of Excellence" banner at W.B. Mason Stadium this afternoon. |
Pioneer Athletics honors Stonehill’s outstanding athletic fields and hardworking field crew
EASTON, Mass. (May 29, 2013) – Stonehill College has been selected by Pioneer Athletics as a winner of the “Fields of Excellence Award” for the second time in recognition for its outstanding athletic fields and hardworking field crew.
Pioneer Athletics representative Matt Tobin presented Stonehill Athletics Groundskeepers Gus DiMestico and Rory Maguire as well as Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Brendan Sullivan with certificates of recognition as well as a banner to he hung in recognition of the honor at the athletic facilities. It marks the second time DiMestico and Stonehill have been recognized with Pioneer’s Fields of Excellence Award (2004 & 2012), while this marks the first distinction for Maguire.
“This is a tremendous credit to the work that Gus and Rory do for Stonehill athletics,” said Sullivan. “They are the best athletic groundskeepers in the Northeast-10, and on behalf of our 450 student-athletes across 20 intercollegiate athletic programs, I thank them for all that they do. Our campus, our athletic fields, and our venues would not be as beautiful as they are without their hard work”
The Fields of Excellence Award Program was established in 1997 and has honored over 605 athletic fields from around the country since its creation. Pioneer understands that excellence in athletic field maintenance goes unrecognized and often, unappreciated. The Field of Excellence Award Program honors outstanding athletic fields and the hardworking field crews who diligently maintain them. Colleges, universities, high schools and park & recreation departments from all over the United States submitted photographs, letters of recommendation and application forms describing their institutions detailed athletic field maintenance program. A rigorous judging process yielded 73 winners from a pool of 270 applicants, with two athletic fields selected as Scholarship Winner’s.
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Pioneer is the nation’s leading manufacturer of athletic field marking paint and equipment. Designed for durability and dependability, Pioneer’s line-up of natural and synthetic field paints, antimicrobial coatings, striping machines, high-quality stencils and athletic accessories are used by over 22,000 high schools, colleges and professional athletic organizations throughout North America.
Stonehill captured the Northeast-10 Conference Presidents' Cup for the third-straight year and fourth time overall at the conclusion of the 2011-12 academic year, Stonehill finished ranked 68th in the final Learfield Sports Directors Cup standings which recognizes overall athletic achievement in NCAA championships. Stonehill has received the NCAA Division II Presidents' Award for Academic Achievement each of the first two years if the program's existence of honoring programs with an Academic Success Rate (ASR) of 90-percent or better. The athletics program is also ranked sixth in the National Collegiate Scouting Association (NCSA) Power Rankings used to assess the academic and athletic standards of all NCAA and NAIA athletic programs, marking a fourth straight top ten placement.
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