Senior Dan Zawalich led Stonehill at the Paul Short Invitational today with his 100th place finish in a personal best time of 25:16. |
Senior Dan Zawalich finishes 100th in 25:16 to pace Skyhawks
BETHLEHEM, Pa. (October 4, 2014) – After a two-week break from competition, the Stonehill College men's cross country team, ranked third in this week's U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) East Region Poll, returned to action today with a 26th place finish at the Paul Short Collegiate Invitational, hosted by Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
For the second time this season, senior Dan Zawalich (Paxton, Massachusetts/St. John's) paced the Skyhawks, as he completed the eight-kilometer course 100th overall with a personal best time of 25:16. Zawalich topped his previous mark of 25:41, set at the New England Championships last fall. The senior was also Stonehill's top finisher at the DII/DIII Challenge on September 13th.
Senior Bryan Wilcox (Plantsville, Connecticut/Southington) was the second Skyhawk to cross the finish line, doing so in 25:23, good for 115th overall. Wilcox was followed by classmates Trent Fontanella (Pelham, New Hampshire/Bishop Guertin) and Michael Gendron (Lowell, Massachusetts/Lowell), who finished 150th and 173rd, respectively. Fontanella earned a time of 25:35, while Gendron, who placed third overall at the Shacklette Invitational earlier this season, clocked in with a personal best time of 25:42.
Sophomore Tyler Henseler (Coventry, Rhode Island/Bishop Hendricken) became the third Skyhawk today to finish in a personal best time, as he placed 183rd overall in 25:46, beating the mark of 26:54 that he set as a freshman in the New England Championships sub-varsity race in 2013.
Classmate Daniel Nolan (Chelmsford, Massachusetts/Chelmsford) registered a 239th place finish in 26:04, also a personal best, while senior Dan Gordon (Plymouth, Massachusetts/Plymouth North) placed 259th with a time of 26:12.
Competing in a field of primarily Division I and top Division II programs, Stonehill placed 26th out of 41 total squads. The Skyhawks' 688 total points placed them ahead of the University of Massachusetts (27th, 725 points) and just behind Davidson College (25th, 678 points). The United States Naval Academy won the meet with 95 points, while the University of Guelph finished second (123 points) and Division II power Adams State University placed third (130 points).
Running in the "open" race, freshman Dillon McGee (Westford, Massachusetts/Westford Academy) led five Stonehill entries with his 67th place finish in 26:19. Sophomore Antonio Xelhua (Arlington, Massachusetts/Arlington) placed 96th with a time of 26:35, while freshman Alex Southiere (Cumberland, Rhode Island/Cumberland) crossed the finish line 149th and clocked in at 27:01.
Rounding out Stonehill's participants today are sophomore Adam Rego (Rumford, Rhode Island/La Salle Academy) and freshman Ken Vinacco (Scituate, Rhode Island/Scituate). Rego earned a 199th place finish in 27:23, while Vinacco placed 376th in 29:19.
Stonehill will be back in action next Saturday at the New England Championships, which will be held at Franklin Park in Dorchester, Massachusetts.
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