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Skyhawks see five men tally All-Region honors
HOPKINTON, N.H. (November 5, 2016) – The Stonehill College men's cross country team, ranked second in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) East regional poll, punched its 14th-straight ticket to the NCAA Division II Championships with a runner-up finish today at the NCAA East Regional Championship at the Hopkinton State Fairgrounds.
Stonehill came in second place at today's event with 80 points, 31 points behind champion American International College who finished with 49 points. Bentley University finished third with 98 points, while Franklin Pierce University and Southern New Hampshire University totaled 136 and 141 points, placing fourth and fifth, respectively. The Yellow Jacket's Leakey Kipkosgei won the men's individual title with a time of 31:05 in the 10k event.
"One thing that we stressed the most to these men was how deep the roster is this year," stated head coach Karen Boen. "This depth is unlike any other team. Whoever is on the line, is relying on each other, and the results today showed that they are committed to each other."
Sophomore Riley Dowd (Peabody, Mass./Peabody Veterans Memorial) led the Skyhawks with his 10th-place mark and a time of 32:06.9, earning his first-career All-Region honor. Classmate Alexander Demeule (Merrimac, Mass./Mass.) and senior Joe Santo (Newburyport, Mass./Newburyport) followed close behind recording 15th and 16th place tallies, respectively. Demeule earned his first All-Region award with a time of 32:14.8, as Santo picked up his second-career All-Region honor with a career-best time of 32:15.2.
Freshman Michael Durkin (Hingham, Mass./Hingham) was the next Skyhawk across the finish line, as he placed 19th among the field of 169 with a time of 32:16.7 and his first-career All-Region accolade. Junior Jimmy Murphy (Mansfield, Mass./Mansfield) followed right behind Durkin placing 20th with a time of 32:18.1, also with his first-career All-Region honor.
Senior Antonio Xelhua (Arlington, Mass./Arlington) crossed the finish line as he tallied a 34th-place mark in a time of 32:51.4. Alex Southiere (Cumberland, R.I./Cumberland), racing in his first NCAA Championship was the final Skyhawk with a time of 34:00.3 as he tallied 64th place.
The Stonehill College men's team will be joined by the women's squad at the NCAA Division II National Championship on Saturday November 19 in Saint Leo, Florida on the Abbey Course hosted by Saint Leo University.
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