Stonehill Set To Host 2007 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships This Weekend, Seven Skyhawks To Compete For Respective National Crowns

March 6, 2007

Easton, Mass.-- Stonehill College will serve as the host institution for the NCAA Division II Men's & Women's Indoor Track & Field National Championships for the second straight year this weekend, and the Skyhawks will be well-represented during competition set to take place at the Reggie Lewis Track & Athletic Center in Boston.

Eight members of Head Coach Karen Boen's squads will be vying for national titles in their respective events, and junior Keith Gill (Brockton, Mass./Brockton) leads the way on the men's side for Stonehill as the third seed in the mile. Gill, the 2006-2007 Northeast-10 Conference Indoor Track Athlete of the Year, was named today as the NCAA Northeast Regional Indoor Track Athlete of the Year by the United States Track and Field Coaches Association, as he earned individual league champion honors in the 1,000 meters and was part of the winning 4 X 800 relay team at the Northeast-10 Championships last month.

Gill is bidding to become the first three-sport All-America in Stonehill history after earning the accolade in the 1,500 meters at the 2006 NCAA Outdoor Championship in Emporia, Kan. that was followed up by a 27th place individual finish at the 2006 NCAA Cross Country Championships last November in Pensacola, Fla. that was also good for All-America honors. Gill ran the third fastest indoor mile time this winter back on January 27th at the Boston University Terrier Invitational, as he posted a school record time of 4:07.22 in the event and stands less than three seconds behind national top seed Aucencio Martinez of Adams State. The 2003-2004 Northeast-10 Indoor Track Freshman of the Year, Gill has overcome an injury that sidelined him from outdoor competition as a rookie and an illness that ended his sophomore cross country campaign to earn back-to-back two-sport All-America honors.

Sophomore Torrey Price (Sleepy Hollow, N.Y./Sleepy Hollow) is seeded 13th in the men's 60 meter dash, as he broke the school record in the event on three occasions this winter, the last coming in a winning time of 6.36 at the Northeast-10 Championships. Senior Vinnie Williams (Springfield, Mass./Springfield Central) is seeded 14th in the men's 200 meters for Stonehill, as he holds the school record in the event and posted a qualifying time of 21.73 seconds, while the men's distance medley relay team of Gill, senior Brandon Beloin (Danielson, Conn./Killingly) and juniors Dickie Gerry (Bow, N.H./Bow) and David Metzger (Ellington, Conn./Ellington) is seeded fourth in the nine-team field, having run a school-record time of 9:53.47 at Boston University. Senior Derek Hebert (Rockland, Mass./South Shore Christian) will serve as an alternate on the distance medley relay team as well for the Skyhawks.

Senior Dana DeIngenis (Cranston, R.I./St. Mary's Academy-Bay View) is looking to join Gill as a dual All-America performer, as she will represent the Stonehill women's squad as the fifth seed in the mile after posting a time of 4:58.35 at the New England Championships two weeks ago. DeIngenis became the first Skyhawk All-America on the outdoor side last May in Emporia, Kan. in the 1,500 meters as well and is a three-time all-New England performer in both indoor and outdoor competition.

DeIngenis will begin Stonehill's overall competition on Friday afternoon with the women's mile preliminaries at 5:00 p.m. EST, while Gill will run in the men's mile preliminaries at 5:15 p.m. EST. Price will compete in the 60 meter dash preliminaries at 6:15 p.m. EST, while Williams will run in the 200 meter dash preliminaries at 7:35 p.m. EST. The men's distance medley relay national championship race will wrap-up Friday's competition at 8:10 p.m. EST.

The national championship mile runs begin the track events on Saturday afternoon, with the women's race at 4:05 p.m. EST followed by the men's race at 4:15 p.m. EST. The 60 meter dash finals are set for 4:53 p.m. EST, while the men's 200 meter dash national championship will take place at 5:40 p.m. EST.

Stonehill and the Reggie Lewis Track & Athletic Center are serving as co-hosts of the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field National Championships for the second straight year. For more information on this year's event, log-on to www.ncaasports.com.