Junior All-American Corey Thomas won his third-straight 55-meter hurdles title and also collected All-Conference honors in the high jump for the third-straight year. (PHOTO BY Richard Orr)

Thomas wins third-straight 55-meter hurdles title and DMW wins championship to lead seven All-Northeast-10 Conference performances for Skyhawks

Stonehill, which came away with two event championships and seven All-Northeast-10 Conference performances overall, compiled 150 points to push Southern Connecticut State University who captured its tenth straight team title with 165.50 points. American International College finished third with 138 points, while the University of Massachusetts Lowell took fourth (97) and the University of New Haven (64) rounded out the top five.

Stonehill took the top two spots in the 55-meter high hurdles for the second-straight year as junior All-American Corey Thomas (Brookline, Mass./BC High) won his third-straight NE-10 championship in that event with his time of 7.57-seconds in the final after qualifying first (out of 16 entries) in 7.65-seconds. Sophomore Xavier Harris-Dixon (New Bedford, Mass./New Bedford) placed second to Thomas for the second-straight year to earn All-Conference honors with an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 7.72-seconds, marking the first time he has reached the NCAA Championship qualifying mark. He qualified second as well in 7.72-seconds in the prelims.

Thomas, the reigning NCAA Division II indoor high jump champion, saw his bid for a second-straight NE-10 title in that event edged out by New Haven sophomore Matthew Jeune, who cleared an NE-10 championships record 7-feet, 2.25-inches. Thomas took second with his height of 7-feet, 0.25-inches to earn All-Conference honors in that event for the third-straight year – giving him six career indoor All-Conference performances. Freshman Nicholas Staley (Medway, Mass./BC High) placed third by clearing 6-08.25.

Junior All-American Sean Hanlon helped guide the Skyhawks to the DMR championship and also collected All-Conference honors in the 800-meter run. (PHOTO BY Richard Orr)

Stonehill's 4000-meter distance medley relay team captured the NE-10 Championship with its winning time of 10:16.90 to shade runner-up American International (10:17.70) by less than a second. Leading the Skyhawks to the title were freshman Daniel Zawalich (Paxton, Mass./St. John's) on the opening 1200-meter lead leg, sophomore Shawn Cronin (Peabody, Mass./Peabody Veterans Memorial) on the 400-meter second leg and junior All-American Sean Hanlon (Georgetown, Mass./St. John's Prep) running the 800-meter third leg, with sophomore Justin Blaszczyk (Saint James, N.Y./Smithtown) running the mile anchor leg.

Hanlon also earned All-Conference honors in the 800-meter run with his second place finish in 1:56.88 – just 0.87-seconds behind winner Brian Robbins from Southern Connecticut State. Zawalich was right behind Hanlon in third with his time of 1:57.07, while Cronin also earned points for the Skyhawks with his seventh place finish in 1:59.94.

Stonehill's 4x800-meter relay team placed second to Southern Connecticut State with a time of 8:01.69. Earning All-Conference honors for that event for the Skyhawks were freshman Nicholas Capezzuto (North Reading, Mass./North Reading) on the lead leg, junior Tim Johnson (Thomaston, Conn./Thomaston) second and sophomore Christopher Dooley (Weymouth, Mass./Weymouth) third, with freshman Patrick Cooney (Douglaston, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) on the anchor leg.

Blaszczyk and Cooney ran third and fourth respectively for Stonehill in the 1000-meter run with New England Championship qualifying times. Blaszczyk was third in 2:28.56, while Cooney took fourth in 2:29.82.

Capezzuto also finished sixth to earn points for Stonehill in the 500-meter run with his time of 1:06.23. Junior Daniel Padilla (Bronx, N.Y./Mount Saint Michael Academy) placed ninth in 1:09.89.

Junior Ethan Penney (Haverhill, Mass./Haverhill) earned All-Conference honors with his second place finish (out of 18 runners) in the 5000-meter run with his time of 15:04.04. Sophomore Paul Cina (Pembroke, Mass./Pembroke) collected a point for the Skyhawks with his eighth place finish in 15:32.08, while classmate Michael Amirault (Walpole, Mass./Xaverian Brothers) was ninth in 15:35.25 and classmate Stephen Leonard (Chatham, N.J./Chatham) rounded out the top ten in 15:37.78.

Senior Stephen Polito (Worcester, Mass./Doherty Memorial) turned in a third place finish in the 3000-meter run with his time of 8:35.61 to lead six Skyhawks in the field of 23 runners overall in the event. Sophomore Trent Fontanella (Pelham, N.H./Bishop Guertin) placed fifth in 8:45.14 to earn points for the Skyhawks, while classmate Scott Waller (Andover, Mass./Andover) fell just outside the points in ninth at 8:57.89.

Junior Ethan Penney earned All-Conference honors in the 5000-meter run.

Four Stonehill triple-jumpers earned points for that event, led by sophomore Herby Saintil (Roslindale, Mass./BC High) with his third place finish with a distance of 44-feet, 10.25-inches. Sophomore George Georgaklis (Westwood, Mass./Westwood) cleared 44-00.75 to place fourth, while freshman Robert Smith (Woburn, Mass./Woburn Memorial) took fifth at 43-03.75. Sophomore Alex Willgoos (Newington, Conn./Newington) rounded out the point earners for the Skyhawks with his eighth place finish at 42-09.00.

Stonehill put three runners in the points in the mile run, led by junior Samuel Spencer (Seekonk, Mass./Seekonk) in fifth with a New England Championship qualifying time of 4:16.73. Dooley took sixth in 4:18.08, while Johnson finished seventh in 4:18.82.

Senior Daniel Kincade (Brookfield, Conn./Brookfield) turned in a third place finish in the weight throw with his distance of 53-feet, 10.50-inches.

Juniors Kevin McCann (Monroe, Conn./Masuk) and Luke Byrnes (Glen Head, N.Y./Chaminade) tied for third in the pole vault as both used the same number of jumps to clear 13-feet, 7.25-inches. Sophomore Ryan Perkins (Shrewsbury, Mass./St. John's) also cleared 13-07.25, but needed more attempts and placed fifth overall.

Freshman Teague Grubel (Phoenix, Ariz./Shadow Mountain) placed seventh in the 55-meter dash final in 6.73-seconds after qualifying eighth in 6.68. He also posted a 12^th place finish in the 200-meter dash in 23.06-seconds.

Senior captain John Driscoll (Revere, Mass./Revere) turned in a tenth place finish (out of 23 competitors) in the 400-meter dash with his time of 50.85-seconds.

Driscoll, Grubel, Padilla and junior Colin Prior (Georgetown, Mass./St. John's Prep) all ran for Stonehill's 4x400-meter relay team that placed sixth with a time of 3:31.02.

Freshman Ian Parsons (Nashua, N.H./Nashua South) placed ninth in the shot put with a distance of 43-feet, 4.25-inches.

Stonehill is back in action next weekend for the New England Championships, hosted by Boston University at the BU Track & Tennis Center, on Friday and Saturday.