Medway, Mass., native honored for fifth time during outdoor season after All-New England performance over the weekend
EASTON, Mass. (May 14, 2012) – Stonehill College freshmen Nicholas Staley (Medway, Mass./BC High) has been named the Northeast-10 Conference Field Rookie of the Week by the league office this afternoon.
Staley, who has also earned NE-10 Field Athlete of the Week honors once this spring, has now been named the NE-10 Field Rookie of the Week five times during the outdoor season and nine times overall during his first indoor and outdoor seasons at Stonehill. He helped lead Stonehill to a program-best third place finish at the New England Championships, hosted by MIT, over the weekend as he posted his second All-New England performance of his freshman season with a second place finish in the high jump. He cleared 6-feet, 8.75-inches to edge junior All-America teammate Corey Thomas (Brookline, Mass./BC High) on attempts. Staley also earned indoor All-New England honors in the high jump with a fourth place finish at the indoor championships in February (6-8.25).
Staley, ranked tenth nationally in Division II for the event, along with Thomas, is expected to receive an invitation to the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships, hosted by Colorado State University-Pueblo, May 24-26. He has provisionally qualified with his career-best leap of 6-feet, 11.75-inches to finish second to Thomas and earn All-Northeast-10 Conference honors at the NE-10 Championships on May 4. Staley won the high jump at the George Davis Invitational on April 7, also clearing 6-8.75. He has also competed in the long jump and 200-meter dash during his first outdoor season, posting a season-best distance of 20-feet, 5.75-inches to place eighth for the long jump at the Skyhawk Invitational.
Staley earned All-East Region honors from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) following his first collegiate indoor season in the high jump with his season-best leap of 6-feet, 10.25-inches at the Charley Torpey Memorial Invitational that provisionally qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships and finished ranked 17th nationally. He earned All-New England honors with his fourth place finish at the New England Championships (6-8.25). Staley also posted a pair of first place finishes in the high jump during the indoor season at the Reggie Poyau Invitational (6-8) at Brandeis and Jay Carisella Invitational (6-9.75) at Northeastern to go with two other second place showings.
Stonehill, ranked third in the most recent USTFCCCA Division II East Regional rankings, will now await the official NCAA Championship qualifiers when they are announced this week. The 2012 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships, hosted by Colorado State University-Pueblo at Eddie DeRose ThunderBowl, will be held Thursday, May 24, through Saturday, May 26.
