Cormier |
Methuen, Mass., native collects NE-10 Field Athlete of the Week for first time
4000-meter distance medley relay recognized for top ten national performance
EASTON, Mass. (February 12, 2013) – Stonehill College sophomore thrower Daniel Cormier (Methuen, Mass./Methuen) and the men's 4000-meter distance medley relay team collected weekly track and field honors from the Northeast-10 Conference on Tuesday.
Cormier earns NE-10 Field Athlete of the Week honors for the first time in his career, while the distance medley relay became the second Skyhawks relay team to collect NE-10 Relay of the Week accolades after highlighting Stonehill's performances at the weather delayed Tufts University Cupid Challenge at Gantcher Athletic Center in Medford, Mass., on Monday night.
Cormier posted a pair of top three performances, winning the shot put with a school-record distance of 47-feet, 3.75-inches. He broke his own previous record of 46-11.50 set with a second place finish at the season-opening UMass Boston Indoor Invitational on December 1. Cormier also turned in a third place effort in the weight throw on Monday with his throw of 51-feet, 2.25-inches.
Cormier has finished in the top ten in both the shot put and weight throw in each of the six events Stonehill has competed in this winter. He has eight top five finishes, including his first career event win with his shot put victory on Monday, with four each in the shot and weight. In addition to his school-record shot put distance at Tufts on Monday night, Cormier's season and personal-best in the weight throw is 51-feet, 5.5-inches in a seventh place showing at the University of Rhode Island Coaches' Tribute Invitational on February 2.
Zawalich |
Spencer |
Hanlon |
Johnson |
Cormier, who has earned NE-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll status all three semesters at Stonehill as well as Athletic Director's Honor Roll one semester, earned All-East Region honors from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) for the shot put last spring. He posted a personal-best distance of 47-feet, 9-inches, to place fourth at the NE-10 Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Cormier also competed in the hammer throw in his first collegiate season, reaching a season-high 117-feet, 6-inches at the UMass Lowell George Davis Invitational.
Stonehill's 4000-meter distance medley relay team made its 2012-13 season debut at Tufts on Monday night and provisionally qualified for the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships next month in Birmingham, Ala., with its time of 10:06.93 to place second overall. With the Skyhawks conversion from their flat track time, their adjusted time of 9:58.80 is currently ranked eighth nationally in Division II.
Two returning All-Americans in the event highlighted the participants for Stonehill on Monday as sophomore All-American Daniel Zawalich (Paxton, Mass./St John's of Shrewsbury) completed the opening 1200-meter leg in 3:04.4, before senior Sam Spencer (Seekonk, Mass./Seekonk), an alternate for last year's All-America performing team, posted a 50.8-second split on the 400-meter leg, senior two-time event All-American Sean Hanlon (Georgetown, Mass./St. John's Prep) ran the 800-meter leg in 1:56.1 and then senior Tim Johnson (Thomaston, Conn./Thomaston) posted a time of 4:16.7 on the 1600-meter anchor leg.
The distance medley relay is the second Stonehill team to earn Relay of the Week honors in the weekly award's inaugural season, joining the Skyhawks 4x800-meter relay that has collected the honors twice so far this winter. All four of Monday's DMR participants have been part of one of the two 4x800 relays that have received weekly honors this season. Spencer, Johnson and Hanlon all ran legs for the team that earned the award on January 21, after winning the event at the URI Sorlien Invitational with a time of 8:11.22. Zawalich ran the anchor leg a week later at the Joe Donahue Indoor Collegiate Games as the Skyhawks placed second in 7:59.94 to receive Relay of the Week a second time. Johnson also earned NE-10 Track Athlete of the Week accolades last week.
Stonehill, ranked 24th in this week's USTFCCCA Division II Championship index, opens its championship season this Saturday with the Northeast-10 Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Roxbury, Mass., at 4 p.m.
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