Thomas is ranked #2 for the high jump and #4 for the 60-meter hurdles as he chases a pair of national championships on Friday and Saturday. (PHOTO BY Richard Orr) |
Skyhawks among favorites in high jump, Thomas also to compete in hurdles
SCHEDULE (All times Central Standard Time)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (March 7, 2013) – Stonehill College senior All-American Corey Thomas (Brookline, Mass./BC High) and sophomore Nick Staley (Medway, Mass./BC High) will represent Stonehill College, ranked 13th in this week's U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division II Championship rankings, at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships, as part of the Division II Championships Festival, at CrossPlex Complex in Birmingham, Ala., this weekend.
The duo will go head to head in the high jump, while Thomas will also compete in the 60-meter high hurdles. Thomas and Staley are among the favorites for the high jump championship, which will be held on Friday at 6:15 p.m. (EST). Thomas is ranked No. 2 in the country with his school-record height of 7-feet, 3-inches, set at the Joe Donahue Indoor Collegiate Games in January, while Staley is ranked No. 4 with his personal best height of 7-feet, 0.25-inches during his New England Championship winning performance two weeks ago. The pair is the first high jumpers from the same school to clear seven feet in New England since Boston University in 1985.
Thomas seeks his second indoor high jump national title in his final indoor NCAA Championship this weekend. He captured the first national championship in Stonehill track & field history in 2011 as a sophomore when he cleared 7-feet, 0.50-inches. Thomas, who earned his third NE-10 Indoor Athlete of the Year award this winter, is a six-time All-American, having earned the honors all three indoor championships for the high jump to date, to go with a pair of outdoor high jump honors and one All-America performance in the 60-meter hurdles. He placed third at last year's event with a height of 7-0.25.
Staley has qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships for the first time and seeks his first All-America honor. (PHOTO BY Richard Orr) |
Thomas is also ranked fourth in the 60-meter hurdles with his school-record time of 7.88-seconds in a second place finish at the New England Championships for his eighth indoor All-New England performance overall. The prelims will be Friday at 4:15 p.m. (EST), with the top eight qualifying for Saturday's finals at 4:25 p.m. (EST). Thomas won both the high jump and 60-meter hurdles titles at the Northeast-10 Championships last month, marking a clean sweep of hurdles championships over his four years at Stonehill as well as his second high jump title.
Thomas, a three-time USTFCCCA East Region Athlete of the Year, seeks a second All-America hurdles performance, having earned the status with a fifth place finish at the 2011 Championships in a then school-record 8.08-seconds. He will be competing in the high jump and hurdles for the fourth straight year at the indoor championships, having missed out on the hurdles final in 2010 and 2012.
Staley is making his first appearance at the NCAA Indoor Championships, having qualified for the Outdoor Championships as a freshman last spring. He seeks his first All-America performance, having tied for ninth with Thomas at 6-10.75 last spring. Staley enters the NCAA Championships on a high note after capturing his first New England Championship two weeks ago as well as indoor All-Northeast-10 honors for the first time with a second place effort last month as well.
Staley is a three-time All-East Region performer, having earned All-New England honors three times, All-Conference twice. Staley's personal best outdoor high jump is 6-11.75 set in a second place effort at the 2012 NE-10 Championships, finishing behind Thomas.
Live video coverage of this weekend's NCAA Championships will be available via www.ncaa.com, with links also available via the Stonehill athletics website and the links at the top of this page.
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