Zawalich Leads Program Record 20 USTFCCCA All-Region Performers for Stonehill


Zawalich

Cooney

Smith

Kirkpatrick

Baldasare

Cina

Dixon

Fontanella

Leonard

Moules

Cormier

Grubel
 
Perkins

Staley

Paxton, Mass., junior All-American collects All-East honors in three events 

EASTON, Mass. (March 8, 2014) – Junior All-American Daniel Zawalich (Paxton, Mass./St. John's of Shrewsbury) leads a program record matching list of 20 All-East Region performances for the Stonehill College men's track and field program the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced this week. The awards recognize each region's top five performers in individual events and top three teams in relay events.

Zawalich earns All-East Region honors for three events to lead Stonehill's 14 student-athletes who have earned the 20 All-Region awards, matching the previous program high set during the 2012 outdoor season. The 20 All-East performances is a program record for the indoor season. Zawalich has now collected eight All-Region awards over his three year career, including seven indoor honors. His career-best three this winter have come for his season-best performances for the one mile run and 3000-meter run as well as his role with the 4000-meter distance relay team, which will compete at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships in Winston-Salem, N.C., next weekend. Zawalich earned All-America honors as part of the DMR in 2012 that placed sixth at the NCAA Championships.

Junior All-American Patrick Cooney (Douglaston, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy), classmate Robert Smith (Woburn, Mass./Woburn Memorial), sophomore Nick Kirkpatrick (Carmel, Ind./Brebeuf Jesuit Prep) and freshman Matt Baldasare (Mansfield, Mass./Mansfield) all earned All-East Region honors for Stonehill in two events. Rounding out the Skyhawks All-Region performers are seniors Paul Cina (Pembroke, Mass./Pembroke), Xavier Dixon (New Bedford, Mass./New Bedford), Trent Fontanella (Pelham, N.H./Bishop Guertin), Stephen Leonard (Chatham, N.J./Chatham) and Tyler Moules (Billerica, Mass./Billerica) and juniors Daniel Cormier (Methuen, Mass./Methuen), Teague Grubel (Phoenix, Ariz./Shadow Mountain), Ryan Perkins (Shrewsbury, Mass./St. John's of Shrewsbury) and Nick Staley (Medway, Mass./BC High).

In addition to the distance medley relay team, featuring Zawalich, Baldasare, Cooney and Kirkpatrick, Stonehill's 4x400-meter relay of Baldasare, Grubel, Moules and Smith was also among the top three in the East Region for that event to collect All-Region status.

Staley, who earned All-America honors for the high jump at the 2013 NCAA Indoor Championships, collects his third indoor All-Region award for the event and fifth overall. Staley will make his second-straight NCAA Indoor Championship appearance in Winston-Salem next weekend. Cooney, who earned All-America honors as part of the 2012 DMR, now has six All-Region honors to his credit with his pair this winter, also collecting the honors for the 800-meter run. Joining Staley and the men's DMR at the NCAA Championships will be Dixon, who earns his seventh All-Region award overall and fourth for the 60-meter hurdles in which he will compete next week in his NCAA Championships debut.

Cormier is now a five-time All-Region thrower for Stonehill, picking up his third indoor award and second for the weight throw. Cina earns his second All-Region award, first indoor, for his efforts in the 5000-meter run. First time honorees for the Skyhawks are Baldasare (DMR/4x400), Fontanella (3000m), Grubel (4x400), Leonard (5000m), Moules (4x400), Perkins (pole vault) and Smith (400m/4x400). 

Stonehill's Men's Indoor Track & Field All-Region performers:
Matt Baldasare, Freshman (Mansfield, Mass./Mansfield)

4000-meter distance medley relay (9:53.64/David Hemery Valentine Invitational) – NCAA Qualifier
4x400-meter relay (3:18.08/New England Indoor Championships – School Record) 

Paul Cina, Senior (Pembroke, Mass./Pembroke)
5000-meter run (14:53.95/John Thomas Terrier Invitational)

Patrick Cooney, Junior (Douglaston, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy)
4000-meter distance medley relay (9:53.64/David Hemery Valentine Invitational) – NCAA Qualifier
800-meter run (1:52.46/David Hemery Valentine Invitational), NCAA provisional qualifier 

Daniel Cormier, Junior (Methuen, Mass./Methuen)
Weight Throw (54-feet, 8-inches/Northeast-10 Indoor Championships)

Xavier Dixon, Senior (New Bedford, Mass./New Bedford)
60-meter high hurdles (8.00-seconds/Northeast-10 Indoor Championships) – NCAA Qualifier

Trent Fontanella, Senior (Pelham, N.H./Bishop Guertin)
3000-meter run (8:29.90/David Hemery Valentine Invitational)

Teague Grubel, Junior (Phoenix, Ariz./Shadow Mountain)
4x400-meter relay (3:18.08/New England Indoor Championships – School Record)

Nick Kirkpatrick, Sophomore (Carmel, Ind./Brebeuf Jesuit Prep)
4000-meter distance medley relay (9:53.64/David Hemery Valentine Invitational) – NCAA Qualifier
One Mile Run (4:17.70/URI Coaches' Tribute Meet) 

Stephen Leonard, Senior (Chatham, N.J./Chatham)
5000-meter run (14:52.72/New England Indoor Championships)

Tyler Moules, Senior (Billerica, Mass./Billerica)
4x400-meter relay (3:18.08/New England Indoor Championships – School Record)

Ryan Perkins, Junior (Shrewsbury, Mass./St. John's of Shrewsbury)
Pole Vault (12-feet, 7.5-inches/Northeast-10 Indoor Championships)

Robert Smith, Junior (Woburn, Mass./Woburn Memorial)
400-meter dash (49.31-seconds/New England Indoor Championships)
4x400-meter relay (3:18.08/New England Indoor Championships – School Record) 

Nick Staley, Junior (Medway, Mass./BC High)
High Jump (6-feet, 11.50-inches/New England Indoor Championships) - NCAA qualifier

Daniel Zawalich, Sophomore (Paxton, Mass./St. John's of Shrewsbury)
4000-meter distance medley relay (9:53.64/David Hemery Valentine Invitational) – NCAA Qualifier
One Mile Run (4:16.88/URI Coaches Tribute Meet)
3000-meter run (8:40.84/URI Sorlien Invitational)

Stonehill's distance medley relay team as well as Dixon and Staley will represent the College at the 2014 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships in Winston-Salem, N.C., next Friday and Saturday, March 14-15.

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