Stonehill's 4x800 relay from the 2015 Outdoor Season earned Relay of the Year honors for its performance at the New England Championships above. (LEFT to RIGHT: Kirkpatrick, Zawalich, Burleigh and Cooney)

Skyhawks relay recognized for best time in Division II for 2015 outdoor season

USTFCCCA Relay of the Year Announcement

EASTON, Mass. (December 18, 2015) – Stonehill College's men's 4x800-meter relay team has been honored by Accusplit and the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association (USTFCCCA) with Relay of the Year honors for having the fastest time at the NCAA Division II level during the 2015 outdoor track & field season.

It marks the second time in program history that a men's relay has earned the national award, both being Stonehill's 4x800 after it received the recognition in 2011 – the first year Accusplit and the USTFCCCA extended the honors to Division II. Recent graduates and All-Americans Patrick Cooney '15 and Daniel Zawalich '15 as well as All-American Nick Kirkpatrick, who is continuing his career at the University of Notre Dame as part of Stonehill's dual degree program with the University, and current junior Duncan Burleigh (Hingham, Massachusetts/Hingham) comprised the Skyhawks relay that earns the recognition for a second time.

The Stonehill 4x800 earned the top mark in Division II last spring with its second place finish at the New England Championships with a school-record time of 7:33.66, finishing behind only Division I University of New Hampshire (meet-record 7:26.63). Cooney ran the lead leg, followed by Burleigh and Zawalich before Kirkpatrick completed the anchor leg to earn All-New England honors in the event. They broke the previous school mark of 7:34.77 at the 2014 New England Championships.

The group also earned All-Northeast-10 honors last spring after a second place finish at the NE-10 Championships with a time of 7:37.32 – being clipped at the tape by 0.12-seconds.

The Stonehill men's track & field program is off until Saturday, January 16, when it competes at the Beantown Challenge, hosted by Harvard University, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at 11 a.m.

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