Vercollone won the 800-meter run and ran the lead leg for the first place DMR team. (PHOTO BY SportsPix) |
Vercollone wins 800m, Connolly strong in 60m & 200m
KINGSTON, R.I. (January 20, 2018) – The Stonehill College men's track & field team, led by its junior class, turned in several strong performances at the Sorlien Memorial Invitational, hosted by the University of Rhode Island, at Mackal Fieldhouse today.
Junior Stephen Vercollone (Pembroke, Massachusetts/Pembroke) won the 800-meter run in a New England Championships qualifying time of 1:56.06. He led a field of 23 runners, which included four of his teammates. Junior Lucas Taxter (Readville, Massachusetts/Xaverian Brothers) finished fourth in 1:58.23, while classmate Matthew Shaw (Goffstown, New Hampshire/Goffstown) was eighth in 2:00.86.
Vercollone and Taxter also led the Skyhawks 4000-meter distance medley relay which finished first in 10:34.66. Vercollone ran the 1200-meter lead leg, followed by junior Daniel Madsen (West Haven, Connecticut/Notre Dame-West Haven) for the 400-meter leg, with Taxter completing in the 800-meter leg and then classmate Alexander Demeule (Merrimac, Massachusetts/Pentucket Regional) taking the baton for the one mile anchor leg.
Demeule ran a leg for the DMR and also finished second in the one mile run. (PHOTO BY SportsPix) |
Demeule also finished second in the one mile run in 4:20.17, leading a pack of four Stonehill runners in the top five and seven overall. Senior Jimmy Murphy (Mansfield, Massachusetts/Mansfield) placed third in a personal-best time of 4:21.13, while freshman Kevin Wheelock (Melrose, Massachusetts/Melrose) was fourth in 4:24.17 and senior Kenny Vinacco (Scituate, Rhode Island/Scituate) fifth in a personal-best 4:26.06.
Junior Joe Connolly (Wilmington, Massachusetts/Austin Prep) finished sixth in the 60-meter dash final in 7.05-seconds after qualifying eighth in the prelims in 7.09-seconds. He was the lone Division II sprinter to advance to the final in a field that also included Northeast-10 Conference rivals Assumption College and Southern Connecticut State University. Sophomore Justin Ireland (Norton, Massachusetts/Norton) placed tenth in the prelims in 7.12-seconds.
Connolly and Ireland were also the top Division II finishers in the 200-meter dash, with Connolly placing third in the field of 35 sprinters in 22.50-seconds, while Ireland finished eighth in 22.82-seconds. Both Skyhawks have already secured New England Championships qualifications in the 200, with Connolly having already qualified in the 60-meter dash as well.
Junior Xavier Young (Barnegat, New Jersey/Barnegat) placed fifth in the shot put in his Stonehill debut, posting a New England Championships qualifying distance of 48-feet, 8.25-inches. Classmate Darren Shi (Yarmouth, Maine/Yarmouth) placed 11th at 46-07.50.
Connolly posted two strong performances in the 60m and 200m. (PHOTO BY SportsPix) |
Junior Riley Dowd (Peabody, Massachusetts/Peabody Veterans Memorial) finished third in the 3000-meter run in a personal-best time of 8:55.20, while classmate Christopher Drace (Franklin, New Jersey/Pope John XXIII) was right behind in fourth in a personal-best 8:56.50.
Madsen finished seventh in the 400-meter dash in 52.73-seconds.
Other Stonehill Results Include:
Senior Joshua Hubbell (Gloucester, Massachusetts/St. John's Prep) finished third in the long jump with a distance of 21-feet, 2.5-inches.
Senior Jordan Sullivan (Sound Beach, New York/Miller Place) placed fifth in the high jump as he cleared a height of 6-feet, 3.25-inches.
Senior Stefan Balestra (Lincoln, Rhode Island/Lincoln) placed ninth in the weight throw with a distance of 52-feet, 1.75-inches.
Freshman Ethan Famiano (Warwick, Rhode Island/Bishop Hendricken) placed ninth in a field of 18 in the 60-meter hurdles in 8.72-seconds, while classmate Collin Kuchachik (Orange, Connecticut/Amity Regional) was 11th in 8.84.
Junior Daniel Bomba (Putnam Valley, New York/Iona Prep) placed tenth in the pole vault, clearing a height of 13-feet, 1.5-inches.
Stonehill is back in action next Saturday, when it competes at both the Tufts Stampede, hosted by Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, as well as the John Thomas Terrier Invitational, hosted by Boston University, at 11 a.m.
For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Fans can also download the Stonehill Skyhawks "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market.
