Ravens put three in top eight in both 200m and 1,500m

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. (March 16, 2013) – Freshman Mike Abrams (Newark, N.J.) finished first in the 200-meter dash and second in the 100-meter dash on Saturday for the Franklin Pierce University men's track and field team, as the program made its outdoor debut at the Wagner Invitational, held at Wagner College Stadium. In all, Franklin Pierce piled up eight top-three finishes in individual events.

Abrams showcased his sprinting ability in Richmond County on Saturday. His win in the 33-entrant field in the 200-meter dash came with a time of 22.74, while he posted an 11.21 to finish second out of 25 runners in the 100-meter dash. He had company in the top 10 of each event, as freshman Shawn DeCost (Nashua, N.H.) ran an 11.80 to tie for fifth in the 100 meters, while freshman Ryan Dionne (Amesbury, Mass.) posted a 24.13 to finish eighth in the 200 meters.

The Ravens really made hay in a pair of longer-distance events, as the squad piled up five top-eight finishes between the 1,500 meters and the 5,000 meters. Freshman Isaac Fithian (Kingston, N.H.) led the way in the 1,500, with a 4:12.69 to finish fifth out of 36 runners. He was joined by junior Antoine Gisore (Concord, N.H.) in sixth (4:16.14) and freshman Chaz Munroe (Concord, N.H.) in eighth (4:20.91). In the 5,000, freshman Colton Ham (Webster, N.H.) placed second (15:22.72), followed by sophomore Makopa Rugabirwa (Concord, N.H.) in third (15:28.36).

Elsewhere on the track, in the 800 meters, freshman Ryan Cross (Suffern, N.Y.) finished second (2:02.22), with freshman Sean Colford (Epping, N.H.) in tow in third (2:03.15), as Franklin Pierce picked up another pair of top-three finishes. Freshman Vincent Biunno (Montgomery, N.Y.) rounded out the individual track highlights with a third-place finish in the 110-meter hurdles (15.69).

Biunno also provided one of the strongest field performances for the Ravens, as he placed fourth out of 22 jumpers in the long jump (6.31m). Meanwhile, in the pole vault, freshman Max Fanwick (Wilton, Conn.) finished third (3.23m) out of six.

A pair of relay teams rounded out the day for Franklin Pierce. The 4x800-meter team finished first in a three-team race, as Ham to Fithian to Munroe to Colford ran an 8:27.45. Elsewhere, a lineup of Fithian, freshman Mike Frappier (Concord, N.H.), freshman Sam Harvey (Princeton, Mass.) and sophomore Eric Gallos (Ventnor, N.J.) finished fourth out of nine in the 4x400-meter relay by stopping the clock at 3:49.70.

The Ravens are back on the track on Wednesday, March 20, at the Snowflake Classic, hosted by Tufts University at Dussault Outdoor Track in Medford, Mass.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce track and field apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' brand new online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).