Biunno Decathlon, 4x800m Relay Shine for Men’s Track & Field on First Day of Northeast-10 Outdoor Championship
Abrams qualifies for final in both 100m and 200m dashes
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On the first day of the Northeast-10 Championship, Gisore ran a 1:54.6 on the anchor leg of a 4x800-meter relay squad which finished fourth and picked up a point of his own by finishing eighth in the 1,500 meters.SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (May 3, 2013) – The 4x800-meter relay squad of the Franklin Pierce University men's track and field team turned in a 7:45.51 to finish fourth on Friday on the first day of the Northeast-10 Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championship, hosted by American International at John G. Hoyt Track and Field Complex. Meanwhile, halfway through the inaugural competition of the decathlon at the Northeast-10 level, freshman Vincent Biunno (Montgomery, N.Y.) leads the event after finishing first in three of Friday's five disciplines. Through the first day, the Ravens have amassed seven points and sit eighth in the 11-team meet, which will conclude on Saturday.
The most impressive point-scoring outing of the day for the Ravens came in the 4x800-meter relay, which shaved over 15 seconds off any time it ran since the start of the indoor season, and met the qualifying mark for next week's NEICAAA Championships along the way. With a lineup of freshman Colton Ham (Webster, N.H.) to freshman Isaac Fithian (Kingston, N.H.) to sophomore Makopa Rugabirwa (Concord, N.H.) to junior Antoine Gisore (Concord, N.H.), each of the four legs clocked in with sub-1:58 splits, capped by Gisore's 1:54.6 on the anchor. The fourth-place finish earned five points for the Ravens.
Though, perhaps the most impressive overall performance of the first day for Franklin Pierce will not yield points until Saturday's completion of the decathlon. The 2013 Championship marks the first time the Northeast-10 has contested a decathlon at the Conference level, and Biunno holds a 76-point lead (3,454 points) over Massachusetts Lowell junior Keith Lewis (3,378) halfway through the event. Biunno finished first in the long jump (6.58m) and 100-meter dash (11.59) to net 716 and 734 points, respectively. In addition, he tied for first in the high jump (1.97m) for 776 points, finished second in the 400 meters (50.25) for 803 points and placed third in the shot put (8.98m) for 425 points. He was joined in the decathlon by fellow freshman Shawn DeCost (Nashua, N.H.), who currently sits fourth (2,786). DeCost's strongest performance came in the 400 meters, where he finished fourth (53.45) and collected 663 points.
Meanwhile, on the track, freshman Mike Abrams (Newark, N.J.) turned in a pair of strong performances and will score on Saturday in both the 100- and 200-meter dashes after qualifying for the final of both events. In the 100-meter dash, he turned in an 11.18 to win the second heat and qualify third. In the 200-meter dash, he stopped the clock at 22.21 to finish second in the third heat and qualify fifth overall. On Saturday, the 100-meter final is scheduled for 2 p.m. and the 200-meter final is slated for 3:25 p.m.
Three other Ravens combined for two points on Friday to round out the first-day scoring for Franklin Pierce. In the 1,500 meters, Gisore turned in a season-best time of 3:57.47 to finish eighth and pick up a point. In the pole vault, freshman Max Fanwick (Wilton, Conn.) cleared 3.50 meters, a season-best for him as well. He finished in a tie for eighth with fellow freshman Connor Rogowsky (Nashua, N.H.), who also cleared 3.50 meters, as each picked up 0.50 points.
Another trio of student-athletes qualified for and competed in events on Friday at the Northeast-10 Championship, though none finished in scoring positions for Franklin Pierce. In the 10,000 meters, sophomore Eric Gallos (Ventnor, N.J.) knocked over 50 seconds off his best time of the season to finish 13th (33:59.77). Behind Gisore in the 1,500 meters, freshman Chris Birotte (Lynn, Mass.) also ran a season-best to finish 28th (4:17.12). In the discus, freshman Sharaj Prince (Roseau, Dominica) recorded a throw of 35.51 meters to finish 12th.
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).