Abrams finishes fourth in 100m, sixth in 200m

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (May 4, 2013) – After winning three decathlon events on Friday, freshman Vincent Biunno (Montgomery, N.Y.) added two more triumphs on Saturday to finish off his Conference title in the decathlon on the second day of the Northeast-10 Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championship, hosted by American International at John G. Hoyt Track and Field Complex. In total, Franklin Pierce picked up 58 points to finish fifth in the 11-team meet.

Biunno came into Saturday with a 76-point lead and would more than double it before things were said and done, as he piled up 6,216 points to win by 197 and meet the NCAA Championship provisional qualifying standard in the event. He won both the 110-meter hurdles (15.50) and the 1,500 meters (4:36.92) on Saturday to earn 790 and 700 points, respectively. In addition, he placed second in the javelin (40.69m) for 452 points, took third in the pole vault (3.50m) for 482 points and finished fourth in the discus (23.46m) for 338 points.

Biunno's victory is the first Northeast-10 title for Franklin Pierce and comes in the team's inaugural season. The win earned 10 points for the Ravens in the team competition as well.

Franklin Pierce also got five more decathlon points from freshman Shawn DeCost (Nashua, N.H.), who finished fourth (4,979). He was the only competitor to better Biunno in the javelin, as he finished first (42.66m). DeCost placed third in both the discus (23.77m) and 1,500 meters (5:03.79).

In sprint events, freshman Mike Abrams (Newark, N.J.) ran in the final of both the 100- and 200-meter dashes on Saturday. In the 100, he ran a season-best time of 11.02 seconds to finish fourth and earn five points. In the 200, he posted a 22.32 to finish sixth and earn three points.

Franklin Pierce found five other top-five finishes along the way, as it had a solid day across all disciplines on Saturday. Junior Antoine Gisore (Concord, N.H.) ran his fastest 5,000 meters of the outdoor season (14:48.78) to finish third and pick up six points. The all-freshman 4x100-meter relay squad of Ryan Dionne (Amesbury, Mass.), Adam-Corey Rander (Bronx, N.Y.), Connor Rogowsky (Nashua, N.H.) and Abrams knocked 0.53 seconds off its fastest time of the season to finish third (42.83) and collect another six points. Freshman Colton Ham (Webster, N.H.) ran a 9:31.54 and dropped over 25 seconds off his season-best in the 3,000-meter steeplechase to meet the NEICAAA qualifying mark and finish fourth for five points. Another fourth-place finished earned another five points and came in the 4x400-meter relay (3:19.95) via a lineup of Biunno, Rander, freshman Chaz Munroe (Concord, N.H.) and Abrams. Rander finished fifth in the triple jump (13.81m) with yet another season-best to earn four points.

Freshman Mitchel McNanna (Milford, Mass.) rounded out the scoring for Franklin Pierce on the afternoon in the 400-meter hurdles. He ran a season-best 59.64 to finish seventh and pick up two points.

The Ravens had seven other individuals compete on Saturday, including four more season-best times. Munroe placed 12th in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (10:17.57), freshman Sean Colford (Epping, N.H.) finished 13th in the steeplechase (10:18.89), freshman Isaac Fithian (Kingston, N.H.) was 20th in the 800 meters (1:57.88) and freshman Chris Birotte (Lynn, Mass.) wound up 39th in the 800 (2:03.32).

Rounding out the participation for Franklin Pierce were a 13th-place finish by Ham in the 5,000 meters (15:32.17), a 19th-place finish from freshman Mike Frappier (Concord, N.H.) in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (10:53.25) and a 20th-place finish by sophomore Kevin Sadoski in the 400 meters (53.47).

Southern Connecticut State (228 points) chalked up its 11th consecutive Northeast-10 title with a 61-point victory over second place Massachusetts Lowell (167) in the team competition. Stonehill (114) and host American International (80) finished third and fourth, respectively, directly in front of Franklin Pierce.

The Ravens return to the track on Thursday, May 9 through Saturday, May 11 at the NEICAAA Outdoor Championship, hosted by Stonehill at W.B. Mason Stadium in Easton, 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).