Holmes, Minors strong at URI as well

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. (February 6, 2016) – No fewer than eight members of the Franklin Pierce University men's track & field team turned in marks which were both season bests and ranked in the top 15 in the Northeast-10 Conference on Saturday at the Wesleyan Indoor Invitational.

Four Ravens posted event wins at Wesleyan on Saturday, led by junior B.J. Smith (Concord, N.H.), who turned in a time of 8:41.41 in the 3000 meters. After conversion for NCAA track standards, the time becomes an 8:35.42, which is good for fourth place in the Northeast-10 on the season. Franklin Pierce's other wins on the day came via a mile time of 4:40.19 from freshman Christopher Lord (North Andover, Mass.), a long jump of 6.50 meters from sophomore Rindal Pierre-Canel (Randolph, Mass.) and a triple jump of 14.46 meters from graduate student Andre Wooten (St. Charles, Mo.).

Pierre-Canel added a season-best mark of 13.67 meters in the triple jump, which was good enough for second place and currently ranks 11th in the Northeast-10. Meanwhile, Smith was joined in the 3000 meters by senior Colton Ham (Webster, N.H.), who turned in an 8:43.11 to finish second. After conversion, the time is a season-best 8:37.10 and ranks sixth in the Conference.

Franklin Pierce added a fifth event win, as the 4x800-meter relay posted a time of 8:31.82 to finish first. After converting down to 8:24.61, the time stands at fifth in the Northeast-10 and was turned in by a lineup of junior Matt Carpenter (Gloucester, Mass.), sophomore Joshua Ercolini (Woburn, Mass.), Lord and senior Chris Birotte (Lynn, Mass.).

Two other individuals posted noteworthy season bests at Wesleyan on Saturday. In the 60-meter hurdles, junior Mark Choiniere (Ballston Spa, N.Y.) finished fourth with a time of 8.92 seconds in the final. His season best came in his preliminary heat, where he ran a time of 8.77 seconds, which is currently good for 12th in the Northeast-10. In the 60-meter dash, freshman Jaris Neville (Atlanta, Ga.) turned in a season-best mark of 7.15 seconds to finish second. His time currently sits tied for 15th in the league.

On the field side of things, a pair of pole vaulters cleared 3.95 meters, with each posting his season best while doing so. Senior Chris Bohi (Loudon, N.H.) finished third, while junior John Delahanty (Long Beach, N.Y.) placed fourth, and both are currently tied for sixth in the Northeast-10 in the event. In the high jump, freshman Raymond Miller (Madison, Maine) got up and over 1.68 meters to finish ninth and move into 13th in the Conference.

Meanwhile, a pair of Ravens were in Kingston, R.I. to compete in the mile at the Coaches' Tribute Meet, hosted by the University of Rhode Island. Junior Dage Minors (Hamilton Parish, Bermuda) won the event with a time of 4:17.5, which converts down to a season-best mark of 4:14.51 and is good for fourth in the Northeast-10. Junior Jon Holmes (Albany, N.Y.) moved to ninth in the Northeast-10, as he placed fifth with a time of 4:23.71, which converts down to 4:20.39.

The Ravens return to the track on Saturday, February 13, when they travel to Boston for the David Hemery Valentine Invitational, hosted by Boston University.

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).