Biunno, Cataldo qualify for 60-meter hurdles semifinals

BOSTON (February 26, 2016) – Junior Jon Holmes (Albany, N.Y.), sophomore Joshua Ercolini (Woburn, Mass.), junior Dage Minors (Hamilton Parish, Bermuda) and junior B.J. Smith (Concord, N.H.) combined to shave more than five seconds off the school record in the distance medley relay on Friday, leading the way for the Franklin Pierce University men's track and field team on the first day of the NEICAAA Championships (New England Championships). The quartet finished third at the BU Track & Tennis Center, with what stands as the eighth-fastest time in the nation so far in 2015-16.

The time of 9:54.79 earned Franklin Pierce six points at the meet, but more importantly, has NCAA Championship implications for the Ravens. Franklin Pierce had already met the NCAA provisional qualifying standard in the event, but Friday's run moved the squad all the way up to eighth in the nation. Sunday is the final day of the qualifying window, after which the top 12 relay teams in the country will qualify for the NCAA Championships.

Elsewhere on Friday, the Ravens also picked up a point in the long jump, courtesy of junior Cory Cataldo (Tewksbury, Mass.), who finished eighth, with a leap of 6.94 meters. Cataldo was one of three Ravens to compete in the long jump at New Englands, as senior Vinny Biunno (Montgomery, N.Y.) tied for 10th with a leap of 6.83 meters, and sophomore Rindal Pierre-Canel (Randolph, Mass.) took 14th with a jump of 6.71 meters.

Biunno and Cataldo were also both in action in the 60-meter hurdles preliminaries on Friday, along with sophomore Craig Telfer (Lebanon, N.H.). Biunno and Cataldo both advanced to Saturday's semifinals, as the former tied for the eighth-fastest heat time (8.33) and the latter was the last man to advance, with the 16th-fastest heat time (8.45). For his part, Telfer finished 28th, with a time of 8.75 seconds.

The remaining Raven in action on Friday was freshman Jaris Neville (Atlanta, Ga.), who competed in the preliminaries of both the 60-meter and 200-meter dashes. He finished tied for 22nd in the 60-meter dash, with a time of 7.16 seconds, while placing 23rd in the 200-meter dash, with a time of 22.45 seconds.

The NEICAAA Championships conclude on Saturday at the BU Track & Tennis Center.

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).