Ham Wins 10,000, Biunno Scores in Pair, Men’s Track & Field Fourth After First Day of Northeast-10 Championships
Posted: May 06, 2016

Ham Wins 10,000, Biunno Scores in Pair, Men’s Track & Field Fourth After First Day of Northeast-10 Championships

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (May 6, 2016) – Senior Colton Ham (Webster, N.H.) captured the title in the 10,000 meters on Friday, leading the way for the Franklin Pierce University men's track & field team on the first day of the Northeast-10 Conference Championships, hosted by American International. Elsewhere, senior Vinny Biunno (Montgomery, N.Y.) scored points in both the pole vault and long jump, as the Ravens sit fourth after the first day of the two-day event.

Franklin Pierce had five student-athletes and one relay team collect points across seven events, to total 30 points on the first day of the Northeast-10 Championships. Southern Connecticut State (82.5 points) leads the way, followed by host AIC (48 points) in second and Stonehill (40.5 points) in third, while Bentley (23 points) rounds out the top five, behind the Ravens.

Ham did the biggest chunk of damage on the day for the Ravens, as he chalked up 10 points by laying claim to the Northeast-10 title in the 10,000 meters, with a time of 31:08.03. Meanwhile, Biunno was worth 11 points, as he earned six for finishing third in the pole vault (4.40m) and five for placing fourth in the long jump (6.90m).

Ham was not the only Raven to score in the 10,000 meters, as he was joined by junior B.J. Smith (Concord, N.H.). Smith picked up five points for Franklin Pierce by finishing fourth in the event, with a time of 32:17.82.

Also on the track, Franklin Pierce picked up two points with a seventh-place finish in the 4x800-meter relay. Sophomore Joshua Ercolini (Woburn, Mass.), junior Matt Carpenter (Gloucester, Mass.), freshman Christopher Lord (North Andover, Mass.) and junior Jon Holmes (Albany, N.Y.) combined for a time of 7:52.40.

In field events, the Ravens picked up a point each from eighth-place finishes in the long jump and the hammer throw. In the long jump, junior Cory Cataldo (Tewksbury, Mass.) took eighth, with a leap of 6.76 meters. In the hammer, junior Mark Josselyn (Halifax, Mass.) finished eighth, with a throw of 44.64 meters.

In addition to his 11 points on Friday, Biunno also assured himself of more points on Saturday, as he advanced to the final of the 110-meter hurdles. Biunno turned in the fourth-fastest preliminary time (15.09) and finished second in his heat to move through to Saturday's final. He will be joined in the final by sophomore Craig Telfer (Lebanon, N.H.), who was the final qualifier, by turning in the eighth-fastest preliminary time (15.39).

Also on the track, sophomore Nicholas Jacques (Westfield, Mass.) qualified for the final in both the 100- and 200-meter dashes. He won his heat in the 100, with the fourth-fastest preliminary time (11.19). In the 200, he ran the eighth-fastest time (22.61) and was the final qualifier for Saturday's final.

Friday was also the first day of the decathlon at the Northeast-10 Championships, with two Ravens participating. Halfway through the event, junior Alex Bonitto (Lynn, Mass.) is fourth, out of nine competitors, with 3092 points, which is 339 off the lead and 73 points out of third place. Meanwhile, junior John Delahanty (Long Beach, N.Y.) is currently seventh, with 2741 points, which is 180 points in back of sixth place. Bonitto won the decathlon shot put, with a heave of 12.11 meters, which earned him 613 points. The highest point total for each came in the 400-meter dash, as Bonitto earned 745 points with a time of 51.53 seconds, while Delahanty picked up 677 points with a time of 53.11 seconds.

The Northeast-10 Championships will conclude on Saturday at American International.

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).