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Wins Pile Up for Men’s Track & Field at Wesleyan Spring Classic

Wins Pile Up for Men’s Track & Field at Wesleyan Spring Classic

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. (March 25, 2017) – Due to weather, the opening meet of the outdoor season was moved indoors at Wesleyan on Saturday, but the Franklin Pierce University men's track & field team chalked up the wins anyway, at the Wesleyan Spring Classic. In all, the Ravens collected seven wins and 25 top-five finishes on the day.

Senior Jon Holmes (Albany, N.Y.) and sophomore Jaris Neville (Atlanta, Ga.) each posted doubles on Saturday to lead the Ravens. Holmes was victorious in both the 800 meters (2:01.64) and the 1500 meters (4:03.24), while Neville chalked up wins in the 100- (11.53) and 200-meter (23.41) dashes.

Four other Ravens posted a pair of top-five finishes each on the day. Senior Cory Cataldo (Tewksbury, Mass.) placed second in the 100-meter dash (11.53) and third in the long jump (6.60m). Senior Mark Choiniere (Ballston Spa, N.Y.) finished second in both the 60-meter hurdles (9.34) and the pole vault (3.50m). Freshman Jebediah Hogan (Gloucester, Mass.) took third in the 200-meter dash (23.91) and fifth in the 100-meter dash (11.86). Meanwhile, junior Rindal Pierre-Canel (Randolph, Mass.) won the triple jump (13.53m) and finished fifth in the long jump (6.37m).

One other Raven picked up an individual victory on Saturday, as junior Craig Telfer (Lebanon, N.H.) took first in the 60-meter hurdles (8.81).

Franklin Pierce's remaining win on the day came in the 4x400-meter relay, where one Ravens quartet narrowly edged another. A lineup of freshman Seth Davis (Farmersville, Texas), Choiniere, junior Richard Finnegan (Bourne, Mass.) and Telfer ran a time of 3:40.11 to pick up the win. The squad finished less than a second ahead of the lineup of Cataldo, senior Alex Bonitto (Lynn, Mass.), Neville and junior Nicholas Jacques (Westfield, Mass.), which turned in a time of 3:40.85.

In all, Franklin Pierce was dominant in a number of events on Saturday in the Constitution State. The Ravens had the top two finishers in the 800 meters, the 60-meter hurdles and the 4x400-meter relay; four of the top-five finishers in the 100-meter dash; and three of the top-four finishers in the 200-meter dash.

Five other Ravens posted top-five finishes in field events on Saturday: sophomore Robert Boardman (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) took third in the high jump (1.83m), Bonitto finished third in the shot put (12.29m), senior John Delahanty (Long Beach, N.Y.) placed fifth in the shot put (11.35m), Finnegan was third in the pole vault (3.20m) and freshman David Testa (North Andover, Mass.) finished fifth in the high jump (1.73m).

Meanwhile, Franklin Pierce had five others claim top-five finishes out on the track: Davis was third in the 400 meters (53.49), junior Joshua Ercolini (Woburn, Mass.) took second in the 800 meters (2:02.62), freshman Tyler Hayes (Kings Park, N.Y.) placed fifth in the 1500 meters (4:12.65), Jacques finished third in the 100-meter dash (11.71) and freshman Gerald Leith (Dorchester, Mass.) was fourth in the 200-meter dash (23.93).

The Ravens return to action on Saturday, April 1, when they travel to the CGA Spring Invitational, hosted by the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn.

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).