USTFCCCA All-Region selections

RINDGE, N.H. (May 16, 2017) – The Franklin Pierce University track & field program has collected 14 All-East Region selections from the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association for the outdoor season, as announced on Tuesday by the USTFCCCA.

The USTFCCCA bestows All-Region honors on those who post the five best performances in each region in an event, as well as to all members of a relay team which is ranked in the top three in the region. Franklin Pierce had nine men earn All-East Region selections in a single event each, as well as four women combine for five accolades.

Senior Dage Minors (Hamilton Parish, Bermuda) was honored for his work in the 800 meters, and collected his 13th career USTFCCCA All-East Region selection in the process. His best time of the year was a 1:49.39, which he laid down at Princeton's Larry Ellis Invitational on April 21 and currently ranks seventh in the country. Minors is expected to earn a selection to the NCAA Championships in the event later Tuesday.

The Ravens also had individuals honored on the men's side in the decathlon, the 400-meter hurdles, the long jump and the 10,000 meters. In the decathlon, senior Alex Bonitto (Lynn, Mass.) earned his second career All-Region honor on the strength of 5961 points at the Northeast-10 Conference Championships, which is the second-best outing in the region this spring. In the 400-meter hurdles, a run of 54.17 seconds at last weekend's NEICAAA Championships ranked freshman Trevor Guay (Londonderry, N.H.) fourth in the region for his first All-East selection. Junior Rindal Pierre-Canel (Randolph, Mass.) was honored for finishing tied for fourth in the region in the long jump, at 6.82 meters, which he achieved at the NE10 Championships. Meanwhile, freshman Jeff Reddy (Chester, N.H.) landed fourth in the East Region in the 10,000 meters by checking in at 31:50.25, at Connecticut College on April 15.

Franklin Pierce also had four student-athletes from the men's team pick up All-East Region honors for their work in the 4x100-meter relay, which finished third in the region after a run of 42.07 seconds at the NE10 Championships. The honored quartet included senior Cory Cataldo (Tewksbury, Mass.), junior Nicholas Jacques (Westfield, Mass.), freshman Gerald Leith (Dorchester, Mass.) and sophomore Jaris Neville (Atlanta, Ga.). It is the second career All-East Region nod for Cataldo, while the remaining three were honored for the first time.

Meanwhile, for the women, freshman Catherine Purves (Dalkeith, Scotland) led the way with her first two career USTFCCCA All-East Region selections, as she was honored in both the 100- and 400-meter hurdles. At the longer distance, her Penn Relays time of 59.96 seconds is currently tied for 13th in the country, and she is expected to qualify for NCAAs in the event. In the 100-meter hurdles, she finished second in the region on the strength of a 14.09-second run at the NE10 Championships.

The remaining Franklin Pierce honorees are all multiple-time All-East Region selections, led by senior Nicole Galewski (Whitman, Mass.), who earned the honor in the heptathlon, for her fifth career All-East selection. Two other Ravens earned their second career accolade, as junior Emily Quinn (West Bridgewater, Mass.) was honored in the hammer throw and senior Samantha Toscano (Northwood, N.H.) was honored in the long jump. Galewski's NEICAAA Championships decathlon total of 4449 points finished the year second in the East Region. Quinn finished third in the region in the hammer, after a heave of 50.20 meters at Eastern Connecticut State on April 21. Toscano was ranked fifth in the East Region for a leap of 5.55 meters at the NEICAAA Championships.

The Ravens await the official selection of the NCAA Championships field, which is expected to be released later on Tuesday.

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).