GNAC Indoor Track & Field Report: Week 1

Three student-athletes from Suffolk University earned individual GNAC honors in our first report of the 2021-22 indoor season.

December 13, 2021

FOR THE OPENING WEEKS OF DEC. 3 - 12

	MEN'S TRACK ATHLETE & ROOKIE OF THE WEEK Carter Nevulis, Suffolk (Fr., Plymouth, Mass.) - The freshman became the first Suffolk indoor track & field sprinter/hurdler to qualify for New Englands in the 60M hurdles behind a Rams record time 8.91, good for 14th in the field of 30 at Boston University's Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener. Also at that event, his collegiate debut, which featured foes from all three NCAA divisions, he leaped a program-best 6.31 meters in the long jump, as Suffolk remains a GNAC associate member in the sports of indoor and outdoor track & field.
	WOMEN'S TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK Hannah Fitzpatrick, Emmanuel (Sr., Revere, Mass.) - Fitzpatrick posted a first place finish in the 800m race with a time of 2:30.06 at the Northeastern University Joe Donahue Games and also finished third in the mile run clocking in at 5:35.83. She also ran the first leg for the Saints in the 4x400 meter relay that finished first with a time of 5:02.11.
	MEN'S FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK James Benson, Saint Joseph's (Maine) (Sr., Gorham, Maine) - Benson won the triple jump with a team-record 12.73 effort and broke another team mark with a third-place finish, and 6.54m performance, in the long jump at Southern Maine on Saturday. The senior also placed sixth with a 6.78 time in the 55-meter dash. the long jump mark is tops in the GNAC and second in DIII New England.
	WOMEN'S FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK *Caitlyn Filloramo, Suffolk* (Fr., Southport, Conn.) - Filloramo made her collegiate debut in two events at Boston University's Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener. In the weight throw she finished 10th with a 10.53-meter toss and logged a 9.84-meter throw in the shot put to take 14th. A week later at the Joe Donahue Games she out performed her debut with a 13.37-meter weight throw showing to take third overall.
	WOMEN'S ROOKIE OF THE WEEK *Julia Leavey, Suffolk* (Fr., Natick, Mass.) - Leavey made her collegiate debut at Boston University's Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener Dec. 4 with a 15th-place showing in the high jump clearing 1.45 meters. She hit that mark in the same event a week later to finish second at Northeastern's Joe Donahue Games. The freshman truly shined in her first ever 60-meter hurdles though as she clocked the dash in 9.92 to take second behind a NCAA Division I foe, Mariah of Fede of Northeastern. That mark put the freshman on the verge of qualifying for regionals, as it is tops in the GNAC and tied for ninth in New England.

GNAC WEEKLY HONOR ROLL

Matt Ferrara, Regis (Sr., Haverhill, Mass.) - Ferrara was one of Regis' top performers Saturday, Dec. 4 at the season-opening Smith College Winter Classic. He cleared 1.78 meters (5' 10") in the high jump, finishing fourth in that event. Ferrara also finished seventh in the long jump with a top mark of 6.02 meters (19' 9") and 13th in the shot put with a top throw of 9.09 meters (29' 10").

Mikayla Francois, Regis (Jr., Walpole, Mass.) - Francois enjoyed Regis' top placement in an individual event during the Smith College Winter Classic Dec. 4. After finishing fifth in the 60 meter hurdles preliminaries with a time of 10.42 seconds, she finished third in the event final in 10.25 seconds. She also led off the 4x200 relay on its way to a third place finish in 2:06.30 and cleared 1.35 meters (4' 5") in the high jump, finishing in a tie for fifth place.

Declan Harkins, Regis (Fr., Plymouth, Mass.) - In his first official collegiate competition Dec. 4 at the Smith College Winter Classic, Declan Harkins qualified for the 60 meter hurdles final with a preliminary time of 9.53 seconds, then he improved on that time in the final, finishing seventh in 9.39 seconds. He also ran the second leg of both the 4x200 relay that finished fifth in 1:44.17 and the 4x400 relay that finished sixth in 3:47.23. Finally, he cleared 1.73 meters (5' 8") to finish eighth in the high jump.

Michael Balestra, Suffolk (Sr., Lincoln, R.I.) - Finished second in the weight throw at the Northeastern's Joe Donahue Games with a throw of 14.58 meters seven days after putting together a 14.41-meter toss in his senior season debut, Boston University's Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener Dec. 4. That performance was good for ninth in the 17-thrower field that featured competitors from every NCAA division.

GNAC WEEKLY ARCHIVE

WEEK	MEN'S TRACK ATHLETE	MEN'S FIELD ATHLETE	MEN'S ROOKIE
1	Carter Nevulis, SUF	James Benson, SJC	Carter Nevulis, SUF

WEEK	WOMEN'S TRACK ATHLETE	WOMEN'S FIELD ATHLETE	WOMEN'S ROOKIE
1	Hannah Fitzpatrick, EMM	Caitlyn Filloramo, SUF	Julia Leavey, SUF

The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 14 member institutions and over 3,500 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.

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