Stalters Wins Javelin Title at NEICAAA Championships

By Jim Fenton

AMHERST, Mass. -- For the first time since 2013, a member of the Bridgewater State University men's outdoor track & field team won an event at the New England Intercollegiate Amateur Athletic Association (NEICAAA) Championships.

Graduate student Corey Stalters (Norton, Mass.), an All-American performer, finished first in the javelin in a competition that includes athletes from all three divisions in New England.

Stalters was joined by four other Bears who finished in the top eight to earn All-NEICAAA honors in a meet held Saturday at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Senior Kevin McBirney (East Bridgewater, Mass.) placed third in the 800-meter run while freshman Alex Huynh (Stoughton, Mass.) was in the top eight in the long jump and high jump. Senior Chigozie Adigwe (Lowell, Mass.) was among the leaders in the 110-meter hurdles and junior Kyle Ackroyd (Charlestown, R.I.) placed in the 10,000-meter race. 

Stalters won the javelin with a throw of 224 feet (68.29m) and he was one of three competitors from the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference to finish in the top five.

Liam Bourassa of Fitchburg State was second (214'3"/) and Liam Higins of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy was fifth (192'11"/).

Stalters is the first BSU track & field athlete to win at the NEICAAA meet since Stephen Wahome won the 10,000 in 31:56.89 on May 10, 2013.

Stalters earned All-American honors in the javelin a year ago, finishing fourth in the nation while making his third straight trip to the NCAAs. He was fourth at the NEICAAA a year ago.

McBirney was the top Division III runner in the 800 as he posted a time of 1:52.60.

Huynh finished fourth in the long jump with a leap of 23 feet, 1.75 inches (7.05m).

He finished behind three Division I jumpers in Ryan Tona of the University of Rhode Island, Chamberlain Guthrie of UMass and Bill Albertson of Maine.

Huynh was also tied for seventh in the high jump with a jump of six feet, 3.25 (1.91m). He was the top Division III performer.

Adigwe placed sixth in the hurdles with a career-best time of 14.45 seconds. He currently ranks 29th in all of Division III in the event.

Ackroyd was seventh in the 10,000 and the second Division III runner to cross in 32:53.18. A year ago, he was 11th in the event.

Also competing for BSU at the NEICAAA Championships were junior Ryker King (Wareham, Mass.), sophomore Matthew Mooney (Douglas, Mass.) and and senior Stephen Spofford (Chelmsford, Mass.). King was 13th in the 110 hurdles (15.17, while Mooney checked in at 15th in the 200 (22.09), and Spofford was 18th in the 200 (22.31).

The Bears finished tenth in the teams standings at the meet and first among Division III schools with 26.75 points.

Several members of the BSU outdoor track & field team may compete at the MIT Final Qualifier on Thursday at 4 p.m.