Michael Balestra
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- Height:
- 5-8
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- Weight:
- 165
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- Hometown:
- Lincoln, R.I.
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- Year:
- Sr.
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- High School:
- Lincoln
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- Major:
- Law & Public Policy
Bio
• Also a member of Suffolk's men's outdoor track & field team
• First Suffolk male student-athlete to compete at NCAA DIII New England Championships in a field event
PERSONAL RECORDS
Weight Throw: 15.45 M, at GNAC Championships, Feb. 16, 2020
SENIOR • 2021-22
New England participant in weight throw ... GNAC Champion in weight throw ... All-GNAC (weight throw) ... Captain ... Logged a 14.44-meter weight throw at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener (Dec. 4) ... Placed second in the weight throw behind a 14.58-meter heave at the Joe Donahue Games (Dec. 11) ... Claimed second in the weight throw at the USM Covid Catch-Up with a 13.14-meter toss (Jan. 23) ... GNAC Field Athlete of the Week (Jan. 25) ... Had a 14.42-meter showing in the weight throw at the Bruce Lehane Scarlet and White Invite (Feb. 5) ... Won the weight throw with a 15.15-meter performance in the weight throw at the GNAC Championships (Feb. 13) ... Topped the weight throw field at Wheaton's Pre-Post Season Invitational with a 14.15-meter heave (Feb. 19) ... GNAC Field Athlete of the Week (Feb. 22) ... Finished 10th in the weight throw (14.46) at the New England Division III Men's Indoor Championships (Feb. 26).
JUNIOR • 2020-21
Captain ... Season cancelled due to COVID-19.
SOPHOMORE • 2019-20
GNAC Field Athlete of the Year ... GNAC Champion in the weight throw ... All-GNAC in the weight throw ... Captain ... Qualified for the New England Regionals in the weight throw behind a 14-59-meter toss, good for third, at the Emmanuel Invitational (Dec. 7) ... Broke the 50-foot barrier in the weight throw with a 15.30-meter performance, good for sixth, at Northeastern's Joe Donahue Games (Dec. 14) ... Pushed a 14.46 weight throw at Tufts Invitational (Jan. 18) ... Took fourth in the weight throw at MIT's Art Farnham Invitational with a 15.03-meter toss (Jan. 25) ... Named GNAC Field Athlete of the Week (Jan. 27) ... Claimed eighth in the weight throw behind a 15.06-meter toss against the top 10 weight throwers in New England at Tufts' Branwen Smith-King Invitational (Feb. 1) ... Repeated as GNAC Field Athlete of the Week (Feb. 3) ... Logged a 14.49 weight throw toss, good for third, at Plymouth State's Panther Invitational (Feb. 8) ... Garenred his third straight GNAC Field Athlete of the Week (Feb. 10) ... Behind a 15-45-meter toss claimed GNAC Champion status in the weight throw (Feb. 16) ... Produced a 14.7-1meter performance in the weight throw at the USATF New England Indoor Championships, good for second (Feb. 23) ... Logged a 14.96-meter toss to place in the middle of the 24-competitor pack in 12th at NCAA DIII New England Championships (Feb. 28).
FRESHMAN • 2018-19
Made his collegiate debut in the weight throw at the 2018 UMass Boston Winter Open (Dec. 1) ... Placed sixth in a field of 18 in the weight throw behind a toss of 13.30 M at the RIC Invitational (Dec. 8) ... Took 17th out of 49 competitors in the weight throw thanks to a 13.46 m throw at Tufts' Branwen Smith-King Invitational (Jan. 26) ... Participated in the weight throw at Plymouth State's Panther Invitational (Feb. 2) ... Took part in the weight throw (13.52 M) at the USATF New England Championships (Feb. 17).
ACADEMICS
USTFCCCA All-Academic Team selection in 2021-22 ... Two-time CCC Winter/Spring All-Academic honoree (2020-21, 2021-22) ... Three-time GNAC All-Academic Team honoree (2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22) ... Member of Suffolk's 4.0 Club in Fall 2018 ... Eight-time AD Honor Roll selection (Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Spring 2021, Fall 2021, Spring 2022).
BEFORE SUFFOLK • LINCOLN
Letterwinner in both indoor and outdoor track & Field at Lincoln and captained the team as a senior ... Finished 10th at the outdoor New Balance National Championships ... Attended the indoor New Balance National Championships ... Coaches Award recipient in 2016.
News mentions
Suffolk men’s track & field and Michael Balestra and Matyas Csiki-Fejer grabbed academic accolades from the U.S. Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The Rams garnered All-Academic Team, while the senior captains collected All-Academic Athlete status from the national organization.
For the first time since 2020, Suffolk men’s and women’s indoor track & field will compete at NCAA Division III New Englands this weekend. The men’s meet will take place at Middlebury in Middlebury, Vermont, while the women head to Colby’s Indoor Competition Center in Waterville, Maine.
Seven different student-athletes competed across six different events at New Englands over the weekend at Middlebury.
Tim Barry and Michael Balestra of the Suffolk men’s indoor track & field combined for the three Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) weekly awards. Barry grabbed both track athlete and rookie of the week, while Balestra took home field athlete of the week. The awards come on the heels of performances at the Wheaton Pre-Post Season Invitational.
Tim Barry earned his spot at New Englands over the weekend at the Wheaton Pre-Post Season Invite.
Suffolk men’s indoor track & field captured the inaugural Great Northeast Athletic Conference Championship two years ago and got the jump done again today as the Rams coasted past is five conference counterparts to hoist the trophy for the second time in as many years the event has been held Sunday evening at Boston University’s Track & Tennis Center.
For the third time this season, Suffolk men’s indoor track & field saw multiple conference weekly awards as Matyas Csiki-Fejer and Carter Nevulis combined to sweep the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) weekly accolades. CSiki-Fejer was named GNAC Track Athlete of the Week, while Nevulis grabbed GNAC Field Athlete and Rookie of the Week.
Suffolk men’s indoor track & field logged some of the best performances in New England Saturday when the Rams took their talents to Boston University’s Bruce Lehane Scarlet & White Invite.
Suffolk indoor track & field will divide its team for the upcoming weekend. The Rams runners will compete at Boston University’s John Thomas Terrier Classic with the women’s event on tap for Friday, Jan. 28 and the men’s event running Sunday, Jan. 29, while the blue-and-gold field athletes will participate at Tufts’ Branwen Smith-King Invitational Sunday, Jan. 29.
After the first meet of 2022, Suffolk men’s indoor track & field senior captains Michael Balestra and Matyas Csiki-Fejer earned weekly awards from the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Monday afternoon. Balestra garnered GNAC Field Athlete of the Week, while Csiki-Fejer collected GNAC Track Athlete of the Week.
Suffolk men’s indoor track & field returned to competition Sunday, Jan. 23 at the USM COVID Catch Up. Matyas Csiki-Fejer earned his spot at New Englands, while Nic Malm and Carter Nevulis both registered personal records.
Suffolk men's and women's indoor track & field will take its talents to the Regis Lewis Center Saturday, Dec. 10 for Northeastern's Joe Donahue Games.
Suffolk men’s indoor track & field wrapped up the 2021 portion of its schedule at Northeastern’s Joe Donahue Games Saturday at the Reggie Lewis Center. A dozen Rams made debuts in various events with nearly a half dozen notching a personal-record.
Suffolk men’s indoor track & field competed for the first time in nearly two years when it began its 2021-22 calendar at Boston University’s Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener.
Suffolk men’s and women’s indoor track & field teams will begin its 2021-22 campaign across town to Boston University for the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener Saturday, Dec. 4.
Suffolk men’s indoor track & field will have the largest leadership group in program history as eight student-athletes have been given a share of the captain title for the upcoming 2021-22 season head coach Will Feldman unveiled. Seniors Michael Balestra, Matyas Csiki-Fejer, Robert Solari and Hunter Toyoda return to their management role with their classmate Nic Malm, junior Josha Smith and sophomore Turner Mitchell starting their first term.