MONK CONFESSIONS

Accolades:

GNAC Honor Roll: 9/26/2011, 9/10/2012

2012: Ran in six events as a junior…selected as the team’s captain…finished as the Monks’ top runner in a pair of races and was the team’s #2 finisher in four events…placed fifth and was the top SJC finisher with a 23:07 time in the 2012 opener, a head to head 6K meet versus University of New England in Standish on September 1st...raced to an 18th-place finish with a 29:24 effort in the Keene State College Invitational on September 29th…recorded his second top-10 finish of the year with an eighth-place performance and a 30:38 time in the Runnin’ Monks Invitational a week later…was 80th overall with a 29:17 time in the 2012 Maine State Championship on October 13th…narrowly missed All-Conference accolades when he finished 16th with a 28:11 effort in the GNAC Championship at Rivier University on October 27th…was the Monks’ top finisher and posted his second-fastest 8K time in the conference championship…capped the season with a 30:09 effort in the 2012 NCAA Regional at Westfield State University on November 10th...earned GNAC Weekly Honor Roll mention on September 10th.

2011: Competed in six events in his first season at Saint Joseph’s…paced the Monks in three meets…placed 10th overall and was the second SJC runner to finish with a 23:24 effort in the 6K UMF Invitational on September 23rd…finished fifth and paced the Royal Blue with a 27:51 time, his best 8K performance of the season, in the Rivier College Invitational on September 23rd…placed 14th out of 100 runners with a 28:49 effort in the 2011 GNAC Championship, held at historic Franklin Park in Boston on October 29th…listed on the GNAC Weekly Honor Roll on September 26th. 

High School: Competed in cross country and track & field at Lewiston High School for Head Coach Dave Castro…earned four letters in each sport…helped the Blue Devils to the 2007 Class “A” State Championship as a sophomore and a runner-up finish as a junior in 2008…on the track, medaled at the Maine Outdoor Class “A” State Championships in each of his final two years…as a senior, was second in the 800-meter dash before placing sixth in the 1000 meters at the 2010 New England Championships…took third in the 800 meters at the 2009 Class “A” Championship meet…during the indoor season, finished fourth in the 800 meters at the 2010 Class “A” Championships…holds the school-record in the 800 meters (1:56.57)

Before St. Joe’s: Competed in one meet as a freshman at NCAA DI institution at Wagner College in Staten Island, New York…finished seventh on the team and 74th overall at the NEC Championship, recording a time of 29:38.7.

Personal: Faisal Said Abdillahi, born on June 21, 1992 in Atlanta, Georgia…son of Said Tani and Lula Abdi…majoring in Pre-Pharmacy. 

Why he chose Saint Joseph’s College: “I chose Saint Joseph’s because my high school coach became the coach here, and it wasn’t far from home.”

What he does outside of cross-country: Plays FIFA, pick-up basketball, and soccer.