Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013
ROXBURY, Mass. – It will be the only official meet of the first semester, but several members of the Eastern Connecticut State University indoor track & field teams were already in mid-season form.
All-New England seniors Lauren Hultzman (Putnam) and Fredrick Hewitt (New London) submitted two of the top performances which also included broken records by juniors Lee Cattanach (New London) and Andre Reynolds (Hartford) at the 2nd Annual University of Massachusetts Boston Open Saturday at the Reggie Lewis Track & Athletic Center.
At right: Fredrick Hewett
Hultzman took second place in a field of 24 competitors in the high jump with a mark of 5-feet-1 inch, while Hewitt was second among 49 runners at 400 meters (49.98) and sixth in a field of 105 in the 200 (23.03) at the non-scoring meet which included upwards of 50 senior and junior college and unattached competitors.
Now in her fourth season, Hultzman is the two-time defending Little East Conference outdoor high jump champion and program indoor record-holder in the high jump, 60 hurdles and pentathlon, hile Hewitt captured last year's LEC individual title at 55 meters. Based upon his performance at the meet, Hewett was named the conference's Male Track Runner-of-the-Week Monday.
Despite missing most of the cross country season due to injury, Cattanach broke Dave Hunt's five-year-old record by two seconds with a time of 4:29.41 in the mile, and Reynolds broke his own record twice in the 60 hurdles that he set last January. Reynolds was timed in 8.76 in the preliminary and 8.75 in the final to better his previous record of 8.78. Cattanch finished fourth in a field of 45, Reynolds fifth among 23.
A total of 26 individual competed for the men in the first competition of the season, 16 of them new to the indoor program, while 17 women – eight of them new – participated.
Additional top performances for the men included senior Andrew Prince (Orange), and juniors Dylan Kruppa (Torrington), D'Vonte Chambers (West Haven) and first-year competitor Alex Mercier (Pomfret Center) and sophomores John Boisette (East Hartford) and Taylor Flynn (Old Saybrook).
Prince was 16th among 105 in the 200 (23.57) to give the Warriors three of the top 18 in that event; Kruppa second in a field of 18 in the 500 (1:07.05), and Chambers 14th among 49 in the 400 (52.54). Mercier joined Reynolds in qualifying for the final of the 60 hurdles and placed sixth with a time of 8.99 in the final after being clocked in 8.94 in the preliminary. Flynn supported Cattanach's strong showing in the mile by claiming 11th place (4:45.31).
In addition to the individual accomplishments, the 4x400 relay took fifth place among 25 teams in a time of 3:29.40.
Additional encouraging showings along with Hultzman for the women were freshman Lauren Polansky (Milford), and senior Amy Huhn (Hebron), as well as the 4x400 relay which placed fifth in a field of 15 in a time of 4:17.95.
Huhn finished third among eight with a mark of 9-6 ¼ in the pole vault and Polansky had a throw of 34-3 ½ in the shot put in her first collegiate meet to earn 12th place among 46.
Eastern next participates in the U.S. Coast Guard Invitational Jan. 18 at noon.
