ROXBURY, Mass.  --  The Eastern Connecticut State University  men's 4x200 meter relay broke the program record and was joined by senior Akaya McElveen (New Haven) in gaining All-ECAC distinction at the ECAC Division III Track & Field Championships March 7-8 at the Reggie Lewis  Center.

                                                        Near right: Akaya McElveen; far right: D'Vonte Chambers

En route to a fourth place finish in a field of 38 on Friday,  the 4x200 relay was clocked in 1:29.97, breaking by just over a second the previous program mark set at the ECAC Championships in 2007 at Wesleyan University. Competing on the winning relay were seniors Fredrick Hewett (New London) and Andrew Prince (Orange), junior D'Vonte Chambers (West Haven), and sophomore John Boisette (East Hartford).

Saturday, McElveen ran to a seventh-place finish in a field of 32 at 500 meters, submitting a time of 1:19.61 which was just off her program record of 1:19.49 set Feb. 28 at the New England Open at Boston University. The third New England runner across the line, McElveen was third in a heat of four, all of whom placed among the top eight. McElveen was 14^th in the 500 as a junior at this meet when she was timed in 1:20.90.

The men's 4x200 relay placed second in its heat of four relays -- three of which placed among the top five – and was the second New England institution across the line.  Heat winner Worcester State University – which competes in the New England Alliance Championships with Eastern -- edged the Warriors with a time of 1:29.90.  In mid-February, the relay had established a meet record in winning the Little East Conference/New England Alliance Championships in what was then a season-best time of 1:33.07.

Also competing over the weekend were the men's 4x400 relay, Hewett in the 400, Boisette in the 200, junior Dylan Kruppa (Torringotn) in the 500, and seniors Lauren Hultzman (Putnam) in the high jump and Amy Huhn (Hebron) in the pole vault.

Hewett was competing in the 400 in the ECAC meet for the third straight year, and his time of 50.18 and tenth-place finish bested his previous efforts of 2012 (15^th/50.45) and 2013 (16^th/50.22).

Kruppa was tenth in a time of 1:07.15 in the 500, Hultzman 16^th with a height of 5-2 ½ in the high jump, and Huhn 29^th with a mark of 10-1 ¼ in the pole vault. The men's 4x400 relay placed 13^th in a time of 3:26.35.

Eastern begins outdoor competition March 30 at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy Spring Invitational at 11 a.m.