SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- The Eastern Connecticut State University men's track & field team captured four first-place finishes and freshman Natalie Bowens (Montville) collected eight points in two field events for the women at the Springfield College Invitational Saturday.
The four first-place finishes netted the men 40 of their 68 points, while 13 different individuals
had at least one point for the women, who totaled 56.2 points. Worcester State University won both competitions and both Eastern teams finished seventh. There were 11 competing teams for the men and 12 for the women.
Senior Frederick Hewett (New London) and juniors Lee Cattanach (New London) and Andre Reynolds (Hartford) all claimed individual firsts for Eastern, with the 1600 meter sprint medley also winning. Hewett was first in a field of 28 in the 400 in a time of 49.89, Cattanach first among 22 in the 1500 in a time of 4:07.20, and Reynolds first in a field of 11 in the 110 hurdles (15.14). The sprint medley was clocked in 3:41.90 to lead a five-team field.
Junior Luisantonio Rosado (Ponce, PR) gained eight points with a second-place finish in the 400 hurdles and junior Christopher Brown (Hartford) was second in the long jump. Rosado was timed in 57.05, shy of his program record of 56.07, and Brown measured 21-4 ¾ in the long jump.
Senior Lauren Hultzman (Putnam) had the highest finish for the women -- sharing second place in the high jump (4-11 ¾) to total seven points – while Bowens, junior Kelly Labanara (Chaplin) and sophomore Emily Kohn (Columbia) all registered third-place finishes that contributed six points each to the Warriors' total. The program record-holder in the triple jump, Bowens was third in that event (35-9 ¼) and also snared seventh place in the long jump (16-7). Labanara was timed in a personal-best 5:12.46 in the 1500 Kohn measured 108-10 in the discus.
Behind Labanara in the 1500, Eastern filled in to take fourth place behind sophomore Kylie McCartney (Manchester) and sixth behind freshman Mariah McPhee (Bristol). McCartney finished in 5:12.56, McPhee 5:19.70.
Eastern competes in the Little East Conference/New England Alliance Championships Saturday at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.
