NEW HAVEN, Conn. – In the first indoor track and field meet of the season for Eastern Connecticut State University, sophomore Adam Schimmelpfennig (Pomfret) broke his own record in the 55 hurdles and sophomore Ashley Gentile (Hebron) won at 600 meters in a personal-record time after the first day of the Art Kadish Elm City Challenge hosted by Southern Connecticut State University Friday at Moore Field House.

In a meet comprised primarily of Division II institutions from the Northeast 10 Conference, both Eastern teams were in fourth place out of seven teams, the women totalling 12 points and the men 26. Southern Connecticut led the women's field after eight events and the Southern men were in front of the men's field after seven.

Schimmelpfennig was third in a field of six finalists in the 55 hurdles after being  clocked at 7.94 in the trials. He earned All-New England indoor honors last year with a current program-record of 8.44 in the 60 hurdles and set the 55 hurdles mark at the Little East Conference Championships, which was 7.87 until Friday.

Gentile outran a field of 13 competitors in winning the 600 in a PR of 1:44.17, trimming Southern's Isabella Newbury (1:45.68) at the finish. Her prior PR of 1:48.24 was set in a fourth-place finish at last year's LEC Championship.

Senior Collin Wiltshire (Ledyard) also qualified for the final in the 55 hurdles with a time of 8.60. An indoor and outdoor All-New England performer and LEC champion and program record-holder in the triple jump in his first season last year, Wiltshire was competing in the hurdles for the first time.

Among other notable performances, junior Alyssa Sirianni (Vernon) reached the finals of the women's 55 meter hurdles and placed second by a half-second in a time of 9.82 to winner Patrice Mansfield of Southern.
 
After the first four events on the first day of the men's heptathlon, junior Aidan Hennessy (Granby) has totalled 2,433 points. He was second in the high jump (5-10 ¾), third in the long jump (20-1 ½) and fourth in the 55 (6.91) and shot put (31-1 1/34). He will compete in the 60 hurdles, pole vault and 1000 on Saturday.

Junior Conor Hennessy (Granby) placed fourth in a field of 15 competitors with a mark of 21-2 in the long jump and first-year competitor Lucian Parker-Jennings (Athens, VT) was sixth among 12 in the pole vault (10-11 ¾) in his first collegiate meet.

Competition resumes Saturday at 10 a.m.