MANCHESTER, N.H. -- As the Eastern Connecticut State University men's and women's track teams head toward the final week of the regular season, individuals continue to improve their seedings in the Little East Conference Championships April 30, qualify for next month's New England Championships and break program records.

On Saturday at the Southern New Hampshire University Penmen Relays at Penmen Stadium, the men got three first-place finishes, collected a total of 38 points from six different individuals in the jumps and 25 points in the sprints and 25 in two hurdle events and a tenth competitor qualified for the New England Championships as the Warriors (116 points) finished only two points behind Division II Franklin Pierce University for the team title in a field of 14 institutions.

For the women, two individuals won events, one qualified for the New England Division III Championships and a 17-year-old relay record fell as the Warriors placed a solid fourth in a 15-team field headed by host SNHU, the top-ranked Division II team in the East Region. Eastern totalled 72 points as the second finisher among five Little East entrants, trailing only perenniel LEC Champion University of Southern Maine by 16 1/2 points among LEC institutions.

In the meet, the Eastern men and women posted a total of 21 marks that are among the Top 10 best in the Little East this season.

Hennessys Lead Men

 -- Brothers Conor Hennessy and Aidan Hennessy combined for 32 points in the hurdles and jumps. Conor totalled 18 points in the long jump, triple jump and javelin and Aidan 14 in the hurdles, high jump and long jump.

-- Conor Hennessy qualified for the New England Championships in the javelin with a throw of 169-3, that netted him third place in a field of 21 which is the third-best throw in the conference this year.

-- First-year Division I transfer Collin Wiltshire won the triple jump for the third time in three meets during the outdoor season and for the sixth time this year. His winning mark of 45-11 3/4  is the top LEC mark this year.

-- In addition to Wiltshire, Cory Bill won at 400 meters in a time of 50.21 that bettered the effort of 20 other competitors in that event, and Ryan Escoda was first at 5000 meters (15:41.43). Bill's time is the third-fastest in the LEC this year and Escoda's is the second-fastest. 

-- Kaito Yasuda added 12 points to the Warriors' total with third-place finishes in the 100 (11.23) and 200 (22.68).  His time of 11.05 in the preliminaries is the fourth-fastest in the LEC this year. Yasudo excelled in two of the largest fields in the meet (33 in the 100 and 22 in the 200).

Santacroce, SMR Capture Titles

-- Maggie Santacroce posted the second-fastest time in the 5000 in the Little East this season with a winning PR of 19:14.74.

-- The 1600 sprint medley relay ran the second-fastest time in program history, setting an outdoor record of  4:35.80, which broke the 17-year-old mark of 4:54.24 set at Wesleyan University.

-- In her second meet back after surgery, Manar Enany qualifed for the New England Championships in the hammer with a career-tying mark of 141-8 -- the second-best in program history behind former Eastern Olympian Bonnie Edmondson. The mark is the fifth-best in the LEC this season.

-- Mackenzie Dunn was third in the long jump (16-7 1/4) and third in the triple jump (33-5 3/4) in recording a team-high 12 points. 

-- Carly Alston, who ran the 800 meter (anchor) leg of the record-setting SMR, ran the third-fastest 800 in the LEC this year (2:33.81) in a ninth-place finish, with Alyssa Sirianni posting the third-fastest 100 hurdles (15.99)  in taking third place.

                         SNHU PENMEN RELAYS