NEW LONDON, Conn. – In one of the largest and most competitive regular-season meets of the outdoor season, the Eastern Connecticut State University men's and women's track & field teams represented themselves well at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy Track & Field Spring Invitational and Nichman Field.
 
In a meet where a number of events featured upwards of 50 participants, the men got points from 14 different individuals in individual and/or relay events and the women from 11 as both squads placed fourth overall. The men collected 89 points to edge Babson (86) for fourth place in a ten-team meet won by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (121) of the Little East Conference; the women totaled 60 points – besting Trinity College (59) for fourth place. Host U.S. Coast Guard (164) topped the 12-team women's field.
 
Eastern competes at the Southern New Hampshire University Penmen Relays Saturday at 10 a.m. and hosts the Eastern Invitational April 22 at 2 p.m. before heading into Little East Conference and New England post-season competition.
 
Top three scorers combine for 40 points; Bill, Conor Hennessy qualify for New England Meet
 
Sophomore Conor Hennessy (Granby) and first-year athletes Adam Schimmelpfennig (Pomfret) and Ryan Reid (Windsor) combined for nearly half of the team's points from individual events and junior Cory Bill (Mansfield) and Conor Hennessy  became the sixth and seventh members of the men's team to qualify for next month's New England Division III Championships.
 
Bill and Schimmelpfennig each recorded the team's top finish with second-place finishes in the 400 (50.48) and 400 hurdles (57.51), respectively, with Bill's time exceeding the New England Championships standard of 51.00 seconds. In a field of 25 runners, Bill trailed only Nolan McKenna (49.68) at the finish. Conor Hennessy qualified in the triple jump (43-0 1/2 / 13.12m), finishing third.
 
Having already qualified for the New England meet in both hurdle events, Schimmelpfennig totaled 14 points in two events and Conor Hennessy amassed 14 points in three events. Reid followed closely with 12 points in three events, as well. Also making significant point contributions were sophomores Aidan Hennessy (Granby) and Kaito Yasuda (Columbia), and Bill. Aidan Hennessy had nine points in two events and Yasuda eight in two events, while Bill's finish in the 400 netted him eight points.
 
Eastern dominated in the hurdles, with four runners scoring in the 110 and Schimmelpfennig (57.51) and Reid (1:00.65) taking 2-3 in the 400.  In the 110, Schimmelpfennig (15.53) was third, Reid (16.44) fifth, Aidan Hennessy (16.48) sixth and  first-year runner Michael Monty (Clinton) seventh in a time of 17.30.
 
The Warriors also grabbed 11 points when three competitors scored in the high jump: Aidan Hennessy (6-0 3/4 / 1.85m) was third, Conor Hennessy (5-8 ¾ / 1.75m) sixth and sophomore Justin Costick (Norwich) (5-8 ¾ / 1.75m) seventh.
 
In two of the largest fields in the meet, Yasuda (22.48) was sixth, Bill ninth (22.84) and first-year runner Eric Phongsa (Pomfret) tenth (22.86) among 49 competitors in the 200 and senior Ryan Escoda (Newtown) and first-year runner Liam Stafford (Alexandria, VA) placed sixth and eighth, respectively, among 50 runners in the 1500. Escoda was timed in 4:10.87 and Stafford in 4:11.31.

For women, Burby, Dunn and Sirianni combine for 25 points; 11 of team's points come in the hurdles

Junior Mackenzie Dunn (Middletown) and sophomores Alyssa Sirianni (Vernon) and Shannon Burby (Wolcott) combined for 25 of the team's 60 points and like the men, the women collected significant points in the two hurdles events.
 
In a field of 25, Burby was second in the javelin (110-6 / 33.69m) in gaining eight points, while Dunn was third in the long jump (16-4 ¼ / 4.98m) and sixth in the triple jump (33-5 ¾ / 10.20m) for a team-leading nine points. Sirianni matched Burby with eight points, four each coming in fifth-place finishes in the 100 hurdles (16.64) and 400 hurdles (1:12.54). Sirianni had previously qualified for the New England Championships in the 100 hurdles.
 
Newcomer Hannah Barrientos (East Hampton) followed Sirianni by scoring points in both hurdles. She was seventh in the 400 (1:14.48) and eighth in the 100 (17.21).
 
First-year runners Alison LeClerc (Wolcott) and Carly Alston (Franklin, MA) placed among the top ten percent in a field of 38 participants at 800 meters. LeClerc was third (2:34.16) and Alston right behind in fourth (2:34.51). In her second outdoor meet back from injury, senior Manar Enany (Fairfield) placed sixth among 25 competitors in the hammer (125-7 / 38.28m)