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Charity to benefit Be The Match is combined with Team IMPACT

WILLIMANTIC, Conn. - The Eastern Connecticut State University men's soccer team and alumni will sponsor a Goal-a-Thon to benefit the Be The Match National Marrow Donor Program Saturday, April 20 at 9 a.m. at the Mansfield Outdoor Complex.

All proceeds from the Goal-a-Thon will benefit the Be The Match program in the name of Eastern soccer senior Jon DeCasanova, who was diagnosed with aplastic anemia this past fall and has spent most of the past eight months in the hospital.

The Goal-a-Thon involves Eastern players and alumni divided into teams of 4-6 and will play timed, small-sided games until a combined total of 100 goals are scored.The minimum sponsorship is 5 cents per goal.

Prior to the Goal-a-Thon,  15-year-old Tyler Belfleur of Canterbury will be outfitted in a team uniform and will join team members during official introductions as part of the Team IMPACT! Program.  In June of 2012, Tyler was involved in an ATV accident and sustained brain injury. Since then, he has advanced from a wheelchair to a walk and now needs only a crutch. Prior to the injury, Tyler was active in soccer and basketball, among other sports.

Team IMPACT is a non-profit organization chartered to improve the quality of life for children facing life-threatening illnesses. The goal of the organization is to harness the power of teamwork by matching those courageous kids with college athletic teams. Team IMPACT children are "drafted" onto local college athletic teams and to the greatest extent possible, become "official" members of the team for the duration of their treatment, and beyond.

Tyler will be "drafted" by the Eastern soccer team prior to the Goal-a-Thon.

To support the Goal-a-Thon through a financial contribution, contact Eastern head men's soccer coach Greg DeVito at  860-465-4334 or at devitog@easternct.edu.

 

 

 By Jonathan Mizger/Sports Information Staff

 

The National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) has designated the month of March as National Athletic Training Month.

The theme of the second annual NATA month is Every Body Needs an Athletic Trainer. From the NATA  toolkit, the goal  is "to continue to reach those individuals and organizations that can help make a difference for athletic trainers when it comes to legislation, employment and public health."

At right: Athletic trainer Julie Alexander works recently with baseball catcher Ben Richards, who is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. (Daniela Marchitto photo)

Promoting the awareness of athletic training to people who do not know what athletic trainers do is a key goal that the NATA looks to achieve. Educating people of the importance of athletic trainers and establishing relationships between student-athletes and athletic trainers are things to consider in promoting the awareness.

Eastern Connecticut State University has athletic trainers who work hard without needing any recognition or high praise. The athletic trainers at Eastern are people who are helpful to the student-athletes and make sure each are cleared to play based on the guidelines on handling a specific injury.

Below (from left): Eastern athletic trainers Julie Alexander, Stevie Clines, Tom Holton, Jarrett Sorge.

Athletic trainer Julie Alexander, who graduated from Eastern with a B.S. in Psychology and went on to earn a M.S. in Athletic Training at Old Dominion University, expressed her feelings on the importance of this month and beyond.

"I think that we will carry out our day-to-day functions the same way we always have," said Alexander. "Any athlete that comes in with an illness or an injury that's athletically-related, we care for the same way regardless of whether it's March, April, May, August or September.  I think this month of March is more to promote the field of athletic training to people who don't understand what it is that we do. A lot of people think athletic trainer, they think personal trainer, a strength coach, and while we do have some function in teaching strength and conditioning and techniques, we're also on the field emergency care, injury evaluation, treatment rehabilitation, returning to play concussion management, the list goes on and on."

Alexander, who was hired at her alma mater this past summer after many years at Division I Sacred Heart University, has been proud of helping out the people she has met in her field.

"After 20 plus years, I can tell you that anytime we have an injured athlete, the best day is the day that they return to their field of play," said Alexander.  "That is probably the most exciting thing about what we do, especially if it's an athlete that's been injured, had surgical interventions, has gone through post surgical rehabilitation in our room; returning to play is those days I look forward to. I enjoy every day but those are the days that are special."

As there are upsides, there are downsides for being an athletic trainer. Athletic trainer Tom Holton, who earned a B.S. in Physical Education from Eastern and an M.S.S. in Sports Medicine from the U.S. Sports Academy, noted that he loves his job but dislikes when he lets the student-athlete know the bad news.

"I love doing my job it's just part of the job you hate saying 'you can't play'," said Holton. "I really wish I could come into work every day and not have to do that.. The reality of the fact is that  there's people we have to hold out and tell them 'you're season's over, you got to have surgery' and deal with the emotions of that athlete and how they're going to handle 'my career is over'."

Holton, a staff member since 1999, noted how being able to get the student-athlete to get back in his or her field of play and watching him or her succeed is one of his proudest moments as an athletic trainer.

Eastern director of athletics  Dr. Jeff Konin, another Eastern alum,  has been an athletic trainer and a physical therapist. Konin mentioned how the importance of athletic trainers is not just for the collegiate level, but for all levels of competition.

"The purpose is to bring awareness to the general public, to bring awareness to the public of the importance of athletic trainers and the injury prevention care of the numerous student-athletes that participate in sports in all levels," said Konin. "At the high school level, less than 50 percent of high schools have an athletic trainer, and when every high school has programs but less than half of them have proper ways to care for the kids, that's why an awareness month is there to inform people of what they should be doing to provide appropriate programs. You wouldn't put them out there if you didn't have the fields, you wouldn't put them out there if you didn't have the coaches and you really shouldn't put them out there if you don't have the appropriate medical care for them."

As the spring season is starting to get into full-swing, so are the athletic trainers at Eastern working hard to make sure every student-athlete is evaluated and cleared to play. The month of March will be busy at Eastern with lacrosse, baseball, softball, and track & field. The Eastern athletic trainers will be the unsung heroes in helping our student-athletes,  not only during national NATA month, but every month of the academic year.

"I have the best job in the world," said Alexander. "In this job, you don't sit behind a desk or do the same thing every day . Every day is different , and you get to work with amazing people who you want to see get better when they get injured.. What's better than that?"

They are eighth in pentathlon and 500 meters, respectively

Hultzman (above), Kruppa (below)

NEW YORK -- Junior Lauren Hultzman (Putnam) and sophomore Dylan Kruppa (Torrington) earned All-ECAC honors at the 2013 ECAC Division III Track & Field Championships this past weekend at the New Balance Track & Field Center in New York City.

On Friday, Hultzman  finished eighth in a 12-team field in the pentathlon (fourth among New England competitors) with 2,885 points to break her own program record set at last year's New England Division III Championships by 26 points. In sharing first place in the pentathlon high jump with a height of 5-3 ¼, , Hultzman also broke that program  record by one-quarter inch that she had shared with senior Cora Gingras (Portland).  She was tied for third in the long jump (16-5 ¼), fifth in the 60 hurdles (10.20), eighth in the shot put (28-5 ½) and ninth in the 800 (2:50.54). Five points separated the seventh and eighth-place finishers.

Hultzman competed in the ECAC meet a year ago, placing in a tie for 11th in the high jump with a mark of 5-0 ½.

Running the 500 for the third time in his career on Saturday, Kruppa was eighth in a field of 20 (third among New England competitors) at 500 meters in a time of 1:06.97, .38 seconds off the program record. The third and eighth-place finishers were separated by .88 seconds.

Competing at the ECAC Championships for the first time in an individual event, Kruppa posted a personal-best time of 1:06.63 in a 16th-place finish at 500 meters at last weekend's New England Open meet.

 

 

Members of Saturday's record-setting 4x800 meter relay were (above, from left): Nikki Chambers, Akaya McElveen, Cora Gingras and Katie France. (Photo by Jason Edwards)

 Women break 4x800 record for 2nd time this year; Hewett is 9th in 400

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BOSTON - The Eastern Connecticut State University women's 4x800 meter relay broke the program record for the second time this year and junior Fredrick Hewett (New London) ran to a ninth-place finish at 400 meters  at the New England Open Track & Field Championships Saturday at the Boston University Track and Tennis Center.

In a time of 9:48.40, the women's 4x800 obliterated the record of 10:14.47 that it had set December 8 at Coxe Cage at the Yale University Invitational.  Junior Katie France (Portland) and sophomore Nikki Chambers (East Hampton) competed on both record-setting relays this year and were joined Saturday by senior Cora Gingras (Portland) and junior Akaya McElveen (New Haven).

Saturday, Hewett bettered his personal record that he had set a year ago at the Open with a time of 49.39 (1.19 seconds off program record) that left him just .35 seconds from reaching the finals. In a field of 31 competitors, Hewett was the first first Division III runner across the finish line.

In his first time competing in an individual event at the Open, sophomore Dylan Kruppa (Torrington) set a personal record with a time of 1:06.63 in the 500 that gave him a 16th-place finish in a field of 30. Running the event for only the second time, Kruppa was just .04 seconds off the program record set in the Open six years ago.

The Eastern men's 4x400 relay was timed in 3:23.95, good enough for 22nd place in a field of 27. Running the relay were Hewett, Kruppa, sophomore D'Vonte Chambers (West Haven) and freshman John Boisette (East Hartford).

Kruppa, Hewett and both relays qualified for this coming weekend's ECAC Division III Championships at the New Balance Track & Field Center in New York City.

 

By Jonathan Mizger

Eastern Connecticut State University's track & field squad, alongside Newington Bike, will be sponsoring the Indoor Triathlon at Eastern's Sports Center this Sunday, March 3 at  9 a.m.

Above: Jonathan Reik, the current world triathlon champion in the 60-64 age group, will participate in Eastern's indoor triathlon in March. With Reik, from left, are Shaina Short, Beth Landry and Eastern head track and field coach Kathy Manizza. (Photo courtesy of Steve McLaughlin).

This will be the third fundraising event that the track & field team has done this year. The track team had a marathon relay in the fall and is involved in the athletic department raffle.

In her first season at Eastern, track & field coach Kathy Manizza is a triathlon member of the Newington Bike Club and got the chance to get the club to help out with the team's fundraising project.

"I know the guys that run the Newington Bike Shop and this summer they said would you have any interest in doing something [here] in the winter and give people an opportunity to stay involved in triathlon in the colder months," said Manizza of the event, which was originally scheduled for Feb. 10 but was postponed to the current date due to snow. "They came out in October-November and they checked out our facility, our pool, the lobby, and the gym, and we came up with a plan that's kind of unique."

The event will involve  up to 72 people competing in swimming, biking, and running. There will be six waves of 12 people competing to start out the event. The first athletic event will take place in the Sports Center pool, followed by using the bikes inside Francis E. Geissler Gymnasium, and then running inside the same gym. The six waves were based on the size of the athletic facility and the pool.

The final wave will involve a "team" division of students and faculty.

As the first wave finishes in the pool and transitions to the bikes, the second wave will enter the pool, and will continue until the sixth wave finishes in the gym. Each participant must arrive at the Sports Center 30 minutes before his or her wave.

Each participant must bring his or her own bike and the Newington Bike Shop's trainers will provide the necessary measuring tools to calculate the mileage.

Manizza pointed out that this triathlon is no ordinary one: triathlons are normally based upon how far you go, this one will measure how long you go. Each participant at this triathlon will spend 20 minutes in the pool, 20 minutes on the bikes, and 20 minutes in the gym.

The Eastern track team will be escorting each athlete by counting the number of laps in the pool, in the gym, and measure the mileage on the bikes.

Each participant will get a scorecard based on his or her performance in each event. Each participant will be performing in the same time of 20 minutes in each event, but their score will be determined by how far they go. There will be a first, second, and third place for males and a first, second, and third place for females.

"It's a fun, different twist combining all three of the sports: swim, bike, run," said Manizza. "It's a different way to do it and a way to keep people involved in the winter."

Each participant will pay an entry fee of $35 and a portion of the money will go to the track & field program. Anyone interested in participating can register at www.newingtonbike.com.

Manizza views the event in two ways: a fundraiser and a way to get the community involved at Eastern.

"The one thing that I like about the triathlon is its bringing new people in," said Manizza. "With both the marathon relay and the raffle tickets, we may be asking the same people to support our program. [The triathlon] is bringing in 72 new people that some of them may start supporting Eastern track and Eastern athletics."

Eastern's track & field team is excited to have a fun day with the 72 participants, who will have a great opportunity to visit Eastern and get in a good hard workout .

 

Junior Lauren Hultzman (Putnam) achieved All-New England honors for the second straight year in the high jump and sophomore Andre Reynolds (Hartford) broke the men's 60 meter hurdles record for the third time this year Saturday at the New England Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships.

At left: Lauren Hultzman

Competing at the Costello Athletic Complex on the campus of the University of Southern Maine for the second straight week, Hultzman gained the only point for the women or men in the competition with an eighth-place finish in the high jump  with a mark of 5-2 ¼. The height was ¾ of an inch off the program record which she shares and which she attained at the New England Open Championships as a sophomore.

Hultzman was one of six competitors to clear the bar at 5-2 ¼. Julie Eagle of WPI won the New England title with a jump of 5-6, followed by three participants reaching 5-4 ¼, and six at 5-2 ¼.

Hultzman competed in the event in this meet for the third straight year. As a freshman, she was 12th (5-0 ¼) and last year gained All-New England honors for the first time with an identical mark of 5-2 ¼ which netted her a fourth-place finish.

At left: Andre Reynolds

At the New England Division III men's championships at Bates College's Walter Slovenski Track, Reynolds broke the program's 60 meter hurdles record for the third time this season with a time of  8.66 in the preliminaries. Reynolds, who broke the record twice earlier this year in times of 8.87 (season-opener at the Reggie Lewis Center) and 8.78 (Jan. 26 at Springfield College), was third in his heat Saturday, missing out on a spot in the final by .04.

As a freshman, Reynolds also competed in the preliminaries  of the 60 hurdles at the New England Division III Championships, clocking a time of 9.25.

Participating in the meet for the second time in his two-year career,  junior Fredrick Hewett (New London) was timed in 7.27 in the preliminaries of  the 60 meters and finished 14th in a field of 24 with a time of 51.43 in the 400. Hewett was timed in 7.19 in the 60 preliminaries last year and placed tenth in the 400 in a time of  51.45.

Additional Eastern Results:

Sophomore Dylan Kruppa (Torrington) was 13th in the 600 (1:26.60) and 15th in the long jump (19-8).

Sophomore Luisantonio Rosado (Ponce, P.R.) clocked a 9.21 in a 22nd-place finish in the 60 hurdles.

The 4x400 relay of Reynolds, sophomore D'Vonte Chambers (West Haven), Kruppa and Hewett was 14th in a time of 3:34.28.

Senior Cora Gingras (Portland) and Hultzman finished ninth and tenth, respectively, in Friday's pentathlon. In a field of 14, Gingras totaled 2,790 points, Hultzman 2,780. Gingras was on pace to break Hulzman's program record of 2,859 points which she set at last year's championships, but twisted her ankle at the start of the 800 - the final event - and placed 12th.

Gingras shared first place in the high jump, was seventh in the 55 hurdles, tenth in the long jump and 12th in the shot put to go along with her 12th-place finish in the 800. Hultzman also shared first place in the high jump, was seventh in the shot put and long jump, eighth in the 55 hurdles and 13th in the 800.

Gingras was 14th in the triple jump (33-11 ½) and freshman Shanique Bunsie (Bridgeport) 14th in the shot put (35-4 ½).

Sophomore Nikki Chambers (East Hampton), the program recordholder in the 600, was 24th in the 800 (2:28.82).

The 4x200 relay was 16th (1:54.29) and the 4x400 17th (4:18.28). Running the 4x200 were juniors Tacia Bryant (Guilford) and Amy Huhn (Hebron), freshman Sherry Gilronan (Darien) and Chambers. The 4x400 was made up of junior Akaya McElveen (New Haven), Bryant, Gilronan and Chambers.
 

They combine to earn recognition a total of 19 times; Hewett wins 55

GORHAM, Maine --  Junior Fredrick Hewett (New London) became the seventh individual from Eastern Connecticut State University in the last ten years to win the 55 meter dash at the Little East Conference/New England Alliance  Indoor Track & Field Championships Sunday at the Costello Athletic Complex on the campus of the University of Southern Maine.

At right: Fredrick Hewett

Hewett did not compete in the 55 in last year's championships in his first season at Eastern, but outran a field of nine Little East Conference performers to become the only Eastern male or female to win an event at the 16th annual championships, which were delayed one day due to snow.

In a field of 28 LEC and NEA competitors, Hewett won his heat and was third in the preliminaries with a time of 6.66 in the 55. Hewett was the only LEC runner to advance to the final, and his time of 6.84 in the final placed him eighth overall in NEA scoring.

The NEA is comprised of  ten institutions, six from the LEC and four from the Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference (MASCAC). The top eight individuals and first three relays in NEA scoring are accorded All-NEA honors while the top three individuals and first two relays gain All-LEC recognition.

The Eastern men finished last in both the LEC and NEA computations and while the Eastern women were fourth in the LEC and eighth in the NEA.

The University of Southern Maine women edged Keene State College by four points to claim their13th straight LEC title and 14th in 15 years and managed a three-point victory over the Owls to win their 13th straight NEA championship in 16 years.

The University of Southern Maine men won their ninth LEC crown (fourth in five years) with an 80-point margin over runner-up Rhode Island College, and Bridgewater State University won its first NEA men's championship ever - becoming the first MASCAC institution to take the title since 2003 - with a 13.5 point victory over Southern Maine.

At left: Cora Gingras

Nine Eastern Connecticut athletes combined to earn All-LEC or All-NEA honors a total of 19 times. Hewett was a four-time honoree in the 55 and 400, repeating his third-place finish at 400 meters in the NEA and second-place finish in the LEC from a year ago.

Senior Cora Gingras (Portland) was also earned all-conference honors four times: twice in the high jump (4-11 ¾) and twice in the triple jump (35-1/1 ½ inches shy of the Eastern record).  Gingras was second in the triple jump in both scoring, and in the high jump was tied for third in

the LEC and tied for fourth in the NEA.  Indoors, Gingras has earned All-LEC or All-NEA honors a total of eight times.

Earning All-LEC and All-NEA recognition in one event each were juniors Laura Hultzman (Putnam) and Amy Huhn (Hebron), and sophomores Nikki Chambers (East Hampton) and Andre Reynolds (Hartford).

 Now a four-time All-LEC and All-NEA achiever in her career in the high jump, Hultzman was tied for third in the LEC and tied for fourth in the NEA Sunday in that event with a mark of 4-11 ¾.  Last year, Hultzman became the first female to win the conference high jump championship.

After finishing fifth as a freshman and sophomore in the pole vault in the NEA scoring, Huhn was fourth this year with a mark of 9-6 1/4 and equaled LEC champion Alexandra O'Brien's winning mark, but placed second on jumps in the LEC scoring.

In a field of 14 NEA competitors in the 800, Chambers was nosed out for first place by less than half a second by Keene State's Lauren Markoe, clocking a time of 2:20.33 which gave her second place in both scoring computations.

Seventh in the NEA as a freshman in the 55 hurdles, Reynolds repeated those honors with a fourth-place finish in a time of 8.10, which was good enough for third place in the LEC.

Earning conference recognition for the first time Sunday were juniors Katie France (Portland) and Akaya McElveen (New Haven) and sophomore Dylan Kruppa (Torrington). In NEA competition, France was seventh in the mile (5:31.05) and McElveen eighth in the 400  (1:01.57) while Kruppa was eighth in the 600 (1:25.26).

Eastern competes in the New England Division III Championships this weekend, the women at the Costello Athletic Complex and the men at Bates College.

 

 

 Hultzman, Gingras  qualify for post-season in pent, McElveen in 500

At left: Hultzman, Kruppa

Men's Results.pdf

Women's Results.pdf

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. --  Eastern Connecticut State University junior sprinters Akaya McElveen (New Haven) and Fredrick Hewett (New London) won the 500 and 400 meter sprints, respectively, at the Springfield College Invitational Saturday at the Springfield Field House.

McElveen outran a field of 12 at 500 meters in a time of 1:21.11, winning by just under two seconds over Springfield College's Jenn Kapinos while Hewett topped a field of 19 at 400 meters in a time of 51.44, besting runnerup Anthony Barnes of the City College of New York by 1.29 seconds.

The Eastern women totaled 58 points to finish fifth among ten teams while the Eastern men collected 59 points for a sixth-place finish in an eight-team field.

Senior Cora Gingras (East Hampton) and junior Lauren Hultzman (Putnam) qualified for post-season competition in the pentathlon, Gingras for the third straight year and Hultzman for the second. Saturday, Hultzman was second with 2,734 points and Gingras third with 2,686. Hultzman won the high jump (5-1 ¾) and long jump (15-9 ¾) and was second in the shot put (27-6); Gingras was second in the 800 (2:39.70) and second in the high jump (4-11 ¾). Ramatulai Bah, a junior at CCNY, trimmed Hulzman by  32 points to claim the pentathlon title. Bah won the 60 meter hurdles and shot to overcome a fifth-place finish in the 800.

McElveen qualified for post-season competition in her third event, following earlier qualification in the 600 and 800.

Hewett totaled 16 points on the day, adding six points with a third-place finish in the 200 (23.32) to go along with ten points in the 400.Sophomore Andre Reynolds (Hartford) totaled 13 points with a second-place finish in the 60 hurdles (8.89) and fourth-place finish in the 400 (54.17). Sophomore Dylan Kruppa's (Torrington) second-place finish in the long jump (20-9 ¼) netted eight additional points.

Hulzman was credited with eight points and Gingras six in the pentathlon while  junior Amy Huhn (Hebron) picked up eight points by taking second in the pole vault (9-6- ¼)  and freshman Emily Kohn (Columbia) added eight with a second-place finish in the shot put (32-0 ¾).

Eastern competes in the Little East Conference/New England Alliance Championships Saturday at the Costello Athletic Complex on the campus of the University of Southern Maine.

Reynolds breaks record in 60mH; Hewett, Chambers, McElveen qualify

Eastern Men's Results.pdf         Eastern Women's Results.pdf

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. --  Eastern Connecticut State University sophomore Andre Reynolds (Hartford) broke his own program record in the 60 meter hurdles and three teammates qualified for post-season competition at the Springfield College Track & Field Invitational Saturday at the Springfield College Field House.

At left: Andre Reynolds

Reynolds broke his own record in the 60 meter hurdles and junior Fredrick Hewitt (New London) and sophomores Akaya McElveen (New Haven) and Nikki Chambers (East Hampton) qualified for post-season championship competition.

The Eastern men finished ninth in a field of 11 with 24 points while the women were last in a field of 12 with 18 ½ points. The St. Lawrence men and women's both scored over 100 points in topping their respective fields to take team titles.

Reynolds finished fifth in a field of 20 in the 60 hurdles in a record time of 8.78, eclipsing the previous record of 8.87 which he had established in the season-opener Dec. 1 at the Reggie Lewis Center.

Having already qualified for the New England Division III Championships in the 60, 200 and 400 meters, Hewett qualified for the New England Open Championships at 400 meters for the second time in as many years. Hewett was timed in 51.05 seconds to capture second place in a field of 43 to earn eight points. Hewett also added six points with a third-place finish among 48 competitors with a time of 7.26 in the 60 and ran the anchor on the 4x400 relay which picked up four points with a fourth-place finish (3:34.43).

The program record-holder in the 600 and with the 4x800 relay, Chambers qualified for the ECAC Division III Championships with a time of 2:20.20 in a second-place finish among 35 in the 800, while McElveen qualified for the New England Division III Championships in her third event with a personal-best time of 1:02.29 in claiming fourth place in a field of 29 in the 400. McElveen earlier met the New England Division III Championship standards in the 600 and 800.

At left: Akaya McElveen

Other top finishes for the women included McElveen in the 200 (ninth among 59), junior Tacia Bryant (Guilford) in the long jump (sixth among 29) and the 400 (11th of 29), freshman Shanique Bunsie (Bridgeport), who was 11th in a field of 30 in the shot; senior Christina Charpentier (Monroe) who was ninth among 29 in the 400, junior Katie France (Portland), who was 11th among 35 in the 800 and 13th among 42 in the mile; senior Cora Gingras (East Hampton), who was eighth among 16 in the triple jump, junior Lauren Hultzman (Putnam) who was fifth among 27 in the high jump and 11th among 29 in the long jump; and freshmen Samone Jones-McCarthy (Windham) and Emily Kohn (Columbia), who tied for 15th place among 30 competitors in the shot.

For the men,  Reynold shared ninth place in a field of 57 in the 200, freshman  John Boisette (East Hartford) was 24th among 57 in the 200 and sophomore Dylan Kruppa (Torrington) was fifth in a field of 26 in the long jump and seventh among 30 in the 600.

Eastern returns to the Springfield College Invitational Saturday at 11 a.m.

 

At Coast Guard Invite, Chambers breaks women's 600 meter mark

Chambers (far left), Kruppa

NEW LONDON, Conn. - Sophomore Nikki Chambers (East Hampton) broke the Eastern Connecticut State University women's 600 meter record in her first attempt and sophomore Dylan Kruppa (Torrington) and senior Cora Gingras (East Hampton) qualified for post-season competition in field events when the Warriors returned from a six-week break to compete at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy Winter Track & Field Invitational Saturday at the Roland Fieldhouse.

Chambers outran a ten-person field to win the 600 in a record time of 1:41.96, nearly two seconds faster than the previous two-year-old mark. Kruppa, second in the long jump at Coast Guard last year, established a personal-best mark of 21-0 ¾ in winning the event for the first time in his career and qualifying for next month's New England Division III Championships  at Lewiston, ME. The distance was the tenth-longest in program history.

Both Eastern teams finished third in a four-team field with the Coast Guard men and women winning the competition, with the Westfield State University men and women second and the  Trinity College men and women fourth. The Eastern women totaled 44 points, the men 42.

Gingras and junior Lauren Hultzman (Putnam), who share the Eastern indoor high jump record at 5-3, both topped the field with marks of 5-2 ¼ Saturday in that event. Gingras was awarded first place, based on jumps, qualifying for the ECAC Division III Championships in March at the New Balance Track & Field Center in New York City.

In addition to Nikki Chambers, Gingras and Kruppa, other Eastern winners included juniors Katie France (Portland) and Fredrick Hewett (New London), the 4x200 men's relay (1:36.19) and 4x400 women's relay (4:21.13). France headed an 11-person field in the 3000 in a time of 11:22.02 for her first individual first-place finish in any event indoors or outdoors. Hewett won the 400 for the second time in as many years at Coast Guard, outpacing a field of 21 competitors in a time of 52.42. It was his second victory at 400 meters this season. Hewett also captured the 55 in a time of 6.71 in a field of 17 runners and anchored the winning 4x200 relay.

Teamming with Hewett on the winning men's 4x200 relay were sophomores Andre Reynolds (Hartford), and D'Vonte Chambers (West Haven) and junior Michael Singletary (Hartford). The winning women's 4x400 relay was comprised of juniors Akaya McElveen (New Haven) and Tacia Bryant (Guilford), senior Christine Charpentier (Monroe) and Nikki Chambers.

Contributing second-place finishes for the women were Bryant in the long jump (15-9 ¾), Gingras in the triple jump (33-2 ½), and Hultzman in the high jump (5-2 ¼). Picking up eight points with second-place finishes for the men in the 200 (24.09) and 55 hurdles (8.13) was Reynolds -- who ran the third-fastest 55 hurdles in program history in the final -- while D'Vonte Chambers was second to Hewett in the 55 (6.92). The 4x400 relay (3:35.02) was also second.

 Eastern visits Springfield College Saturday at 11 a.m.