Recently in Women's Track and Field Indoor Category

 Hulzman is is All-New England in high jump; Quinones PR's in  5,000

Hultzman (far left), Quinones

\BOSTON - A week after earning All-New England honors for the first time in her career in the high jump at the New England Division III Championships, sophomore Lauren Hultzman (Putnam) earned an identical honor at the New England Open Championships Saturday at Boston University's Track and Tennis Center.

Hultzman, who captured the Little East Conference/New England Alliance high jump title two weeks ago, equaled the program record which she holds with teammate Cora Gingras and claimed eighth place in a field of 19 Saturday with a mark of 5-foot-3 inches. She was the highest finisher among Division III athletes in the event.

At last weekend's New England Division III meet, Hulzman placed fourth in the high jump with a height of 5-2 ¼., which matched her winning height at the NEA/LEC meet the previous Saturday.

At 5,000 meters on Friday, senior Amanda Quinones (Trumbull) lowered her time for the fourth time in as many tries in her indoor career with a clocking of 18:17.42 which placed her 15th overall - second in her heat -- in a field of 28. Quinones dropped 43 seconds from her first effort this season at that distance on Jan. 21

Hulzman and Quinones will compete at this coming weekend's ECAC Division III Championships at the New York Armory.

She sets records in pentathlon and hurdles and is All-NE in high jump

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. --  Sophomore Lauren Hultzman (Putnam) broke her own Eastern Connecticut State University records in the 60 meter hurdles and pentathlon and earned All-New England honors with a fourth-place finish in the high jump at the New England Division III Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships at the Smith College Track and Tennis Facility this weekend.

At left: Lauren Hultzman competing in Friday's pentathlon 800.

In Friday's pentathlon, Hultzman broke the hurdles record set moments earlier by junior Cora Gingras (East Hampton) with a mark of 10.07 on the way to accumulating a record 2,859 points and an 11th -place finish in a field of 18.  In the first heat of the hurdles, Gingras was clocked in 10.20 to break Hulztman's record of 10.29 and Hultzman followed in the fourth heat by lowering the standard again. Gingras placed 13th in the pentathlon.

In a field of 19 Saturday, Hultzman accumulated the team's five points with a fourth-place finish in the high jump to earn All-New England honors for the first time. Hulztman was one of three jumpers behind champion Julie Eagle of WPI to jump 5-2 ¼. Eagle won with a mark of 5-4 ¼. Hultzman and Gingras share the program high jump record (5-3). Hultzman won this year's Little East Conference/New England Alliance individual title with an identical jump of 5-2 ¼.

Eastern senior Amanda Quinones (Trumbull) lowered her personal record at 5000 meters by 21 seconds with a time of 18:39.56 that gave her a 16th-place finish. Freshman Akaya McElveen (New Haven) was 22nd at 400 meters in a time of 1:03.94 and sophomore Amy Huhn (Hebron) jumped 9-6 ¼ for the fourth time this year as she tied for 16th in the pole vault. Gingras tied for 16th in the high jump (4-10 ¼) and was 19th in the triple jump (33-6 12).

In the pentathlon, Hultzman tied for first in the high jump, was sixth in the long jump, ninth in the hurdles, 13th in the shot put and 15th at 800 meters. Gingras was eighth at 800 meters, 11th in the long jump, 12th in the hurdles, tied for 12th in the high jump and 16th in the shot.

At this meet last year, Hultzman was 12th  (5-0 1/4) and  Gingras 14th (4-10 ¼) in the high jump, Gingras 15th in the pentathlon (2,430 points) and Huhn was tied for 23rd in the pole vault (9-0 ¼).  As a freshman in 2010, Gingras competed in the high jump, long jump and triple jump in the New England meet, finishing as high as tied for 12th in the high jump.

Eastern  will compete in next weekend's New England Open at Boston University. Qualifiers will be announced at mid-week.

Sophomore Lauren Hultzman (above) became the first Eastern female in the 14-year history of the New England Alliance/Little East Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships to win the high jump Saturday at the Costello Athletic Complex on the campus of the University of Southern Maine. Hultzman recorded a mark of 5-2 1/4 inches to earn All-NEA and All-LEC honors. Also earning honors were junior Cora Gingras, who shared third place in the high jump with an identical height of 5-2 1/4 in the LEC scoring and was tied for fourth in the high jump in the NEA scoring. Gingras was also named All-NEA with a seventh-place finish in the triple jump. Senior Amanda Quinones broke her own program record at 3000 meters which she set at last year's meet. Quinones was sixth in the NEA with a time of 10:31.59. Sophomore Amy Huhn earned All-NEA honors with a fifth-place finish in the high jump with a mark of 9-0 1/4.

         Hultzman, five others contribute as four marks are broken and another is tied

Eastern's Finishers.doc

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. --  Eastern Connecticut State University sophomore Lauren Hultzman (Putnam) broke two records and tied another when the Warriors participated in the Springfield College Invitational Saturday afternoon at the Springfield Field House.

At left: Lauren Hultzman

In all, six athletes contributed when four records were broken and another was tied as Eastern totaled 52 points and placed fifth in a field of nine.

Both Hulzman and junior Cora Gingras (East Hampton) broke Gingras' former   pentathlon record of 2,532 points with 2,752  and 2,551 points, respectively. Hultzman also established a program record in the 60 meter hurdles with a time of 10.29 and tied Gingras' high jump record with a jump of  5-3.

In addition, senior  Amanda Quinones (Trumbull) eclipsed the four-year-old program mile record by a second-and-a-half with a winning time of 5:22.14, and also ran the 1,600 meter anchor leg of the record-setting distance medley relay, which shaved nearly nine seconds off that two-year-old record (Quinones also ran the final leg of that relay). Joining Quinones on the winning DMR were sophomore Katie France (Portland), junior Christine Charpentier (Monroe) and freshman Nikkii Chambers (East Hampton). France ran the opening 1,200 meters, with Charpentier following at 400 meters and Chambers 800 meters.

Gingras qualified for the New England Championships in the pentathlon Saturday while Hultzman had qualified December 3 at Springfield with 2,567 points.  Hultzman's point total placed her third and Gingras was fourth in the six-team pentathlon field. Hultzman won the high jump with her record-tying mark and Gingras was first at 800 meters. Springfield College senior Kelly Curtis claimed the pentathlon with 3,048 points.

Prior to Saturday, Quinones had run the indoor mile five times, with her previous personal best coming Dec.  3 at Springfield, when she was second two seconds with a time of 5:26.66. Saturday, she eased to a 25-second win over Springfield  senior Alex Mustardo.

In addition to running the DMR, Chambers added six points in her first collegiate meet with a third-place finish at 600 meters. Sophomore Amy Huhn  (Hebron) chipped in five points by taking fourth in the pole vault.

Eastern competes in the Little East Conference/New England Alliance Championships Saturday at noon at the University of Southern Maine.

Hultzman, Huhn and McElveen win individual events at invitational

Eastern's Finishers.doc

Images

NEW LONDON, Conn. -  Eastern Connecticut State University senior Amanda Quinones (Trumbull) and sophomore Lauren Hultzman (Putnam) qualified for post-season competition  and three performers won individual events Saturday at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy Invitational at the Roland Field House.

At right: Lauren Hultzman clears the final hurdle of the 55 meter hurdle event Saturday en route to a third-place finish. Hultzman totalled a team-best 11 points in three events and qualified for post-season competition in the high jump.

In her first attempt at 3,000 meters this season, Quinones posted the second-fastest time of her career (10:47.91) in placing second in a field of ten and qualifying for next month's New England Division III Championships.  Hultzman attained the qualifying standard for the ECAC Division III Championships in March with a personal best and winning mark of 5-2 ¼ in the high jump.

In addition to Hultzman, sophomores Amy Huhn (Hebron) and Akaya McElveen (New Haven) posted winning performances. Huhn registered a height of 9-0 14 in the pole vault and McElveen raced to a time of 1:04.38 at 400 meters.

Hultzman totaled 11 of Eastern's 37 points as the Warriors shared third place in the four-team field which was won by Westfield State University (93.50 points). Coast Guard was second (77.50) and Trinity College tied Eastern.

At left: Amanda Quinones closes in on the finish of the 3,000 meters, where she placed second and qualified for post-season competition.

In addition   to five points in the high jump, Hultzman added three points in the 55 meter hurdles and three points in the long jump with third-pace finishes. Junior Cora Gingras (East Hampton) contributed seven points by placing second in the triple jump and third in the high jump and McElveen had six points with her winning time in the 400 and a fifth-place finish among 17 competitors in the 200.

Behind Quinones' four points, freshman Whitney Allen (East Lyme) collected three points by taking fourth in the weight throw and fifth in the shot put. Allen improved by 3 ½ feet in the weight from her first meet last Saturday.

Eastern visits Springfield College Saturday at noon.

 Quinones qualifies for New England meet with 19:00.44 at 5,000 meters

Eastern's Finishers.doc

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. --  Despite a layoff of over five weeks from official competition, six members of the Eastern Connecticut State University  women's track and field team established personal bests Saturday at the Wesleyan University Invitational at Bacon Field House.

At left: Katie France

In the non-scoring meet, senior Amanda Quinones (Trumbull) easily qualified for next month's New England Division III Championships and placed third in a field of 20 at 5,000 meters. Competing at that distance for only the second time, Quinones was clocked in 19:00.44, bettering her previous best by 28 seconds and exceeding the qualifying standard by 17 seconds.

Others establishing personal bests were  first-year sophomore transfer Akaya McElveen (New Haven), and sophomores Katie France (Portland), Lauren Hultzman (Putnam), Sarah Krulicki (Torrington), and  Tacia Bryant  (Guilford), with sophomore Amy Huhn (Hebron) equaling her personal best of 9-6 ¼ in the pole vault.

McElveen was timed in 28.81 in the 200 and 1:03.54 in the 400, Bryant 1:07.44 in the  400, and France 5:33.23 in the mile (bettering her previous best by nine seconds). Hultzman recorded a mark of 32-3 ½ in the triple jump and Krulicki a distance of 33-0 ½ in the weight throw. France raced to a third-place finish in a field of 21, less than three seconds behind the winner. Quinones was third in a field of 20 in the 5000, Hultzman shared fourth place in a field of 16 in the high jump, and McElveen took tenth among 33 in the 400.

Eastern visits the U.S. Coast Guard Academy Saturday at noon.

At Harvard, both establish PR's in qualifying for NE Division III Meet

Eastern's Finishers.pdf

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Junior Cora Gingras (East Hampton) and sophomore Amy Huhn (Hebron) of Eastern Connecticut State University each established personal bests and qualified for post-season competition at the Harvard University Track and Field Open Saturday at the Gordon Track & Tennis Center.

At left: Cora Gingras

Gingras improved by 9 ½ inches her previous best in the triple jump, capturing ninth place in a field of 17 with a mark of 34-11 ¾ to qualify for the New England Division III Championships in mid-February.

In the pole vault, Huhn's height of 9-6 ¼ was six inches higher than her previous indoor best which she established for the second time last year at the New England Division III Championships. Her personal best height in outdoor competition is 9-8, set last May at the New England Division III Championships. Huhn's height Saturday provided her with a 12th-place finish in a field of 24.

Other top performances Saturday: senior Amanda Quinones (Trumbull) was timed in 10:51.74 in running to tenth place among 31 at 3,000 meters; sophomore Lauren Hultzman (Putnam) was fourth among 22 with a height of 5-1 in the high jump; and first-year sophomore Akaya McElveen (New Haven) was second in a field of 14 at 500 meters with a time of 1:23.63.

Quinones was less than two seconds shy of qualifying for the New England Division III championships while McElveen missed the ECAC Division III qualifying time by less than two seconds, as well.

Following McElveen at the finish line at 500 meters for Eastern were freshman Ashley Westman (Newington) and sophomore Tacia Bryant (Guilford). Westman was fifth (1:24.92) and Bryant seventh (1:26.09).

Division I, II and III institutions were represented at Saturday's non-scoring meet.

Eastern visits Wesleyan University Jan. 21 at 10 a.m.

Hultzman, Gingras and Quinones qualify for post-season in season-opener

Eastern's Finishers.pdf

At left: Lauren Hultzman

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - Senior Amanda Quinones (Trumbull), junior Cora Gingras (East Hampton) and sophomore Lauren Hultzman (Putnam) qualified for post-season competition when the Eastern Connecticut State University women's indoor track and field team opened its 2011/12 season at the Springfield College Invitational Saturday.

All three qualified for the  New England Division III Championships in late February: Quinones in the mile (5:26.66) and Hultzman (5-1- ¾) and Gingras (4-11 ¾) in the high jump. In addition, Hultzman  totaled 2,567 points in the pentathlon  to qualify for the New England Division III meet. Quinones' time and Hultzman's height established personal bests.

Hultzman captured the high jump and Gingras was third in a field of 11 in the high jump, while Quinones was second in the mile.

With 74 points, Eastern placed fourth in a field of five as a team in a meet won by Springfield College (247.5).

Other second-place finishers for Eastern were sophomores Tacia Bryant (Guilford) in the long jump and Amy Huhn (Hebron) in the pole vault, and freshman Ashley Westman (Newington) at 800 meters. Bryant's mark of 4.94 meters was one centimeter shy of the New England Division III Championship standard while Hultzman established a personal best of 5-1 ¾ Huhn tied her personal best of 9-0 ¼. Westman was timed in 2:34.76 in her first collegiate race.

The 4x800 meter relay added ten points to Eastern's total with a winning time of 10:24.60 in a field of four. Eastern competitors were Quinones, Gingras, Westman and sophomore Katie France (Portland).

In addition to the high jump, where she collected 701 points in the pentathlon,  Hultman was eighth at 800 meters (442 points), ninth in the long jump (413), tenth in the 60 meter hurdles (595) and 11th in the shot put (416).

Eastern competes in the Harvard University Open Saturday at 9 a.m.

Twenty-eight achieve All-Academic Team status in winter season

At left from top: Ericson, James, Buczek

Complete list.pdf

NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. - A conference-high 28 Eastern Connecticut State University student-athletes have qualified for spots on the Little East Conference All-Academic Team for the winter season, it has been announced by conference commissioner Jonathan C. Harper.

For the second season this year, Eastern has topped the list of the conference's academic qualifiers. In the fall, the Warriors totaled a conference-best 31 academic qualifiers in a total of six intercollegiate sports. In five intercollegiate programs this winter, Eastern accumulated seven more academic selections than its nearest competitor.

All-Academic Team qualifiers must be have reached sophomore academic and athletic status, be enrolled in their current institutions for one full academic year, and show a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.30.

Led by senior track and field and cross country athletes Sam Buczek (Milford), Ashlee James (Franklin) and Amanda Ericson (Bolton), Eastern's 28 qualifiers this winter have combined to qualify for the All-Academic Team a total of 77 times in their careers. Each member of that trio  qualified for the academic team for the maximum eighth time. Buczek is a Business major and James and Ericson are Education majors.

Additional athletes earning academic recognition a multitude of times are senior women's soccer/basketball player Lauren Hickey (Southwick, MA) and junior cross country/track athletes Ryan Hughes (Cheshire) and Joey Perucki (Newington) As a two-sport athlete, Hickey qualified for the maximum sixth time. Hughes qualified previously twice in cross country and once in indoor and once in outdoor track while Perucki attained academic status once in cross country, twice in outdoor track and once in indoor track. Hickey and Perucki are Business majors and Hughes an Education major.

Hickey was a first-team NSCAA Scholar All-America selection this past fall.

Those qualifying for the winter All-Academic Team in their first seasons of eligibility include sophomore women's basketball players Jessica Blodgett (Niantic) and Lauren Kelleher (Dartmouth, MA), sophomore men's basketball player Joe Ives (Avon), sophomore indoor track participants Tommy Balestracci (Mystic), Ryan Franklin (Glastonbury), Colin Whiston (Brooklyn), Christine Charpentier (Monroe),  and Denica Gagnon (Colchester), and sophomore swimmer Amanda Fromerth (Manchester) and senior transfer swimmer Carolyn Jenkins (Willington).

Senior indoor track participant Stephanie Noheimer (Willimantic) earned a spot on the winter academic team with her second institution and second sport. In 2008/09, Noheimer qualified for the winter All-Academic Team as a sophomore basketball player while at conference institution Rhode Island College.

As an institution, Eastern was awarded the inaugural President's Cup last year signifying the highest overall GPA among all Little East Conference institutions. In the 19 conference-sponsored championships, Eastern featured a cumulative GPA of 3.02 during the 2009/10 academic year. Eastern sponsors teams in 17 of the conference's 19 championships.

Additional conference institutions include Keene State College, Massachusetts Boston, Massachusetts Dartmouth, Plymouth State University, Rhode Island College, University of Southern Maine, and Western Connecticut State University.