HANOVER, NH (Jan. 13, 2008) – The UMass Lowell men’s track and field team captured the 4X200 meter relay and placed second in the 4X400 relay en route to a fourth place showing at the Dartmouth Relays Sunday at the Leverone Fieldhouse.

The Relays included 25 NCAA Division I, II and III and Canadian colleges as well as many postgraduate clubs and athletes from the Northeast U.S. and Canada. The meet was UML’s first action since the Harvard Invitational on Dec. 8.

Dartmouth won the meet with 86.33 points while Northeastern placed second with 67.33 points. Williams (45 points) edged the River Hawks (42) for third place while Keene State (38) and St. Laurent Select (Canada) placed fifth and sixth, respectively.

The River Hawks captured the 4X200 meter relay in 1:34.45. Senior Bryan Koenig (Reading, MA) ran a 23.1-second leg and was followed by freshman Jeff Brighenti (Westminster, MA), who ran a 23.6 split; sophomore Justin Oliver (Lowell, MA), who ran a 23.4 split; and freshman Sam Bastien (Canton, MA), who anchored in 23.5.

Brighenti and Oliver also ran splits on UML’s 4X400 meter relay team, which placed second overall – tops among U.S. Collegiate foursomes – in 3:21.24. Brighenti ran a 51.4-second split while Oliver followed in 51.3, sophomore Doug Caves (Oxford, MA) in 48.3 and junior Andrew Grange (Methuen, MA) in 49.0.

The River Hawks also impressed in the distance medley relay, placing third in 10:43.51. Freshman Sean Gelinas (Northwood, NH) ran the 1,200 meters in 3:13.4 while junior Robert Fernandez (Mansfield, MA) ran the 400 meter dash in 52.1 seconds. Freshman John Lutkevich (Mansfield, MA) ran the 800 meters in 1:58.9 and freshman Chris Forbes (Methuen, MA) ran the 1,600 meters in 4:39.

Senior Terry Young (Mansfield, MA) placed second overall and tops among U.S. collegians with a distance of 22 feet, 1.75 inches. Christopher Greenaway of St. Laurent Select won the event with a distance of 23’ 10.0’’.

Freshman Cory Murray (Methuen, MA) took third overall and first among collegiate throwers in the shot put with a throw of 51’ 6.25’’.

Freshman Matt Blazon (Lowell, MA) placed fourth in the heptathlon with 4,270 points. Blazon highlighted the event with third-place finishes in both the pole vault (10’ 2.0’’) and the 60 meter hurdles (8.92 seconds).

Other results included that of junior Rex Radloff (Dedham, MA), who took ninth in the 3,000 meters (8:47.95); and freshman Angus MacDonald (Methuen, MA), who placed ninth in the mile (4:25.27).

UMass Lowell enters the Tufts Jumbo Invitational Saturday.