BOSTON, MA (Mar. 1, 2008) – Sophomore Doug Caves (Oxford, MA) won the title in the 400 meter dash to lead 12 UMass Lowell track and field athletes to All-New England honors Saturday at the New England Championship at the Boston University Track & Tennis Center.

UML placed seventh in the team standings, third among Division II and III schools, with 40 points. The University of Connecticut won the team title with 168 points.

The top eight athletes in each event earned All-New England status, which included four River Hawk freshmen.

Caves won the 400 meter dash in 47.58 seconds, the second-fastest time in Division II this season, and was one of two River Hawks to earn All-New England honors in the 400. Junior Andrew Grange (Methuen, MA) placed third in 48.00 seconds, currently the fourth-fastest result in the nation this season.

Caves and Grange were also members of UML’s 4X400 meter relay team which placed fourth in 3:18.44. Grange led off with a 49.8-second leg while sophomore Robert Liekweg (Salem, NH) followed in 50.1 seconds, senior Jeff Destino (Gloucester, MA) in 50.4 and Caves the anchor in 47.5.

Caves led a handful of stellar individual results on the day, including that of junior Rex Radloff (Dedham, MA), who placed second in the 5,000 meters in 14:41.77, just behind Curtis Wheeler of Southern Maine, who won the event in 14:37.99.

Freshman Cory Murray (Methuen, MA) and senior Rocky LeFort (Nashua, NH) placed sixth and eighth in the shot put (second and third among Division II-III throwers). Murray threw for a distance of 51 feet, 4.5 inches while LeFort was close behind with a distance of 50’ 6.0’’.

Freshman Matt Blazon (Lowell, MA) gave sterling effort in the heptathlon, placing sixth overall and tops among Division II and III athletes with 4,356 points. Blazon highlighted the heptathlon by placing third in the 55 meter hurdles in 8.24 seconds and third in the 1,000 meters in 2:44.

Junior Ruben Sanca (Boston, MA) took seventh (fourth) in the mile in 4:11.14, which pits him 16th on the NCAA Division II list; while freshman Chris Forbes (Methuen, MA) took eighth (fourth) in the 1,000 meters in 2:31.78.

Freshman Johan Rafael (Lawrence, MA) placed eighth (fourth) in the 55 meter dash in 6.50 seconds.

Following a week off, UMass Lowell gears for the NCAA Championship Mar. 14-15 at Minnesota State-Mankato.