MEDFORD, Mass. – Senior Troy Colleran won the heptathlon with the sixth-best mark in Division III this season as the Amherst College men's track and field team completed at the Tufts Cupid Challenge on Saturday at the Gantcher Center. Colleran tallied 4,952 points, qualifying to defend his New England Division III Championship in his first heptathlon of the season.

An all-sophomore team of Kolya Markov-Riss, Braedon Fiume, Charlie Clary and Wilson Spurrell won the 4x800m relay in 8:03.74, Amherst's best time of the season, and each went on to post qualifying times for the New England Division III Championships in individual events. Spurrell also won the 800m run and junior Kelechi Eziri won the triple jump. There was no team scoring at the meet.

The Mammoths, ranked fourth in the Mideast Region in the latest USFTCCA Division III rankings, are scheduled to compete again next weekend at the Middlebury Field and Track Meet on Saturday (Feb. 12) at noon.

MEET HIGHLIGHTS

* Spurrell won the 800m run in 1:58.01, his collegiate best and first collegiate win in his debut season. Markov-Riss finished fourth with a New England qualifying time of 1:58.63 in his first collegiate indoor race in the event.

* Eziri won the triple jump for his second straight competition with a mark of 13.94m and qualified for New Englands in the long jump with a personal-best 6.57m to finish seventh. Eziri previously qualified for New Englands in the triple jump.

* In addition to Colleran's win in the heptathlon, junior Jack Trent also qualified for New Englands in the heptathlon with a personal-best score of 4,444 points to finish third after winning the 60m hurdles portion.

* Senior Henry Buren qualified for New Englands in the 200m dash in his first try this season with his time of 22.81, a third-place finish. Buren is the Amherst record-holder in this event and has already qualified for New Englands in the 60m.

* Junior Aydin Williams led a group of five Mammoths who all qualified for New Englands amongst a fast field in the 1000m run. Williams finished fourth with a personal-best 2:37.05 in his first 1000m of the season. First-year Gent Malushaga was fifth (2:37.65), just ahead of classmate Alexander Rich (2:37.67), each in their first collegiate 1000m. Senior Robert Innes-Gold was seventh in a personal-best 2:37.83 and Fiume was ninth in 2:38.25, qualifying for New Englands in his first attempt this season.

* Senior Ajay Sarathy ran a personal-best at 5000m, finishing fourth with a New England qualifying time of 14:58.47.

* Sophomore Theo Dassin qualified for New Englands in the 3000m run with a collegiate-best 3:43.56 to finish sixth, while classmate Oliver Spiva qualified as well with a time of 8:46.01 in his first collegiate 3000m to finish eighth.

* First-year Alex Robin qualified for New Englands with a collegiate-best mark in the pole vault, clearing 4.15m to finish sixth.