Dave Geringer                                                                                      Athletic Department            (508) 990-9651

Sports Information Director                                                                Tripp Athletic Center           sportsinfo@umassd.edu

GARCIA, RELAY TEAM SET MARKS AT OPEN NEW ENGLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS 
                                                                                                           

Saturday, February 25, 2006

BOSTON, MA-Saturday was a record-setting day for a few members of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth’s indoor track and field team at the Open New England Indoor Track and Field Championships at Boston University’s Tennis and Track Center.

Junior Jon Garcia (Stoneham, MA/Stoneham HS) finished third in the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 7.48 seconds. He actually broke the school record three times, posting times of 7.58 seconds in the trials and 7.54 seconds in the semi-finals and is the NCAA Division III leader in the 55-meter hurdles.

Meanwhile, the 4 x 400-meter relay team finished 15^th in a school record time of 3:22.08. Garcia was joined by sophomore Sam Machuor (Newbury, MA/Triton Regional HS), sophomore Chris Botelho (Stoneham, MA/Stoneham HS) and junior Yusef White (New Bedford, MA/New Bedford HS) on the relay team, which is just 78 hundredths of second away from a provisional national qualifying mark.

“Everyone had a great day,” said UMass Dartmouth Head Coach Jon Hird. “Two school records in one day is a job well done. Jon Garcia got off to a slow start out of the blocks and to the second hurdle, but he had the best last three hurdles of his life. Sam, Chris and Jon ran the best splits they have ever run in the 4 x 400 relay.”

The Corsairs will return to action at the Trinity Last Chance Meet next Friday at Yale.

UMASS DARTMOUTH TRACK AND FIELD