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WESTFIELD, Mass. -- The University of Southern Maine men's outdoor track and field team completed an improbable comeback Saturday winning the final event, the 4 x 400-meter relay, to capture its first New England Alliance Outdoor Track and Field Championship. The meet was held at Westfield State
College.

Trailing Westfield State going into the 4 x 400 relay, the Southern Maine combination of freshmen Justin Vigeant (Wells, Maine) and Jake Moore (Bridgton, Maine/Lake Region), sophomore Corey Gobbi (Haverhill, Mass.) and senior Doug Mercer (Laconia, N.H.) edged Westfield State for first place in a school record time of 3 minutes, 20.01 seconds. That time broke the old record of 3:22.13 set last spring by more than two seconds. Westfield State was second in 3:20.49.
Southern Maine took the team title with 184 points with Westfield State just 1.5 points back. Fitchburg State College was third with 96.5 points, followed by Keene State College with 83 and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth with 63.

The 4 x 400 record was one of three school record set Saturday. The 4 x 100-meter relay lowered that record by 0.16 seconds with its second place finish, and freshman Tim Even (Stoneham, Maine/Fryeburg Academy) established a new standard in the 800 meters with his third place time of 1:56.34. He broke the  previous mark of 1:56.92 set last year by Jimmy Sawyer.

Southern Maine earned three individual titles on the day. Junior Justin Richardson (Turner, Maine/St. Dominic) won the 5,000 meters with his time of
15:27.75, sophomore Evan Davis (Fair Haven, Vt./Fair Haven Union) captured the 110-meter hurdles in 15.56, and freshman Orion Winkler (Brownfield,
Maine/Fryeburg Academy) took first in the pole vault by clearing 4.34 meters (14-2 3/4).

Richardson led a 1-2-4 finish by USM in the 5,000, and Davis led a 1-2-4 finish in the 110 hurdles. Following Richardson across the line were freshman
Erich Neuts (Portland, Maine/Deering) in second (15:58.37) and junior Will Fulford (Kennebunk, Maine) in fourth (16:22.11). Scoring valuable points in the
hurdles were sophomore Mason Shepard (Portland, Maine/Deering) in second (15.70) and freshman A.J. Marden (Victory, Vt./St. Johnsbury) in fourth (16.25).
Shepard also placed second in the 400-meter hurdles with his time of 56.43.

Marden scored a third place finish in the triple jump with a leap of 13.28 meters (43-7). In addition to his win in the 110 hurdles, Davis picked up third
place finishes in the 400 hurdles (56:87) and the hight jump (1.86 meters/6-1 1/4).

Vigeant continued his impressive rookie season with a second place result in the 200 meters (21.91) and third in the 100 meters (11.22). In addition to
his school record in the 800, Even was third in the 1500 meters (4:06.09).  Mercer also placed third in the 400 meters (50.81).

Senior James Spaulding (Lewiston, Maine) had two third place finishes, taking the bronze in the shot put (14.01 meters/45-11 3/4) and the pole vault
(3.89 meters/12-9). Freshman Alex Gomes (Peabody, Mass.) earned a second place finish in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (9:55.19).

The Huskies next event will be the New England Division III Championships this Thursday through Saturday at Springfield College.