DURHAM, NH (May 10, 2008) – Sophomore Haley Catarius (Marshfield, MA) led three UMass Lowell women’s track and field athletes who earned All-New England honors in two events Saturday at the New England Championships at the University of New Hampshire’s Atkins Track.

UMass Lowell scored 32 points and placed eighth overall and third among Division II and III colleges. Boston College won the team title with 131 points.

Catarius placed fifth overall and first among Division II-III runners in the 800 meters with a time of 2:11.80, a mere 1/100th of a second shy of tying the school record of 2:11.79.

With the result, Catarius inched to 13th on the NCAA Championship qualifying list, virtually booking her place.

Catarius also ran a 2:21 leg on UML’s 4X800 meter relay team which placed fifth and set a school record with a time of 9:24.82. Joining her was junior Christina DaLomba (Marstons Mills, MA), who ran a 2:19 leg; senior Amanda Sousa (Peabody, MA), who ran in 2:24; and freshman Lyra Clark (Nashua, NH), who ran a 2:19 split.

The result eclipsed the previous mark of 9:35.75 set last season, of which Catarius and DaLomba were a part.

Freshman Shanika Pitts (Easton, MA) and senior Tristin Johnson (Pittsfield, MA) also won All-New England honors twice as Pitts placed fourth in the 100 meter dash in 12.52 seconds and Johnson seventh in the 200 meters in 25.33.

Pitts and Johnson also led UML’s 4X100 meter relay team to third place in 47.69 seconds. Pitts ran a 12.10 leg while Johnson followed in 11.25. Sophomore Sharikka Finley-Moise (Lexington, MA) ran a 12.59 leg and sophomore Prisna Doriscat (Boston, MA) an 11.60 split.

Senior Gillian Mundry (Methuen, MA) earned All-New England status for the second straight year in the long jump as she placed third with a distance of 17 feet, 10.25 inches.

Sophomore Jacqui Barrett (Woburn, MA) took fourth in the shot put with a toss of 44’ 8.0’’, to earn All-New England for the second time this season.

UML enters the IC4A Championship Friday through Sunday at Princeton University.