MEDFORD, Mass. – Sophomore Connor Hichens (Sharon/Sharon HS) and junior Steve Maffiolini (Southington, Conn./Southington HS) were among the top performers for the Bentley University men's indoor track and field team during Saturday's Tufts Cupid Challenge at Tufts University's Gantcher Center. Both had a pair of top-ten finishes in the meet.

Hichens was fifth of 27 in the triple jump with a distance of 43 feet, 4.25" and was also tenth of 38 in the long jump (20'7.25"). Maffiolini was the sixth man across the finish line in a field of 39 in the 400 meters (51.57) and was 12th of 49 in the 200 (23.36).

Also in the long jump, junior Anthony Charter (Hubbardston/Quabbin Reg. HS) was fourth (21'3.25") and sophomore Edy-Elliot Uthman-Olukokun (West Warwick, R.I./West Warwick HS) took eighth in 20'11.25. Those two also competed in the triple with Charter 15th (40'5.5") and Uthman-Olukokun 20th (39'7").

Keeping with the field events, freshman Eric Beckwith (North Attleboro/North Attleboro HS) launched a throw of 46 feet, 2.5 inches in the shot put, placing eighth of 42.

In a field of 36 in the mile, Bentley had three of the top 15 finishers with freshman Nik Haas (Ramsey, N.J./Ramsey HS) ninth (4:27.18), sophomore Anthony Lacey (Ogdensburg, N.J./Pope John XXIII) 13th (4:28.02) and senior Conor Higgins (Randolph, N.J./Randolph HS) 15th (4:28.55).

Junior Christian Connolly (Kingston/Silver Lake Reg. HS) placed 14th out of 40 in the 600, finishing in 1:25.64.

Four Falcon freshmen competed in the 3000 and all improved on their collegiate best in the event by at least 10 seconds. Erik Alatalo (Wilmington/Wilmington HS) was 24th in 9:12.82, Cullen McHale (Burlington, Conn./Lewis S. Mills HS) 27th in 9:17.42, Andrew McCluskey (Bridgewater/ Coyle-Cassidy HS) 29th in 9:18.62 and Rupak Mehta (Howell, N.J./Howell HS) 30th in 9:19.18.

                Next Saturday, Bentley will compete in the Northeast-10 Championships at the Reggie Lewis Center.