NORTHAMPTION, Mass. (February 18, 2018) – The 4x800-meter relay team had the highest-scoring performance on Sunday, with a third-place finish, to lead the Franklin Pierce University men's track & field team on the second and final day of the Northeast-10 Conference Championships. The two-day meet was held on the campus of Smith College, and hosted by American International College.

In all, Franklin Pierce collected 36.5 points on the weekend to finish sixth, out of 11 teams. At the top of the pack, Southern Connecticut State (189 points) successfully defended its NE10 indoor title with a narrow victory over host AIC (184.5 points). Stonehill (100 points) rounded out the top three.

The 4x800-meter relay featured a lineup of sophomore Tyler Hayes (Kings Park, N.Y.), senior Martin Gradijan (Lebanon, N.H.), senior Joshua Ercolini (Woburn, Mass.) and freshman Hugo Arlabosse (Marseille, France). The quartet put together a run of 7:58.03 to finish third and pick up six points.

It was one of two relays to score on the day for the Ravens. Arlabosse also anchored the 4x400-meter relay to a time of 3:23.91, to finish fourth and earn five points. He was preceded by sophomore Trevor Guay (Londonderry, N.H.), senior Nicholas Jacques (Westfield, Mass.) and freshman Colin Stoddard (Charlton, Mass.).

For Arlabosse though, the real drama came as an individual in the 800 meters. He laid down a time of 1:54.66 and appeared to claim his first ever NE10 title, as he crossed the line first. However, his heat was a particularly physical one, and Arlabosse was eventually disqualified for bumping another runner during the race.

"Hugo showed the conference that he is a complete animal," said head coach Zach Emerson after the meet. "He pulled away from some of the best 800-meter runners in the nation, and it was extremely impressive. However, he needs to learn from this experience how to better run in physical races. He's going to win a lot of big races in his career, and I'm convinced that today was a lesson he needed to learn, and one that will make him even better as an athlete than if he had simply won."

Given the final standings, the 10 points Arlabosse would have earned for winning would have vaulted the Ravens into a top-five finish.

As it stood, Franklin Pierce still had five individuals pick up points on Sunday. Junior Robert Boardman (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) led the way with a fourth-place finish in the high jump, as he picked up five points after getting up and over 1.89 meters. Sophomore Jack Ehrhardt (Point Pleasant, N.J.) scored in the event as well, as he cleared 1.84 meters to tie for seventh and pick up 1.5 points.

Also in field events, senior Rindal Pierre-Canel (Randolph, Mass.) picked up three points with a sixth-place finish in the triple jump. He posted a hop, skip and jump total of 13.67 meters.

Franklin Pierce also had two runners score in track events, including sophomore Jeff Reddy (Chester, N.H.), who picked up two points in the 3000 meters, just one day after an impressive showing in Saturday's 5000 meters. In the 3000, Reddy clocked in at 8:42.86 to finish seventh.

"Jeff Reddy scored from the slower section of the 3000, and led the whole way to do so," said Emerson of the performance. "That is so tough to do, especially when doubling back from the 5000 the night before. This kid showed why he's one of the best young distance runners in the NE10."

Junior Jaris Neville (Atlanta, Ga.) rounded out the scoring in the meet for the Ravens, as he took part in the finals of the 200-meter dash. He picked up one point by finishing eighth, with a time of 23.17 seconds.

The meet capped off the NE10's indoor track & field season. The Ravens may send select individuals to Boston University next weekend for the Last Chance Meet on Sunday, Feb. 25. The meet is named as such, because it represents the final opportunity for student-athletes to post marks to qualify for the NCAA Championships.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce track and field apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' brand new online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).