BOSTON -- University of Southern Maine senior Curtis Wheeler (Derby, Vt./North Country Union) won the 5,000 meters Friday afternoon in the first day of competition at the 2008 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Championships being held at Harvard University.

Wheeler, who also won the 5,000 at last weekend's NEIcAAA Championships, covered the distance in a time of 14 minutes, 42.93 seconds to win the event by nearly 15 seconds over his nearest competitor. He is currently ranked 14th in the nation among Division III runners qualified for the NCAA Division III National Championships. The field for the NCAA meet will be announced Monday.

Wheeler's twin brother, Nick, was in a three-battle for the runner-up spot before finishing fourth with a time of 14:58.20.

Senior Adam Haggerty (Hermon, Maine) picked up All-ECAC honors in the pole vault finishing eighth after clearing 4.40 meters (14-5 1/4). Sophomore John Davis (Westbrook, Maine) tied for 12th in the pole vault with an effort of 4.25 meters (13-11 1/4).

Southern Maine is tied for fourth in the team scoring after day one with 16 points. Tufts University leads the meet with 28 points, followed by St. Lawrence University with 23 points, M.I.T. with 20 points and Southern Maine and Brockport State.

Competition resumes Saturday morning at 9:00 a.m. The Huskies have six individuals and two relays scheduled to compete.