GORHAM, Maine -- The University of Southern Maine women's indoor track and field team, led by senior Melissa Bellemore (Manchester, N.H.) and sophomore Emily Poliquin (Lisbon Falls, Maine) finished in a tie for 32nd place among the 56 teams that scored at the ECAC (Eastern College Athletic Conference) Indoor Track and Field Championships held Friday and Saturday at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn.

The Huskies finished in a tie with Hamilton College, Widener University, and Johns Hopkins University as each school earned eight points. St. Lawrence University won the team title with 48 points. Rounding out the top five teams were Cabrini College with 45 points, Frostburg State University with 42 points, Williams College with 41 points and Rochester Institute of Technology with 40 points.

Bellemore and Poliquin each earned All-ECAC honors during the first day of competition. Bellemore placed third in the pole vault by clearing 3.37 meters (11-0 3/4) while Poliquin scored with her eighth place finish in the triple jump by leaping 10.50 meters (34-5 1/2). The Huskies final point was earned by the 4 x 200-meter relay team of freshman Emily Artesani (Orono, Maine), junior Hattie Landry (Acton, Maine/Wells), Poliquin and freshman Sarah Hale (Naples,
Maine/Lake Region) which posted a season-best time of 1:50.19 to place eighth. Others posting top ten finishes were turned in by senior Caterina Riitano (Sangerville, Maine/Piscataquis Comm.) who was tenth in the weight throw with a heave of 14.08 meters (46-2 1/2) and Artesani who posted a top ten time of 26.90 seconds in the 200 meters. Artesani also posted a time of 1:00.68 in the 400 meters.

Bellemore is the only member of the USM team provisionally qualified for the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships next weekend in Terre Haute, Ind. She will wait until Monday to see if she has made the field in the pole vault. Southern Maine opens its 2007 spring outdoor season March 28 at the USAT Collegiate Series meet in Clermont, Fla.