For the second consecutive year, Northeastern’s track and field team reigned victorious at the New England Championships on Saturday. Both the men’s and women’s teams earned first place at the meet, scoring 164 points and 130.5 points respectively.

“We just went against some very, very big teams and beat them,” head coach Cathrine Erickson said. “It just kind of shows, I think, the will of our individuals to be able to succeed.”

The women’s team finished 40 points ahead of second-place Dartmouth University. Notably contributing to the victory was second-year Leeyan Redwood, who finished first in the shot put, earning a personal record with a throw of 14.75 meters.

“It’s just amazing when you get those moments where all your training and hard work that you put in just finally comes through,” Redwood said. “It’s good to channel the energy that your teammates give off you; all the good radiation and good energy.”

Third-year Patrice Williams also helped lead the team to victory, finishing first in the 400-meter dash and second in the 200-meter dash, earning her season-best in both events.

Other second-place finishes went to fourth-year Corrine Meyers in the 800-meter race and third-year Amy Piccolo in the 1000-meter race.

The men’s team was neck and neck with University of Connecticut throughout the entire meet, leaving the victory up to the final event, the 4X400 relay. The Huskies solidified the win, leading by only 1.66 points.

“[University of Connecticut] on paper was supposed to score 160 points and we were supposed to score 123,”  Erickson said. “This program has outperformed itself. It’s unbelievable what our kids are able to do.”

The Huskies had several first-place finishes as well, including third-year Marc Rienas in the 800-meter, first-year Quinn Litherland in the 400-meter and second-year David Adams in the 500-meter.

Ryan Kim, a fourth-year physical therapy major, earned a personal record of 17.69 meters in the shot put, winning him first place at the meet as well as ninth all-time best in Northeastern indoor track and field history.

More school records were set by second-year Naukym Morton, who earned a time of 6.71 seconds in the 60-meter dash, upping his previous school record from his freshman year and setting the New England Championship record.

“I crossed the finish line…I just looked up at the scoreboard and it said 6.71,” Morton said. “People know ‘when this guy comes to the track he’s going to do big things.’ That’s always what I wanted.”

Fourth-year Nick Fofana also set a Northeastern record in the Heptathlon, earning 5,258 points and first place.

Hurdlers Shawn Bleichert, a third-year, and Jordan Samuels, a fourth-year, earned second and third place respectively in the 60-meter hurdles despite a startling false start by an athlete from Dartmouth University in the finals.

“That initial readiness, that tension, kind of disappears a little bit because it was all saved up for that one, and then you gotta do it again,” Bleichert explains.

Bleichert earned a personal record of 8.05 seconds, while Samuels ran 8.06 seconds, placing them third and fourth respectively for Northeastern’s all-time indoor record.

The New England Championships marked Erickson’s last meet as head coach. She will be taking a job with the track and field team of the United States Paralympics. The athletes made sure to send her off with a victory.

“I know the emotions she felt and the emotions the team felt,” said Bleichert. “I think it’s a good feeling that we were able to give her a proper send-off.”