LANCASTER, Pa. - Eastern Men's Track and Field began its indoor season at the Diplomat Open hosted by Franklin & Marshall. Sophomore Elijah McCullough opened his season with a win in the Triple Jump, Derrick Swain set a new school record in the Shot Put, both Eastern 4x400 squads placed in the top-eight, and seven other Eagles recorded top-eight finishes. 

McCullough, who hails from Vineland, N.J., won his first Triple Jump event of the season with a distance of 13.00 meters. In the 60m Hurdles, the Eagles had two top-eight finishers. Sophomore Donovan Skinner finished third with a time of 9.18, and fellow sophomore Zachary Howard placed sixth with time of 9.48. Swain, who started almost every game on the Eastern offensive line, placed seventh in the Shot Put with a throw of 12.63 m, setting a new school record in the process.

In the 400 Meter Dash, first-year Alexander Lee began his collegiate career with a fifth-place finish (52.28), while sophomore James Ugorji placed eighth with a time of 53.47. To wrap up the evening, Eastern's team of Kojo Cunningham, Lee, Ugorji, and Skinner finished first in the 4x400 relay (3:33.22), while the Eagles' second group of Robert Walton, Astin Daniel, Tyler Long, and Jonathan Beltran Garcia finished in eighth (3:40.43). 

In other results, Walton placed fourth in the Mile (4:35.48), first-year Ian Hopkins finished sixth in the High Jump (1.77 m), and Long placed eighth in the 800 Meter Run (2:05.93).

"Today was a good indication of how our fall training went. Our freshmen got their first taste of college competition and our upperclassmen got to see how much they improved from last year's first indoor meet," Eastern Head Coach Will Mills said. "The day was filled with energy, camaderie, and positive vibes. Overall, I am happy with everyone's performance on the day. This was a great beginning to the season and I look forward to next week's competition." 

Eastern will be back in action next weekend at the River Hawk Early Season Multi and Invitational.