ROXBURY, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University men's indoor track & field team opened the 2017-2018 season at the 6th Annual UMass Boston Indoor Open held on Saturday at the Reggie Lewis Center.

Freshman John Lara (South Boston, Mass.) and sophomore Joshua Higgins (Fitchburg, Mass.) placed third and fourth, respectively, in the 800-meter run. Lara posted a time of 1:58.11, while Higgins was a step behind at 1:58.14. Both qualified for the Division III New England Championships in the event.

Sophomore Nick Johnson (Marstons Mills, Mass.) finished fourth in the weight throw with a toss of 47 feet, seven inches (14.50m), while junior Austin Maskell (Weymouth, Mass.) checked in at fifth place with a mark of 47 feet, three inches (14.40m). Johnson and Maskell each qualified for the Division III New England Championships.

The Bears' quartet of sophomore Lamont Haynes (Boston, Mass.), Higgins, senior Michael Kotleski (Great Barrington, Mass.) and sophomore Kyle Cordeiro (Westport, Mass.) placed second in the 4x400-meter relay with a time of 3:24.00.

Kotleski also finished fourth in the 400-meter dash (51.09).

Freshman Dylan Lynch (East Taunton, Mass.) placed fourth in the 1,000-meter run (2:43.37), while senior Joseph Kisamore (Attleboro, Mass.) was the fifth runner to cross the line in the 3,000-meter run (9:16.12).

Next Saturday, the BSU men's indoor track & field team will compete at the RIC Invitational.