BOSTON, Mass. - The Bowdoin College track team enjoyed one of its finest days in school history Saturday as Coby Horowitz and Jacob Ellis both posted record-breaking performances in winning their events at the Open New England Championship hosted by Boston University.

Horowitz set a new Division III record in the mile, posting a time of 4:00.41 seconds and coming within a shade of becoming the first Division III athlete to run a sub-four minute mile. His time broke the previous mark of 4:00.96 held since 1997 by Haverford's Karl Paranya. He placed first in the race by almost two seconds in a field that included numerous Division I runners.

Ellis also earned a first-place finish in the 800 meters, carding a time of 1:52.31 to win the crown by a tenth of a second. One of only two Division III runners in the race, his personal best time trails Chris Downe's school mark by 0.37 seconds.

The victories were the first by a Bowdoin athlete at Open New England's since Neoma Palmer won the 5000 meters for the women in 2003. They are the first wins by a male athlete at Open New England's since Alex Schulten won the hammer throw in 1965.

The top finishes by the Bowdoin women came from Addison Carvajal, who earned a seventh-place finish with 3314 points in the pentathlon, and Katherine Harmon, who earned a seventh-place spot in the weight throw with a toss of 15.40 meters.

Selected Polar Bear athletes will compete in the ECAC Championship next weekend in Boston as a final competition before the NCAA Division III Championship meet in Lincoln, Nebraska on March 14.