Local sprinters and jumpers are off to a triumphant start for the University of Maine men’s indoor track and field team, including one making an impact at that level for the first time.

T.J. England of Poland won the triple jump in his initial collegiate meet at New Hampshire last month. England, an outdoor track star at Poland Regional High School who previously played basketball during the winter, leaped a distance of 44 feet, 9 inches.

Lewiston’s Kurt Thibeault also delivered maximum points for the Black Bears in the season-opening meet. He won the 400 meters with a time of 52.46 seconds.

Junior Jeff Ramos of Turner (Leavitt) opened defense of his America East championship in the high jump, placing second with a height of 6-6.

Maine traveled across the border to the Green and Gold Invitational at the University of Sherbrooke this weekend.

That sinking feeling

Kaylie DeMillo‘s shooting range continues to expand as the Jay sophomore grows into the collegiate game at the nationally ranked University of Southern Maine.

DeMillo exploded for a career-high 29 points Tuesday night in a rare defeat for the Huskies. Despite DeMillo’s six 3-pointers, USM fell to Rhode Island College, 82-74, in Providence, R.I.

Three days earlier, DeMillo combined with Nicole Paradis to score 13 of Southern Maine’s 19 points in overtime, hoisting the Huskies to a 72-64 victory over Easter Connecticut State. DeMillo finished with 23 points and four 3-pointers, two of which ended in four-point plays when DeMillo was fouled in the act of shooting.

DeMillo has led Southern Maine in scoring five times through its first 14 games. She paces the team at both ends of the floor with 36 3-pointers and 20 steals while shooting above 41 percent from beyond the 3-point arc. She also ranks second on the squad with 12.2 points and 2.4 assists per game.

Regional stars

Emily Poliquin of Lisbon and Heidi DeHaan of Lewiston (St. Dominic) have provisionally qualified for the New England Division III indoor track and field championships by virtue of their recent performances.

Poliquin, a senior, advanced to postseason competition with her triple jump distance of 33-1 feet at Bowdoin College’s Preseason Invitational. DeHaan posted a time of 1:04.01 in the 400 to secure her spot.

The early-season showing was a sign of things to come for Poliquin, who placed ninth with a length of 35-0 against a strong field at the Dartmouth Relays.

USM’s men also produced several strong local efforts at Dartmouth. Justin Richardson of Turner (St. Dom’s) ran sixth in the 5,000 meters (16:00.65). Orion Winkler of Brownfield (Fryeburg) took fifth in the pole vault (13-6) on the heels of his win in the same event at the Bowdoin meet.

Another Fryeburg product, Tim Even, recently reaped Little East Conference rookie of the week recognition for wins in the 800 and distance medley relay at Bowdoin.

Big splash

Stephany Perkins of Monmouth doubled her rookie-season total of individual race victories in the space of five days for the Wheaton (Mass.) College women’s swimming and diving team last week. Perkins prevailed twice in solo competition.

The sophomore captured first place in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:36 at the Wheaton Winter Invitational, leading the Lyons to an easy triumph over Clark University and four other schools.

Perkins then triumphed in the 50 freestyle in a dual meet with Brandeis. Together with a second-place effort in the 400 medley relay and a third in the 200 breaststroke, Perkins’ points accounted for much more than the Lyons’ narrow seven-point margin of victory, 125-118, in the team sweepstakes.

Perkins also swam a leg in the second-place 800 freestyle relay and finished fourth in the 50 free to complement her win at Wheaton’s six-team showcase.

Pursuit of perfection

Mike Morin of Fryeburg is a spotless 24-0 for the University of Southern Maine wrestling team. Morin, a junior, maintained his perfect mark at 165 pounds Wednesday with a pin of MIT’s Michael Gerhardt.

Other local wrestlers for the Huskies are Oxford Hills graduates Matt Stoodley (174, freshman) and Dan McLean (285, junior) and Doug Wright of Fayette (Winthrop High School, 174, junior).

Two for the price of one

Bates junior Lauren Yanofsky picked up a pair of player of the week honors for her women’s basketball exploits last week. The six-foot forward pocketed those plaudits from the New England Small College Athletic Conference and New England Women’s Basketball Association, which covers all of NCAA Division III.

Yanofsky, who cracked Bates’ starting lineup five games ago, averaged 17.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 4 assists per game as the Bobcats won two of their three starts. That efficiency increased her season scoring rate to 11.6 points per contest.