The Middlebury men's track and field team began the outdoor season with the two-day Ross & Sharon Irwin Invitational hosted by Point Loma Nazarene University in California. The meet featured collegiate programs from all divisions and was a non-team scoring event. 
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• A pair of throwing events were contested on Friday night to kick off the competition. Dan Urchuk led the way in the hammer with a launch of 51.23 meters to grab the top spot. Dave Filias was right behind with a mark of 50.29m. Darnel Cineas rounded out the group, finishing in sixth (45.69m). 
• Quinn Kennedy placed ninth in the javelin on opening day, launching the implement 42.18m. 
• Urchuk continued to pace the Panthers in the throws on Saturday, earning runner-up honors in the shot put (14.76m), and sixth in the discus (44.39m). Also tallying top-10 finishes in the shot were Logan Cosgrove in sixth (13.89m), Filias in seventh (13.85m) and Calvin Szoradi in ninth (13.38m). 
• Middlebury had a strong showing in the 400-meter hurdles with Joey Caspar grabbing third place with a clocking of 54.60 seconds. Nate Gardner was three spots behind with a time of 56.90 seconds.
• In the triple jump, Sam Opawuyi finished third with a mark of 13.60m, while Santi Canella was fifth (13.24m). 
• Cameron Miles crossed the finish line in fifth in the 800, stopping the clock in 1:56.19.
• In the 60 dash, Marco Motroni clocked in at 10.73 seconds, which was good for sixth place. The Panther recorded a personal best time of 22.15 seconds in the 200.
• Also grabbing sixth was Solomon McDow in the 3,000 steeplechase (10:25.92), followed by Frederick Alfonso-Frank in seventh (10:37.08).
• In the 400, Xander Swann crossed the line in eighth with a time of 49.08 seconds.
• Ninth-place finishes came from Felix Rogovin in the 5,000 (15:35.14), Drew McStay in the high jump (1.86m), Robert Altavilla in the pole vault (3.75m) and Jed Nelson in the long jump (6.35m).
• Rounding out the top-10 performers was Tyler Drummey, who finished in a two-way tie for 10th in the pole vault, clearing the bar at 3.60m. 

NOTES

• Personal best performances came from Urchuk in the hammer, Canella in the triple, Kennedy in the javelin, Motroni in the 100 and Opawuyi in the long jump. 

The Panthers are idle until March 21 when they begin the two-day Aztec Invitational hosted by San Diego State University.