The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy men's track & field team garnered second place, Saturday, May 1, at the Oneonta Track & Field Invitational, collecting 156 points, while trailing only the host school, Oneonta State (181) in a field of seven institutions. The women's team placed third, while the host school made a clean sweep, winning the women's contingent.

Four facility records, six Eastern College Athletic Conference qualifications, and many personal records and season bests highlighted the Mariners' overall performance at the invitational.

Freshman Christal Hall (Harlingen, Texas/Harlingen South) set Oneonta's facility record in the pole vault, as she soared upward to a height of 2.90 meters.

Senior Todd Hoyt (Bend, Ore./Bend) won the 400m dash, racing his way to an ECAC qualifying and season best time of 48.88. Also qualifying for ECAC competition in the 400m dash were brothers Walter Hall and William Hall (Pearl River, N.Y./Pearl River), both clocking in with personal bests at 50.03 (third place) and 50.11 (fourth place), respectively.

In the 800m run, senior Patrick Myers (Albuquerque, N.M./Saint Pius X) and freshman Chris Voss (Monroeville, N.J./Woodstown) gave a Úquot;one-two punch,Úquot; finishing first and second, respectively. Myers set a meet record, clocking in at 2:02.52, shaving about three seconds off the previous record, while Voss crossed the finish line at 2:08.61.

In the 1500m run, freshman John Stockert (Dover, Ohio/Dover) and teammate Voss finished in first and second respectively. Stockert set a meet record with a time of 4:19.68, edging the previous record by two seconds, while Voss clocked in at 8:46.97.

Senior 3,000m runner Chris Kapfer (Tualatin, Ore.) crossed the finish line third with a time of 8:46.97.

Junior Ben Mathias garnered a season best in the 110m hurdles, clocking in at a time of 19.11.

Fellow hurdler and freshman Ben Hayes (Wheat Ridge, Colo./Lakewood) set a facility record in the 400m hurdles, clocking in at 56.56. With the day's fastest time, Hayes qualified for ECAC competition in the process.

Freshman Chris Parks (La Pine, Ore./La Pine) finished second in the 3,000m steeplechase, clocking in at a personal best 10:01.00.

Finishing first with a time of 3:22.52, Louis Barbieri (Garrison, N.Y./Abp. Stepinac), Walter Hall, Hayes, and Hoyt teamed up in the 1600m relay, setting a facility record and qualifying for ECAC competition.

In the men's pole vault, freshman Aaron Reimer (Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point) soared to a height of 3.96m for a first-place performance.

Senior Allen Hsiao (Collinsville, Ill./Collinsville) qualified for ECAC competition in the long jump, reaching a personal record length of 6.49m, good enough for second place. Teammate Dan Byrne (Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder) came in third with a season best 6.07m.

Hsiao took second in the triple jump with a season best length of 12.65m.

Kings Point's Charlie Mayrer took second in the discus throw with a length of 41.49m, setting a meet record before Plattsburgh's Ian Sawtelle threw a 44.40m to steal the event.

Head coach Yolanda Flamino and the Mariners next look forward to the Albany Invitational, Saturday, May 8 in an all-day meet.