NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Sacred Heart University men's track and field team placed second at the Merrimack Alumni Classic, which came to a close on Saturday afternoon at Duane Stadium in North Andover, Mass.  

The Pios tallied 177 points to finish second out of the five competing teams. SHU finished 32 points clear of third-place Stonehill while trailing host Merrimack (236) in first. 

Saturday marked a career day for graduate student Cameron Croce, as he set new personal records in the shot put, discuss, and hammer throw. Croce earned wins in both the shot put (15.49m) and hammer throw (59.35m) and took third in the discus (43.92m). Croce PR hammer throw also set a new program record for the Pioneers.

Blake Stewart joined Croce with a victory by claiming the top spot in the long jump with a mark of 6.69m. The junior also set a PR time of 11.78 in the 100 meters. Stewart's win in the long jump led the way for four Pios that finished in the top nine of the event. Dylan Hunt (6.26m) took third, Rafael Mahario (6.19m) was fourth, and Nathaniel Dussault (5.64m) finished ninth. 

Owen Nassaney earned his second win in as many weeks in the high jump by clearing 2.03m in his second attempt Saturday. Nazir Hibbert placed fourth in the event by clearing 1.80m, while Benjamin Healy was fifth after clearing 1.70m. 

Hunt (13.28m) added a second-place showing in the triple jump to his stellar afternoon. Nathaniel Dussault (12.31m) and Jordan Greene (11.43m) finished fifth and sixth place in the triple jump, respectively. Dussault's jump marked a new personal record. 

Sacred Heart also had success in both relay races, placing first in the 4x400 and second in the 4x100. Jonathan Mahon, Jack Sarkisian, Connor, and Dominic Miele made up the winning 4x400 squad, while Roberto DaCosta, Mahon, Corry Brinken, and Mahario teamed together in the 4x100. 

DaCosta, Mahon, and Hibbert all finished in the top seven of the 100 meters. DaCosta (11.21) and Hibbert (11.24) both set PRs in the finals to take fourth and seventh, while Mahon (11.23) placed sixth. 

Sophomore Daniel Rodriguez tallied a new personal-record time of 11:18.92 in the 3,000m steeplechase to finish in third. 

The Merrimack Alumni Classic began yesterday with the javelin event. Albert DePierro IV (45.41m) and Liam Tharin (43.01m) competed for SHU yesterday, placing fifth and eighth, respectively, after personal-record throws. 

Daniel Blatman continued SHU's impressive throwing outing with a third- and fifth-place finish this afternoon. The senior set a PR and took third in the hammer (49.60m), in addition to finishing fifth in the discus. 

Corry Brinken, Connor Meikl, and Daniel DiGangi recorded fifth-place showings today. Brinken took fifth in the 200 meters with a time of 22.71. Meikle ran the 400m in 51.20 to take fifth. DiGangi placed fifth in the pole vault by clearing 3.95m. 

The Pios return to competition on Saturday, Apr. 22, to participate in the Rider University Invite.