March 21, 2009
Complete Results
SAN DIEGO, Calif. - Junior Mark Van Orden (Morris Plains, N.J.) hit a NCAA regional-qualifying mark in winning the hammer throw to highlight the Navy men's track & field team efforts in its outdoor season opener at the Point Loma Invitational on Saturday afternoon.
Van Orden, the reigning Patriot League champion in both the weight and hammer throw events, uncorked a 193'4" (58.94m) toss in his first action of the spring to secure return trips to May's IC4A and NCAA East Regional meets. As a sophomore, the New Jersey native finished 11th in the hammer at both the IC4A Championship and the NCAA East Regional meet.
Fellow throwing standout and outdoor team captain Chris Bordino (Gastonia, N.C.) took second in the event with an IC4A throw of his own with a distance of 175'8" (53.55m).
Navy also received IC4A marks from juniors Tim Gruber (Grove City, Pa.) and Matthew Hanley (Rapid City, S.D.). Gruber was impressive in his 2009 debut, winning the javelin with a PR heave of 200' (60.95m). Meanwhile, Hanley paced the field with an IC4A-qualifying time in winning the 110-meter hurdles in 14.81 seconds.
Freshman and San Diego native Chris Boniwell rounded out Navy's four individual event-winners on the afternoon with a 152'5" (46.47m) throw to win the discus. Boniwell also claimed second-place honors in the shot put (46'9"; 14.25m).
The Midshipmen return home to host American, Colgate and Penn at Ingram Field in Annapolis on Saturday, March 28.
## GO NAVY! ##
