LONG BEACH, Calif. – The Navy track and field teams opened its outdoor season Saturday at the Long Beach Opener in Long Beach, Calif., where only the throwers competed in the shot put and discus.
 
Hunter-Robins Mann paced the Midshipmen in the men's shot put, placing ninth with a mark of 15.66 meters (51-04.50). Hayden Overgaard followed in 13th at 14.45 meters (47-5), while Blake Thompson rounded out Navy's top-three finishers in 16th with a throw of 13.97 meters (45-10).
 
Dominic Dogue (13.93 meters / 45-08.50), Adam Szatanek (13.21 meters / 43-04.25) and Aaron Spears (12.73 meters / 41-09.25) also competed in the shot put, finishing 18th, 21st and 22nd, respectively.
 
Gretchen Hurt led the way for the Mids in the women's shot put, placing sixth at 13.56 meters (44-6). Julia Norris followed in eighth with a throw of 13.38 meters (43-10.75), while Nalina Smith took 14th at 12.17 meters (39-11.25).
 
The trio also competed in the discus with Norris posting the top women's mark at 39.45 meters (129-05) to finish 16th. Smith was 19th at 38.78 meters (127-02) and Hurt placed 23rd with a throw of 33.69 meters (119-05).
 
Szatanek led Navy's men's discus competitors with a 15th-place finish at 45.63 meters (149 feet, 8 inches). Mann followed in 16th at 45.16 meters (148-2), with Overgaard placing 20th at 42.96 meters (140-11). Thompson finished 22nd at 42.59 meters (139-8), while Spears rounded out the Mids' competitors in 25th.
 
The Midshipmen return to action next Saturday at the Ross and Sharon Irwin Invitational in San Diego to close out their West Coast trip.