The Kevin Paterson era started out strong for the Benedictine University men's track and field team, placing fourth at the Private College Invite at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Two Eagles set school records and four different athletes set Top 25 Division III marks.
 
One of those school record holders and Top 25 mark setters was Marcus Griffith. Last year's NCAA Outdoor Championship qualifier won the 55m hurdles, setting a new BenU and bursting on to the Division III leaderboards with a 7.72s time. Also on the track, the Eagles saw big performances from Joe Chavez in the 800m (fourth place, 2:03.74) and Mitchell Tuthill in the 200m (26th place, 24.93s).
 
The second school record came in the heptathlon, as Ryley Martin earned a combined score of 3,452 through his performance in the 55m dash, 1000m dash, 55m hurdles, high jump, pole vault, long jump, and shot put events. His score also puts him in the Division III Top 25.
 
Benedictine's other Top 25 finishers all came in field events. Billy Sipek, who earned All-American honors last season, won the high jump event and earned a spot in the Top 25 with a 2.00m mark. Eric Kenebrew, another NCAA Outdoor Championships qualifier last season, placed third in the shot put (15.15m) and fourth in the weight throw (16.44) to set Top 25 marks in both events. In addition, Joe DeMaegd had a strong meet, placing fifth in the weight throw (15.16m) and 13th in the shot put (12.67m).
 
"I couldn't be more proud of the results we had today," said Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Kevin Paterson. "To set several Top 25 marks in Division III, as well as school records the first meet of the season makes us really excited. We will get back to work next week, stay dedicated, and look to improve our marks in two weeks. Today was a great start to the season."
 
BenU is back in action on January 31 when the team will compete in the Illinois Wesleyan University Titan Open. The Saturday event will begin at 10:00 a.m.