WILMINGTON, N.C. -- Sam Saccoman, Shawn Johnson and Keaton Hanevold provided North Dakota with a trio of runner-up performances today as UND opened the outdoor season at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington Seahawk Invitational.
Saccoman, a junior from Hibbing, Minn., placed second in the 5K race, clocking a time of 15 minutes, 17.04 seconds. Teammate Nate Peterson (So., Horace, N.D.) was right behind in third place with a time of 15:30.14.
Johnson, meanwhile, finished second in the hammer throw. The junior from Eveleth, Minn., posted a mark of 49.99 meters (164 feet).
Teammates Cody Mach (Fr., Faribault, Minn.), Tate Messmer (So., Ortonville, Minn.) and Zach Olson (Fr., Owatonna, Minn.) finished 5-6-7 to give UND a quartet of finishers in the top seven. Mach recorded a throw of 45.14 meters (148-01), Messmer a mark of 43.76 meters (143-07) and Olson at 43.53 meters (142-10).
In the javelin, the freshman Hanevold, a native of Thompson, N.D., was the runner-up with a mark of 55.65 meters (182-07). Teammate Alex Hickel was right behind him in the third place with a throw of 54.35 meters (178-04).
UND finished the opening day in second place among six teams, recording 50 points. Host UNC-Wilmington is in first with 57 points entering tomorrow's final day of competition.
