Meadville, Pa. -  Student-athletes from over 30 Division-II and III schools spanning four different states braved rainy conditions throughout the day to take part in the 7th annual Gator Invitational, held at the Robertson Athletic Complex.
One of the largest track and field invitationals in the country, the Gator Invitational saw a number of strong performances across the board.

In the hammer throw, Allegheny sophomore Michael Petro established a career best in the hammer throw, with a toss of 48.42 meters.  It bested his previous career mark by nearly nine meters, and was the best throw turned in by the Gators in the 2013 outdoor season.

Competing in the 400 for just the third time this season, freshman Nelson Hansen  continued his impressive debut season in the blue and gold, turning in a career-best time of 50.85 seconds, also the best mark for Allegheny in 2013.  In the same event, Gator sophomore Davis Olson also established a new personal record, crossing the finish line in 53.89 seconds.

The Allegheny mid-distance corps was led by freshman Ben Plohr's time of 1:56.08 in the 800, while Tom DeAscentis took second in the 1500, timed in 4:09.00, four seconds and two spots ahead of teammate Jack Denison.
In one of the day's deepest fields, freshman Logan Steiner was the second Division-III finisher in the 5000, timed in 15:16.55, while junior Lance Claflin turned in a time of 10:04.32 in the 3000 meter steeplechase, the second-best effort of his career.

The Gator hurdlers were led by freshman Alex Ciorra, who ran a 16.22 in the finals of the 110, while classmate Xander Bennett topped his previous personal best by nearly a second, turning in a time of 16.25 seconds.

The most impressive performance of the day came from a likely source, as three-time NCAA Division-II National Champion Kurtis Roberts, who was competing for Nike.  The ninth-ranked thrower in the world, Roberts threw a staggering 20.56m/67'5” in the shot put, shattering a five-year Robertson Athletic Complex record by over 10 feet.

Roberts was one of three throwers to establish facility records at the Gator Invitational, as Kevin Phipps, representing HammerGloves, threw 64.84m/212'9” in the hammer, and Baldwin Wallace's Mitchell Supan threw 55.10m/180'9” in the discus.

Two other Frank B. Fuhrer Stadium records were established, as Jalen Law (Unattached) ran 10.68 in the 100, and Mount Union's Paul Mendy jumped 14.66m/14'1” in the triple jump.