MORRIS, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris men's track & field team sits in third place in the standings after the first day of the UMAC Outdoor Championships. 

The University of Wisconsin-Superior leads the way through nine events with 114 points. Martin Luther College is second with 103.5 points. The Cougars come in third with 42 points, followed by Bethany Lutheran College in fourth place with 35 points and the University of Northwestern in fifth with 34.5 points. Rounding out the team standings are Crown College in sixth (13 points) and North Central University in seventh (eight points).

Minnesota Morris had two event victories on Friday, accounting for 20 of its 42 points. The 4 x 800 Meter Relay team of Gregory Peterson, Grady Larsen, Joel Knopp, and Rory Shackelford won the race in 8:14.89. Individually, Luke Petersen claimed the hammer throw title with a distance of 163-1 (49.72 meters).

The hammer throw was dominated by the Cougars. Besides Petersen's victory, Minnesota Morris had four other throwers among the top eight. Justin Robinson was third at 142-9 (43.52 meters), with Jerad Nelson in fifth at 136-6 (41.61 meters). Ben Paulson finished in seventh with a distance of 133-2 (40.60 meters) and Cody Nye was eighth at 131-2 (39.97 meters).

The other events which earned points for Minnesota Morris on Friday were the javelin and the 400 Meter Hurdles. Conor Thornbrugh finished third in the javelin with a toss of 153-10 (46.88 meters). In the 400 Hurdles, Joshua Welch placed sixth with a time of 1:03.20.

The second and final day of competition at the UMAC Outdoor Championships starts tomorrow at 11 a.m.