CALIFORNIA and NORTH DAKOTA – After a delayed start to the men's and women's outdoor track & field season, the University of Mary is hitting the afterburners this week as the Marauders have scholar-athletes competing in  four different meets in two different states.
 
A contingent of Marauders are competing in a trio of meets in California. UMary competed in the Pacific Coast Invitational in Long Beach, CA, on Wednesday and Thursday. UMary is now in the midst of competing in the Bryan Clay Invitational, hosted by Azusa Pacific University, and the MT. SAC Relays in Walnut, CA. Both wrap up on Saturday, April 15.
 
Additionally UMary will compete at the Dickinson (ND) State University Blue Hawk Games on Sunday, April 16 (The Blue Hawk Games were originally scheduled for April 14).
 
The Marauders had a strong showing at the Pacific Coast Invitational, hosted by Long Beach State University.
 
Arianna Passeri remains undefeated this spring in the long jump. The All-American won the event with a career-best outdoor mark of 6.11 meters on her second attempt of the day to best a field of 60 competitors, including multiple NCAA Division I scholar-athletes. She now ranks 5^th in the country and second among Northern Sun competitors.
 
Passeri also finished 16^th in the 100 meter dash with a wind-aided time of 11.91 seconds.
 
Kiran Green ran a collegiate-best time of 2:15.37 to placed 4^th in the 800 meter run.
 
Morgan Hertz placed 12^th in the 400 meter hurdles and missed the NCAA provisional qualifying mark by half a second with a time of 1:02.83. The junior, who ranks 5^th in the nation in the event, was 3^rd among non-NCAA Division I or non-collegiate competitors.
 
Brendon Hoyte led the men's efforts for the Marauders with a pair of impressive finishes. The sophomore ran the 100 meter dash in 10:59, missing the NCAA provisional standard by .07 seconds. He finished 14^th out of 60 and was third among NCAA DII runners. Hoyte was 23^rd in the 200 in a time of 21.90, just .64 seconds off the provo standards. Both clockings were wind-aided.
 
Raheem Taitt-Best tore up the track in the 400 meter run, placing 12^th in the 400 with a career-best time of 48.67, missing a provo mark by just .84 seconds.
 
Turning in the Marauders best finish was Joseph Patchen-Mills. The Bismarck, ND, native placed 10^th overall with a time of 1:58.53 in his first time running the 800 this season.
 
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