By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University men's outdoors track & field team took part in a pair of meets on Friday.

Senior Kyle Ackroyd (Charlestown, R.I.) was among the top finishers in the 10,000-meter race at the Silfen Invitational, hosted by Connecticut College in New London, Conn., on Friday night.

The Bears were also represented at the Tufts University Spring Invitational in Medford, Mass., a meet that will conclude Saturday.

SILFEN INVITATIONAL

Ackroyd placed sixth out of 38 finishers in the Elite 10,000 race with a personal-best time of 31:32.14.

The winner was senior Nathan Tassey of Roger Williams University in 29:34.42.

Another Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference runner, freshman Paulino Guevara Mateo of Fitchburg State. was second in 30:12.15.

Senior Mitchell Parent (Cumberland Center, Maine) was 48th in the 5,000-meter elite race with a PR of 15:59.40.

TUFTS SPRING INVITATIONAL

Senior Ryker King (Wareham, Mass.) and sophomore Drew Alves (Taunton, Mass.) took part in the first day of the heptathlon.

King is in 13th place with 2,949 points and Alves is 14th with 2,901 points after the first five events.

King was third in the 400-meter run (51.16 seconds, 762 points), 12th in the high jump (5 feet, 5 and 3/4 inches, 520 points), 14th in the 100-meter dash (11.68, 715 points) and 17th in both the long jump (19 feet, 3/4 inches, 546 points) and shot put (28 feet, 5 and 1/2 inches, 406 points).

Alves' best event was the high jump (fourth place, 5'10.5"/1.79m, 619 pts). He was 11th in the 100 (11.59, 734 pts), 12th in the 400 (54.41, 621 pts), 15th in the long jump (19'4.25"/5.90m, 565 pts) and 18th in the shot put (26'0.0"/7.92m, 362 pts).

The remaining five events -- the 110 hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1,500 -- will take place Saturday starting at 9 a.m.

Also on Friday, BSU junior Kaelan McDonald (Washington, Conn.) finished fifth in the javelin with a career-best throw of 173 feet, three inches (52.82m).

Teammate Gavin McElwee (Halifax, Mass.) was 12th in the event with a PR throw of 157 feet (47.86m).

Senior Colin Daly (Easton, Mass.) finished 12th in the hammer throw with a distance of 138 feet, three inches (42.14m).