SELINSGROVE, Pa. - Junior Phil Cocco (Hughestown, Pa./Pittston Area) finished with a pair of top-three finishes, while graduate student Mark Merli (Peckville, Pa./Valley View) registered a second place finish in the long jump to pace The University of Scranton men's track & field team at the 2021 Landmark Conference Outdoor Championships on Saturday at Susquehanna.

Overall, the Royals placed sixth overall, registering 39 team points. Host Susquehanna captured the Landmark title with 239 points, followed by Moravian in second with 191 total points.

Here were some highlights on the afternoon for the Royals.

• Cocco reached the medal podium in two events on the afternoon - the shot put and the hammer throw. In the shot put, he finished second with a high toss of 46 feet, 4.25 inches. The mark shattered a school record in the event, which was previously set by Cocco two seasons ago.
• In the hammer throw, Cocco earned a bronze medal with a toss of 139 feet, six inches. The third-place finish also broke a Scranton program record in that event, as well.
• Merli, meanwhile, finished off his career at Scranton with a second place finish in the long jump with a final mark of 22 feet, 7.25 inches. The mark was also a program record in the event, as well.
• Elsewhere, freshman Timothy Lanahan (Mendham, N.J./Mendham) had the highest finish in track events, placing sixth place in the 1500-meter run with a time of 4:10.14. Sophomore Luke Shannon (Rockville Centre, N.Y./South Side) was seventh in the 400-meter dash in 54.14, while fellow sophomore Joshua Vituszynski (Throop, Pa./Mid Valley) placed ninth in the 5000-meter run in 16:38.97.
• Rounding out the top performances for Scranton on the day was the Royals' 4x400 relay team, who placed fourth in 3:38.78. Meanwhile, Scranton's 4x100 relay squad placed fifth in 44.87.

For full results from the 2021 Landmark Conference Track & Field Championships, click here.

--ROYALS--