NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. - The Daemen College men's outdoor track and field competed for the second time this week, participating in the Westminster Invitational held today at Burry Stadium.  The Wildcats finished 18th out of 23 competing teams with six points in the meet's final team standings.

For the second time in three meets, junior middle distance runner Matt VanDeMortel (Geneva, N.Y./Geneva) was the headliner for the Wildcats.  He finished fourth in the 800 meter run, earning five points towards Daemen's total for the team standings.  His time of 1:56.20 was slightly off the school record pace (1:56.05) in the event set by Zac Ekdahl back in 2014.  VanDeMortel finished second in the 800 meter run, and won the 1500 meter run in Daemen's season-opening meet (Alfred State Invitational) on April 1.

Veteran Nigel Cordulla (Cheektowaga, N.Y./John F. Kennedy) was the only other Daemen athlete to score points today, and it came in the same event.  Cordulla finished eighth in the 800 meter run with a time of 1:58.21 to pick up one point for the team standings.

Jeremy Rushok (Akron, N.Y./Buffalo State College) finished just outside of scoring contention (10th place) in the 5000 meter run with a time of 16:17.29.  His fellow long distance runner Kevin Roginson (Amherst, N.Y./Williamsville North) was the 20th place finisher in the 1500 meter run (4:19.92).

Additional top-20 finishes today came from Tanner Speer (Gasport, N.Y./Grand Island) and Jake Pronti (Pendleton, N.Y./Starpoint).  Speer finished 18th in the triple jump (12.12 meters) while Pronti came in 19th in the 3000 meter steeplechase (11:08.41).

The Wildcats' 2016 season continues next Saturday, April 23 with the East Coast Conference Championship meet which will be hosted by Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester, N.Y.  The 2016 season marks the first time that Daemen is eligible to win the ECC championship, and that Wildcat athletes are eligible to qualify for the NCAA Division II national championship meet.