WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. and CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- The Bates men's outdoor track and field team competed in the always interesting MIT Final Qualifier on Thursday, turning in some strong performances.

Senior captain Liam Byrne (Ridgefield, Conn.) won the hammer throw in the non-scoring meet, recording a top distance of 186-5 (56.82m) in six attempts. This came on the heels of Byrne competing in the hammer throw on Wednesday at the Williams Final Qualifier where he placed second with a top effort of 180-0 (54.86m).

It's been a breakthrough year for Bates sprinters, and senior Derek Shen (Bellevue, Wash.) wrapped up his first outdoor season with a time of 10.90 seconds in the finals of the 100-meter dash on Thursday, good for third place. Meanwhile, sophomore Kevin O'Connor (Milford, Mass.) set a personal record in the 100 meters, racing to the finish in 11.01 seconds. This ties him with senior captain Colby Stakun-Pickering (Wellesley, Mass.) for ninth on the Bates all-time performance list in the event. Shen ranks third all-time at Bates based on his personal-record time of 10.74 seconds, achieved at the Open New England Championships.

Elsewhere on Thursday, junior Ned Farrington (Cohasset, Mass.) took fifth in the 1500 meters in 3:54.21. He ranks fifth all-time at Bates in the 1500 thanks to his personal-record time of 3:51.92, recorded at the New England Division III Championships.

With the NCAA Championships set for next Thursday through Saturday in Rochester, N.Y., the Bobcats will find out soon if Byrne qualifies in the hammer. Among hammer throwers, the top 22 qualify for nationals, but not every person who qualifies always opts to compete. Byrne currently ranks 23rd in the country in the hammer based on his personal-record heave of 188-5 (57.44m) at the Maine State Classic.