Nick Danner ’16 (top) and Mahlik Handley ’16 (middle) both had strong performances at the USA Track & Field Junior Outdoor Championships July 5–6 in Eugene, Oregon.

Handley—competing in the event for the second straight year—finished fourth out of 27 in the hammer throw, topping 62m with four of his five throws. Handley’s scoring mark of 64.39m came on his fifth throw of the day. Charlie Ionata of Wake Forest won the title with a throw of 67.7m. Handley finished sixth in 2013.

Danner placed sixth out of 14 in the javelin. He was fourth following the preliminaries, thanks to his best throw of the night, 62.34m. He moved on to the finals, but had fouls on two of his final three attempts. Curtis Thompson, competing unattached, won the event with a throw of 65.83m.

Danner qualified for the event with his career-best throw of 67.52m at the Atlantic 10 Outdoor Championship in May. He won the A-10 title, outdistancing the rest of the field by more than 6 meters.

On the women’s side, Crystal Bourque ’11 (bottom)—a former All-American who is now an assistant coach for the Rams—won the hammer throw at the USATF New England Championship on June 29 at Regis College in Weston, Mass. Bourque, who was competing unattached, registered a personal-best throw of 64.35m. The mark currently stands as this year’s 18th best distance in the women’s hammer, according to Track & Field News.

Bourque is training and competing with hopes of qualifying for the 2016 U.S. Olympic trials. A former Rhode Island team captain, she became the program’s second-ever All-American with her performance in the hammer throw at the 2011 NCAA Championship. In 2010, she won the event at both the New England and ECAC championships.