After the scheduled Jim Thorpe Invitational was canceled because of lack of interest this past weekend, the Penn State men's track and field team used a short trip to Bucknell to turn in some of the best marks of the season.

The Nittany Lions won the meet as a team with a score of 170 points. The competition included Bucknell, Lock Haven, St. Francis (Pa.), Duquesne, UMBC, Binghamton and Colgate.

With what were perhaps the best weather conditions of the outdoor campaign, the team was able to use the low-key meet to focus on individual events.

"It turned out to be the perfect competition for us," Penn State head coach Beth Alford-Sullivan said. "It was awesome weather and a fairly low key meet, and we were able to just go in and really execute a great weekend. Kids could go in and concentrate on what they needed to do."

One of those athletes that capitalized on the conditions of the short trip to Bucknell was hurdler Caleb Hood. Hood recorded a first place finish for the Lions and crossed the line in a regional qualifying time of 52.15 seconds.

While Hood's time was a personal best and a stadium record, his coaches believe he can go even faster.

"He's got more in the tank; he can run even faster," Alford-Sullivan said. "He competed extremely well for this race. He's been close to obtaining that [regional] mark -- it was a big break through for him."

Even with numerous athletes on the team recording either personal bests or stadium records, perhaps the biggest surprise of the meet came from Mike Syrnick in the steeplechase.

Syrnick usually competes in the 1500 meters but was placed in his first ever steeplechase on Saturday. He went on to win the event in a time of 9:09.60, a mere two seconds off the regional qualifying standard.

"He had not practiced too much in the steeplechase, but it was something he really wanted to do," Alford-Sullivan said. "He had a great year this year running real well in the 1500 [meters] and we thought let's just give it a chance and see how it goes.

"He competed really well and was tough through that race, I was very proud of him," Alford-Sullivan said.

Even though Syrnick exceeded expectations in his first try in the event, he was still disappointed with being so close to the regional time and not making it.

"I was two seconds away, and in that kind of race that is like nothing," Syrnick said.

"During the race, I had no idea what I was doing, and I had terrible form. I did better than I expected and really well for my first time, but it was terrible I was that close and didn't get it."

With his performance, Syrnick will most likely have another shot at the event in one of the remaining meets.

While the competition at Bucknell yielded successful performances across the board for the Lions, the team has its eyes set on next weekend's high profile meet -- the Penn Relays. This past weekend's meet was a strong tune up, Alford Sullivan said.