The Boston University men’s and women’s track teams both sent participants to the 48th annual Mt. Sac Invitational at the Hilmer Lodge Stadium in Walnut, Calif. from Thursday to Saturday. Although no Terriers took first, many of the athletes were competitive at the largest international track and field invitational in the nation.

The Terriers also sent competitors to the Pomona-Pitzer Track and Field Invitational at Pomona College at Claremont, Calif. Friday. There the Terriers had better luck, taking home three first-place finishes. Some athletes whose event times did not conflict were even able to compete in both meets.

The top finishers for the Terriers included junior Marisa Ryan, who took first in the 3000-meter steeplechase with a time of 10:46.28.

“She did great,” said BU coach Robyne Johnson. “Especially considering that she fell twice and still won. She’s a competitor.”

Also finishing in first was Peter Maitland, who threw the javelin 58.86 meters (186 feet, 6 inches) and freshman Nigel Lifsey, who finished in a 10-way tie for first with high jump of 1.86 meters (6 feet, 1.25 inches) when the event was ended because of the weather.

At Mt. Sac, sophomore Tahari James finished a disappointing eighth out of nine competitors in the triple jump with a jump of 12.55 meters (41 feet, 2.25 inches).

“Tahari had some technical difficulties,” Johnson said. “Some things just didn’t go right.”

James also performed in the long jump, finishing in seventh place with a jump of 5.53 meters (18 feet, 1.75 inches). However, her performance was severely limited by the bad weather that plagued both meets.

Johnson said the rain also affected the hurdlers. Senior Ryan Ung ran the 110-meter hurdles in 15.53, good for eighth, while freshman Rebecca Marshburn ran the 100-meter hurdles in 15.34, netting her ninth place. In the longer events, senior Victoria Lopez got ninth in her heat of the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:02.78 while Marshburn took second in own heat with a time of 1:02.29.

The women’s 4×100 meter team also struggled, finishing 10th (48.04) after an unfortunate, last-second change.

“I was expecting them to break the school record and run well,” Johnson said. “But we had to replace a leg when Erin Cadden had a death in the family. That hurt because relays are a lot of practicing.”

Rounding out the Terriers’ struggles was the women’s 4×400 meter team, who ran well until they tripped, finishing in 3:53.53 and in last place.

But not all the Terriers who competed at the Mt. Sac Invitational had problems. On Thursday night, in beautiful weather, Maitland and sophomore Andrew Beatman each threw the javelin well. Maitland’s throw of 59.37 meters (194 feet, 9 inches) was good for fifth place, while Beatman’s throw of 52.88 meters (173 feet, 6 inches) was good for 13th.

“They had an amazing night to throw,” Johnson said. “I think both of them should be ready for a big throw soon.”

Another highlight for the Terriers included graduate Claire Robson’s fourth-place finish in the 1500-meter run with a time of 4:32.69.

The men’s 400-meter runners were also a bright spot for the Terriers, and not just at Mt. Sac. In Walnut, junior Matt Howard and senior Lucjan Zaborowski finished in a tie for fourth with identical times of 48.14. Sophomore Dan Ruch finished ninth in the event with a time of 49.24.

The next day Howard took sixth at the Pomona 400-meter with a time of 48.08. Zaborowski (48.19) and Ruch finished in 18th (49.13).

“Dan did a great job,” Johnson said. “That was a [personal record] for him. I think the other guys ran faster the second day. But it was really hot [at Mt. Sac] and they didn’t take that into consideration. There was some cramping.”

Other Terrier highlights included eighth- and ninth-place finishes of senior Mike Fisher and sophomore Patrick Hoye in the men’s 5000-meter. Fisher finished in 14:54.66, while Hoye crossed the finish line at 15:11.68.

All in all, it was a busy weekend for the Terriers, and the weather didn’t make things any easier.

“We went a long way for these meets and had to deal with some adverse weather,” Johnson said. “I wouldn’t call it bad luck. It’s just that Mother Nature wasn’t on our side.”