BOSTON, Mass. -- Cornell track and field alumnus Zach Hine '09 was the second American finisher at the 2011 Boston Marathon, run on Monday in Boston. A native of South Hadley, Mass., Hine ran his debut marathon in 2:16:54.

Hine finished the race 16th overall out of the 14,057 male runners who started the race. He finished behind 2008 Olympian Ryan Hall as the only American runner faster, with Hall finishing fourth in 2:04:58. The race winner was Kenyan Geoffrey Mutai, who posted the fastest time everin a marathon at 2:03:02.

Hine, who joined the Hansons-Brooks Distance project after earning his degree in mechanical engineering from Cornell last spring, enjoyed a stellar career while competing for the Big Red. While in Ithaca, he was a seven-time All-Ivy League performer, capturing three individual league titles and two runner-up finishes. He also holds the second-best time all-time at Cornell in the 10,000m at 29:09.41.

Hine isn't the only Cornell alumnus who is enjoying success competing in the professional ranks. Earlier this year, Cornell steeplechase school record holder Max King '02 was the second finisher for the United States at the 2011 World Cross Country Championships in Punta Umbria, Spain. King, who has represented the U.S. four times at the world cross country championships, including three of the last four years, equaled his career-best finish by placing 40th overall in Spain.

The Daily Hampshire Gazette, a newspaper near Hine's hometown, wrote this piece on Hine's performance.