Nine different Crusaders recorded top-ten finishes on Saturday as the Valparaiso men’s track and field team opened its 2010 outdoor season at the Polar Bear Invitational in Marion, Ind., hosted by Indiana Wesleyan.

Jarrett Mickens (Aurora, Ill./Waubonsie Valley) led the way for the Crusaders by winning the triple jump with a leap of 43’11 ¼”.  The junior also finished in fourth place in the long jump, registering a mark of 21’0 ¾”.  He was joined in the top-ten in the jumps by a pair of teammates, as Steve Schubert (Lisle, Ill./Benet Academy) finished as the runner-up behind Mickens in the triple jump with a mark of 43’4 ½”, while Chris Hovan (Elkhart, Ind./Elkhart Christian) leapt 19’4 ¼” in the long jump, good for ninth place.

Elsewhere on the infield, Vince Liuzzo (Jamestown, N.Y./Jamestown) led the way in the throwing events by tossing the javelin 171’3”, good for fourth place.  Bill Rixon (Deerfield, Ill./Deerfield) added a seventh-place showing in the discus throw with a toss of 148’6”.

Out on the track, Jordan Piaskowy (Crete, Ill./Illiana Christian) recorded a podium finish in the 3,000m steeplechase, crossing the line in second place with a time of 10:12.32.  A pair of Crusaders finished in the top-five in the 10,000m run, as Joel Hartenberger (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia) crossed the line in 33:50.38 for third place and Nick Fagan (Sycamore, Ill./Sycamore) placed fifth with a time of 33:59.02.  Derek Schnake (Chicago, Ill./Lincoln Park) added a tenth-place finish in the 8000m, crossing the line in 2:03.26.

Valparaiso returns to action next Saturday, April 3, as the Crusaders take to the track at the DePauw Invitational in Greencastle, Ind.  The first event is slated for an 11 a.m. CDT start.