Five different Crusaders posted top-ten finishes as the Valparaiso men's track and field team competed at its second outdoor meet of the season Saturday, making the short trip down I-65 to West Lafayette to compete in the Mike Poehlein Invitational, hosted by Purdue.

Senior Jarrett Mickens (Aurora, Ill./Waubonsie Valley) led the way with a runner-up placement in the long jump, leaping 23'8” to finish in second place.  Mickens' mark was just 2 3/4” shy of his PR in the event.  A pair of Crusaders also registered top-tens in the triple jump, as senior Steve Schubert (Naperville, Ill./Benet Academy) placed sixth with a jump of 42'10 1/4”, while sophomore Chris Hovan (Elkhart, Ind./Elkhart Christian) registered a mark of 40'4 3/4”, good for eighth place.

Junior Bill Rixon (Deerfield, Ill./Deerfield) was responsible for Valpo's best showing in the throws on Saturday, finishing in seventh place in the discus throw with a toss of 144'9”.  Rixon's brother, sophomore Andrew Rixon (Deerfield, Ill./Deerfield) posted a solid effort in the shot put as well, recording a throw of 43'8 1/2”, good for 12th place.

Meanwhile, on the track, freshman Julian Smith (Chicago, Ill./Brother Rice) paced the Crusader contingent, crossing the line in fifth place in the 200m dash with a time of 22.32 seconds.  Fellow rookie Joe Holy (Bolingbrook, Ill./Joliet Catholic) came home in 13th place in the 400m dash, posting a time of 52.11 seconds, while the duo of freshmen teamed up with senior Ryan Ruppel (Grand Blanc, Mich./Grand Blanc) and freshman Mickey Delcambre (Westfield, Ind./Westfield) to post a ninth-place finish in the 4x400m relay as the quartet combined for a time of 3:41.55.

Valparaiso returns to action next Saturday, April 9, at the Chicagoland Championships in Chicago, Ill.  The first event is slated for a 10 a.m. start.