Seniors Jarrett Mickens (Aurora, Ill./Waubonsie Valley) and Joel Hartenberger (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia) each won events for the Valparaiso men's track and field team, while the Crusaders' 4x400m relay also took first place as Valpo competed at the Dave Rankin Invitational in West Lafayette, Ind.

Mickens won the long jump for the second straight week, leaping 23'11 1/2” this week to win the event by six inches.  The senior has now posted top-two finishes in each of his four outdoor efforts in the long jump this season.  Elsewhere in the jumps, senior Steve Schubert (Naperville, Ill./Benet Academy) placed second in the triple jump with a mark of 42'8”, while sophomore Chris Hovan (Elkhart, Ind./Elkhart Christian) narrowly missed his PR in the same event, leaping 40'8 1/4” to place third.

Also on the infield, sophomore Andrew Rixon (Deerfield, Ill./Deerfield) set a new PR in the javelin throw, unleashing a toss of 147'0” to finish fifth Saturday.  Rixon's brother, junior Bill Rixon (Deerfield, Ill./Deerfield), registered a pair of top-tens on the meet as well, recording a ninth-place showing in the discus throw with a toss of 143'11”, while also finishing tenth in the hammer throw with a mark of 155'9”.

Hartenberger narrowly missed his PR in the 10,000m run Saturday to earn the event victory in the long-distance event, breaking the tape in 33:08.35.  Junior Jordan Piaskowy (Crete, Ill./Illiana Christian) just missed a podium finish in the 3,000m steeplechase, finishing fourth with a time of 10:35.27, while fellow junior Mack Morris (Eden Prairie, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret's) completed the steeplechase in 11:36.50, good for sixth place.

The Crusader 4x400m relay squad of freshman Julian Smith (Chicago, Ill./Brother Rice), junior Derek Schnake (Chicago, Ill./Lincoln Park), senior David Carter (Arlington Heights, Ill./John Hersey) and sophomore Wally Bradford (Mukwonago, Wis./Mukwonago) rounded out the trio of Valpo event wins Saturday by combining for a time of 3:28.50 to earn top honors, less than four seconds outside Valpo's all-time top-five.  Smith also finished eighth in the 200m dash (23.76 seconds) and ninth in the 100m dash (11.43 seconds).

The Crusader men continue their outdoor season next Saturday, April 23, at the Pacesetter Invitational in Terre Haute, Ind.  The meet is scheduled for an 8 a.m. CDT start.