Friday, May 12, 2006

Valparaiso sits in fourth place after the second of three days of competition Friday at the Mid-Continent Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Macomb, Ill.

Erik Lindamood (Warrenton, Va./Liberty H.S.) led the Crusader effort Friday, posting a third-place finish in the shot put. Lindamood set a personal-best mark of 49'1 ¾" in the event, placing him fifth on Valpo's all-time list.

Lindamood led a Crusader contingent that placed three throwers in the top-ten in the shot. Jeff Swihart (Wakarusa, Ind./Northwood H.S.) finished seventh with his toss of 46'4 ¼", while Eric Smith (Portage, Ind./Portage H.S.) posted a mark of 43'8", good for tenth place.

In the only other field event final on the day, Tom Heun (Brecksville, Ohio/Brecksville-Broadview Heights H.S.) led Valpo with a 17th place finish in the long jump.

On the track, Rich Krupar (Elyria, Ohio/Midview H.S.) came home in fifth place in the 3,000m steeplechase, crossing the line in 10:09.76. Adriano Schultz (Brecksville, Ohio/Brecksville-Broadview Heights H.S.) followed Krupar in ninth place, finishing the race in 10:42.10.

Valparaiso has tallied 26 points through seven of 21 event finals, just 7.5 points out of third place. Southern Utah leads the team totals with 91 points. The final day of action begins Saturday at 10:00 a.m. CDT.