Nick Babbitt (Milwaukee, Wis./Nicolet) posted one of the best efforts in school history in the weight throw, while Jarrett Mickens (Aurora, Ill./Waubonsie Valley) also registered a top-five finish Saturday as the Valparaiso men’s track and field team competed on the first of two days of action at the 2010 Horizon League Men’s Indoor Track and Field Championships in Ann Arbor, Mich.

The Crusaders tallied seven points on day one to sit in seventh place entering Sunday’s portion of the competition.  Milwaukee leads the team standings with 56 points.

Babbitt recorded a mark of 53’9 ¼” in the weight throw, good for a podium finish in third place.  It was a season-best by better than two feet and the fourth-best toss in school history.  Mickens leapt 22’0 ¾” in the long jump Saturday, just shy of his career-best effort in the event and good for fifth place.

Eric Slenk (Holland, Mich./Christian) qualified for Sunday’s event final in the 400m dash and is seeded fifth entering the final with a preliminary time of 50.89 seconds.  Keith Button (Farmington Hills, Mich./Farmington) and Jordan Piaskowy (Crete, Ill./Illiana Christian) paced Valpo in the 800m run and 5,000m run, respectively, with season-best times of 2:04.76 and 15:46.73.  Vince Liuzzo (Jamestown, N.Y./Jamestown) leads two Crusader athletes competing in the heptathlon with 2,073 points through four events, including a 710-point effort in the 60m dash.

Valparaiso concludes action at the indoor championships Sunday morning beginning at 8 a.m. CST.