The Valparaiso University track and field teams hit the road this weekend, battling the harsh winds on the opening day of the Big Blue Classic, hosted by EIU in Charleston, Ill.

Senior Jacob Smutz took control once again, just a week after setting a new outdoor program record in the hammer throw, Smutz followed that up with a second-place finish in the same event on Friday with a toss of 198’1”, earning eight points for the Crusaders. Chris Sosnowski also picked up two points on Friday in the hammer throw, finishing in seventh place with a distance of 168’2”.

Max Morello and Nathan Gafkjen both competed in the 10,000 meter run, finishing in ninth and 12^th place, respectively. Morello crossed the line in 33:05.20, while Gafkjen crossed at 35:04.19. Back on the infield, Andrew Guzek placed 16^th in the shot put with a mark of 46’4”.

The women scored six points Friday, coming off of a third-place finish in the 10,000m run from Hannah Schilling, who finished with a time of 40:02.87. Elizabeth Bloy earned an eighth-place finish in the 1,500m run with a time of 4:43.59.

Kim Heiny crossed the line at 18:36.70 in the 5,000m run, placing 16^th for the Crusaders. On the infield, Sarah Peters cleared 10’11 ½” in the pole vault to finish in 14^th position, while Abby Jankowski paced Valpo in a pair of throwing events.

The Crusader men currently sit in seventh place with ten points, but are just 24 points behind the leaders from Milwaukee. The women’s team currently sits in eighth place with six points.

Valparaiso continues action with the final day of action from Eastern Illinois tomorrow. ValpoAthletics.com will have links to follow live results.