Steve Bartholomew's (Valparaiso, Ind./Morgan Township H.S.) third-place finish in the weight throw led the Crusader contingent at the Mid-Continent Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships in Bloomington, Ill. Sunday. Valpo sits in fifth place after the first day of competition.

The Crusaders tallied 15 points on the meet's first day, just four points behind fourth-place UMKC. Southern Utah leads the pack with 68 points, with Oral Roberts (41) and Western Illinois (39) in a fight for second position. Chicago State (9) rounds out the field.

Bartholomew's toss of 53'7" marked a new personal best by over a foot, and also improved upon his third-best effort in Valpo history. He led a group of five Crusaders in the weight throw, which saw Eric Smith (Portage, Ind./Portage H.S.) and Jeff Swihart (Wakarusa, Ind./Northwood H.S.) finish ninth and tenth with throws of 45'8" and 44'11 ¾", respectively.

Jim Turchyn (Batesville, Ind./Batesville H.S.) put points on the board for the Brown and Gold with his seventh-place finish in the 3,000m run. Turchyn's time of 8:51.99 is the fastest by a Crusader this season. David Wheeler (Saint Charles, Ill./Saint Charles East H.S.) finished tenth in the same event, crossing the line in 9:06.59.

Valpo's distance medley relay recorded a fourth-place finish. The team of Rich Krupar III (Elyria, Ohio/Midview H.S.), Dustin Lawrence (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence Central H.S.), Bryan Gill (Columbia City, Ind./Columbia City H.S.), and Jordan Stanfill (Goshen, Ind./Goshen H.S.) came home in 10:49.45.

The meet concludes Monday in Bloomington, with action slated to begin at 10 a.m.