Senior Jarrett Mickens won the long jump and finished in second place in the triple jump Saturday as the Valparaiso men's track and field team opened the 2010-2011 indoor season in Normal, Ill. at the Early Bird Open, hosted by Illinois State.

Mickens registered a top leap of 22'0 3/4” in the long jump to take the event victory, jumping nearly three inches farther than his closest competitor.  His mark of 46'3 1/2” in the triple jump was good for a runner-up finish, while his efforts in both events Saturday were less than an inch shy of his indoor PRs.

Mickens was joined by a pair of his teammates in the top-11 in the triple jump final standings.  Fellow senior Steve Schubert posted a sixth-place finish in the event, leaping 44'1 1/4”, while sophomore Chris Hovan set a new indoor PR in the triple jump with a mark of 39'11 1/4”, good for an 11th-place showing.  Elsewhere on the infield, freshman Tyler Rocco notched a solid performance in the shot put, recording a toss of 46'10 1/4”.  The mark was good for eighth place and was just six inches shy of Valpo's all-time top-five.

On the track, freshman Julian Smith stood out in his Crusader debut, cracking Valpo's top-fives in a pair of sprints.  Smith covered the 60m course in the heats in 7.07 seconds, the third-best effort in Valpo history in the event and qualifying third for the event finals.  He then finished fourth in the finals with a time of 7.13 seconds.  The rookie then crossed the line in the 200m dash in 22.96 seconds, tying for the fifth-fastest race by a Crusader all-time.

Valparaiso will not take to the track again until Saturday, Jan. 14, when the Crusaders travel to Allendale, Mich. to compete at the Bob Eubanks Open.