Sophomore Jacob Frey (St. Paul, Minn./Roseville Area), senior Andrew Rixon (Deerfield, Ill./Deerfield) and senior Ryan Stegenga (South Holland, Ill./Illiana Christian) all placed in the top-eight of the hammer throw to lead the Valparaiso men’s track and field team on Friday at the first day of the Horizon League Outdoor Men’s Track and Field Championships in Ypsilanti, Mich.

The Crusaders are in sixth place after the opening day of competition.

Frey placed fifth with a mark of 164’ 6”, while Rixon was sixth with a season-best distance of 161’ 10”. Stegenga finished eighth with a mark of 144’ 5”, which was a season-best for him.

Sophomore Kevin Adamik (Elmhurst, Ill./York Community) and freshman Elijah Owen (LaPorte, Ind./LaPorte) both competed in the opening day of the decathlon.

Owen finished third in both the shot put and high jump, and he was fourth in the long jump.

Adamik was third in the 400-meter dash and fifth in the 100-meter dash.

Valparaiso continues action at the HL Outdoor Championships on Saturday. A link for live stats will be available at www.valpoathletics.com.