Steve Bartholomew (Valparaiso, Ind./Morgan Township) closed out his spectacular sophomore season Friday against some of the nation's top competition at the NCAA Mideast Regional in Knoxville, Tenn.

The Mid-Continent Conference champion in both the hammer and discus throw began his day with the hammer, launching a toss of 180'1" to finish in 18th place. While the throw was nine feet shorter than his school record effort at the Mid-Con Championships, it was still over 10' longer than anyone else has thrown the hammer at Valpo.

Later in the day, Bartholomew threw the discus 165'2" on his second toss, finishing 21st in the field on 29. The first Crusader to earn Mid-Con Athlete of the Year honors, Bartholomew is also the school record holder in the discus (170'4").

One more Valpo athlete will battle the nation's elite Saturday evening, when Mid-Con Champion Ashley Billstrom (Hales Corner, Wis./Whitnall) will run in the 3000m steeplechase at 6:45 p.m.

final results