Christopher Stohs (Shawnee, Kan./Shawnee Mission North) registered three top-ten finishes on Saturday as the Valparaiso men’s track and field team opened the 2009 outdoor campaign at the DePauw Invitational in Greencastle, Ind.

The Crusaders tallied 31 points on Saturday, finishing in tenth place in the team standings.  Vincennes took the team title with 161 points.

Stohs had Valpo’s best individual finish on the day, coming in fourth place in the discus throw with a mark of 136’10”.  He also registered a sixth-place finish in the hammer throw (144’6”) and an eighth-place showing in the shot put (41’4 ¼”).

Three other Crusaders throwers also posted a top-ten finish during Saturday’s meet.  Bill Rixon (Deerfield, Ill./Deerfield) finished mere inches behind Stohs in the discus throw, placing fifth with a toss of 136’5”.  Vince Liuzzo (Jamestown, N.Y./Jamestown) finished fifth in the javelin throw with a mark of 164’11”, while Nick Babbitt (Milwaukee, Wis./Nicolet) tallied an seventh-place finish in the hammer throw with a toss of 144’0”.

Elsewhere, Steve Schubert (Lisle, Ill./Benet Academy) and Jarrett Mickens (Aurora, Ill./Waubonsie Valley) finished seventh and eighth with leaps of 41’1 ½” and 40’7 ½”, respectively, in the triple jump.  On the track, Jordan Piaskowy (Crete, Ill./Illiana Christian) crossed the line in fifth place in the 3,000m steeplechase with a time of 10:12.45, while Leandro Schultz (Valley View, Ohio/Brecksville-Broadview Heights) finished ninth in the same event with a time of 10:24.41.  Tom Heun (Brecksville, Ohio/Brecksville-Broadview Heights) finished sixth in the 110m hurdles, registering a time of 15.83 seconds.

Valparaiso returns to action next Saturday at the Chicagoland Championships in Chicago, Ill.  The first event is slated for a 9 a.m. start.