The Valparaiso men’s track and field squad got the 2009-2010 indoor season underway on Saturday, competing at the Redbird Open in Normal, Ill., hosted by Illinois State.

Steve Schubert (Lisle, Ill./Benet Academy) posted Valpo’s best individual finish on the day, placing sixth out of 14 athletes in the triple jump with a leap of 43’1”, nine inches longer than his indoor best last year.  The junior also competed in the long jump, finishing 14th with a distance of 17’11”, nearly a foot better than his best last season.  Sophomore Vince Liuzzo (Jamestown, N.Y./Jamestown) registered a leap of 18’1” in the same event, good for 12th place.

In the throws, sophomore Bill Rixon (Deerfield, Ill./Deerfield) placed 21st in the weight throw with an effort of 36’11 ¾”, while his brother, freshman Andrew Rixon (Deerfield, Ill./Deerfield), finished right behind in the same event with a toss of 36’6 ¼”.  The younger Rixon also finished 13th in the shot put, debuting with a mark of 40’0” even, while Liuzzo posted a distance of 31’8” in the same event for a 23rd-place showing.

Liuzzo also took part in the preliminaries of the 60m dash.  The sophomore failed to qualify for the finals, but was 11th-fastest in the qualifying heats with a time of 7.49 seconds.  Freshman Charlie Walesa (Chicago, Ill./Luther North) debuted in the high jump Saturday as well, clearing 5’7” for a sixth-place finish.

Valparaiso returns to action following the Christmas break with competition at the Mike Lints Alumni Open in Allendale, Mich., hosted by Grand Valley State on Saturday, Jan. 15.  The meet is slated for a 3 p.m. CST start.