Friday, January 15, 2010

Jarrett Mickens (Aurora, Ill./Waubonsie Valley) and Eric Slenk (Holland, Mich./Christian) both posted performances among the top-five in Crusader history as the Valparaiso men’s track and field team competed Friday evening at the Mike Lints Alumni Open in Allendale, Mich.

Slenk ran a time of 50.6h seconds in the 400m dash, good for a fourth-place finish and the third-fastest time in Crusader history in the event.  The freshman also added a ninth-place showing in the 200m dash with a time of 23.06 seconds.

Mickens posted a distance of 21’8 ¼” in the long jump, good for fifth place and the fifth-best mark in the event all-time at Valpo.  He also registered a third-place finish in the triple jump, leaping 43’1 ¾”.

Also on the infield, Steve Schubert (Lisle, Ill./Benet Academy) joined Mickens with a high placement in the triple jump, recording a distance of 42’8” for a sixth-place finish.  Meanwhile, Charlie Walesa (Chicago, Ill./Luther North) cleared 5’9 ¾” in the high jump to finish in ninth place.

On the track, a pair of Crusaders finished in the top-ten in the 800m run.  Derek Schnake (Chicago, Ill./Lincoln Park) crossed the line in 2:02.07, good for seventh place, while Bryan Gill (Columbia City, Ind./Columbia City) finished in tenth place with a time of 2:03.22.

Not to be outdone, three Crusader runners posted top-ten showings in the 3,000m run.  Jordan Piaskowy (Crete, Ill./Illiana Christian) led the trio of runners with a seventh-place finish in 9:17.23.  Joel Hartenberger (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia) finished in ninth place with a time of 9:20.71, while Patrick Johnson (Oil City, Pa./Cranberry [Monmouth]) finished immediately behind in tenth place, finishing in 9:21.29.

The Crusader men are scheduled to return to action next weekend at the Simmons-Harvey Invitational in Ann Arbor, Mich.  The two-day event begins Friday evening.