The Crusader men’s track and field team finished the first day of the Chicagoland Championships in fifth-place with 20 points scored in eight events. Kevin Adamik (Elmhurst, Ill./York Community) and Jacob Smutz (West Lafayette, Ind./Harrison) each posted top-three finishes for Valparaiso, taking second and third in their respective events.

Adamik posted a personal best in the decathlon, finishing second with 5,358 points - the third highest score in program history.

Smutz recorded a solid third-place finish in the hammer throw, recording a mark of 167'2”, which tied the fifth best mark in the Crusader record book.

Max Morello (Plano, Ill./Plano) and Matthew Przybyla (Whitmore Lake, Mich./Pinckney) finished sixth and ninth respectively in the 10,000-meter run. Morello clocked in at 33:37.19, while Przybyla finished with a time of 34:22.92.

Elijah Owen (LaPorte, Ind./LaPorte) cleared 6’0 ¾” in the high jump, a height good for sixth-place.

The Crusader men return to action tomorrow for the final day of the Chicagoland Championships.