May 23, 2008

Walnut, Calif. - Nick Polk and Ryan Holm both finished in the top 10 in the 10K run at the NCAA Outdoor National Championships, giving Grand Valley State six points in the first day of competition. The meet, held at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, Calif., was delayed by three hours due to heavy rains. The Lakers are currently in seventh place.

Polk's time of 29:28.61 put him in fourth place overall, worth five points in the standings. Holm was the eight place finisher, crossing the finish line in 29:57.81, garnering an extra point for GVSU. Only two events were scored for the men in day one, the long jump and the 10K.

In the men's 3000-meter steeplechase, both Lakers qualified for the finals. Chris Hammer and Curtis Barclay finished 10th and 11th in the event, respectively, to advance to the scoring round. Hammer finished the event in 9:25.70 and Barclay came in at 9:26.23.

Mike Stowe competed in the first five events of the decathlon on Thursday, as well. His best finishes through the first five events came in the high jump, where he finished second, and the 400-meter dash, where he came in fourth.