The Azusa Pacific (Calif.) men secured the top three spots in the second and final day of the heptathlon Friday at the NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships in the MSHA/ETSU Athletic Center on the campus of East Tennessee State University.

Cougar's Casey Stevick led the field after the first day of competition with a tally of 2,943 and expanded on his first day edge to earn the 2010 heptathlon title with a final tally of 5,111 points.

"It was really rewarding because we are out there four hours a day at practice, and it's a great feeling to know that all the time spent paid off," commented Stevick.

Teammate Jeff Altizer used a personal best vault of 15-7 to jump from fourth place to second on the final day of the heptathlon, while Staphon Arnold rounded out the Azusa Pacific trifecta with a total of 4,864 points.

"Casey and Staphon are the best teammates I could ask for," said Altizer. "In practice we are always pushing each other and trying to get better. Outside of practice we're all great friends, and it's the camaraderie that makes this so special."

The track events kicked off with Goshen's (Ind.) Tina Peters trying to defend her 3-time reign of the women's 3000-meter walk, but it was Lindenwood's (Mo.) Jessica Ching who crossed the line first in a time of 14:25.38. Peters ended her storied collegiate career with a fourth place finish and a time of 14:44.11.

Oklahoma Baptist's (Okla.) men's 4x800 relay surpassed last year's mark en route to their victory in the finals, whereas Simon Frasier's (Canada) women dominated the field with their mark of 9:07.48 in the same event.

In the closest field event of the day, Cornerstone's (Mich.) Joel Leong surpassed Concordia's (Neb.) James Refenes on the final throw of the men's weight throw to end his indoor career as a national champion. Leong threw for 63-07 ¾, while Refenes had a final mark of 63-07 ½.

The conclusion of the NAIA Indoor Championship Meet is slated for Saturday, March 6, with the finale of 30 events, scheduled to begin at 10 a.m., kicking off the half a dozen field events. The 24 track events begin at 12:25 p.m., with the men's mile final. Preceding the track events is the championship ceremony beginning at noon.

For detailed results of the NAIA Indoor Championship Meet, visit http://www.cfpitiming.com.