A pair of third-place finishes propelled the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse to the early lead after a stormy first day of action at the NCAA Division III Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships at J.J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium in Oshkosh.

Sophomore Bobby Riley’s throw of 160-2 garnered third in the discus for the Eagles and freshman Paul Moran made his NCAA championship debut with a third-place effort in the 10,000-meters in 30:58.55. Those two performance give the Eagles 12 points and a two-point edge over a trio of school’s with first-day winners with nearby addresses, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, the Univeristy of Wisconsin-Platteville and Loras College (Iowa), which is just over the Wisconsin border in Dubuque.

Fierce southerly wind gusts registering above 50 mph prevailed much of the day. But early high temperatures yielded to cool, wet conditions, punctuated by sporadic downpours, giving the upper Midwest a taste of monsoon season.

The erratic conditions had a visible effect on the results. All eight placewinners in the long jump posted their top marks in the first round of jumps before the weather took a nasty turn. Loras College senior Geoff Kaiser twice jumped 23-10 3/4 in his early jumps and hung on for a soggy half-inch victory, edging Greg Tyson of Heidelberg College (Ohio), Kamar James of Fisk University (Tenn.) and Josh Meckes of Calvin College (Mich.).

Weather was not the only concern of Univerity of Wisconsin-Whitewater junior Dan Hytinen in the first round of the discus. The regular-season leader fouled on his first two throws and was in danger of missing the finals but advanced on his third attempt, then popped the best throw in the NCAA Division III this season with a toss of 178-0 on the final throw of the second round. He outdistanced Mount Union College (Ohio) senior Justin Rodhe (168-4).

The rain was torrential at the start of the 10,000-meter run but that didn’t deter University of Wisconsin-Platteville junior Tyler Sigl, back in the field after finishing 17th in 2005. With four runners tightly bunched heading into the bell lap, Sigl’s kick gave him the title in 30:54.19 with State University of New York-Cortland senior Andy Cloke (30:55.22) and Moran taking second and third, respectively.