RICHMOND, VA (05/04/02) - Senior Ben Koch won the 3000-meter steeplechase to lead Saint Joseph's to a fourth place tie after the first day of competiton at the 2002 Atlantic 10 Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Sports Backers Stadium. The Hawks scored 29 points on the day, tying Duquesne for the fourth spot. Rhode Island led the way with 77 points followed by La Salle (42) and Massachusetts (34). Host Richmond finished the day in sixth place with 15 points while Fordham rounded out the eight-team field with eight points. The bulk of SJU's scoring came in the 10,000-meter run as senior Bill Hoffman (32:40.2), junior Dan Mays (32:42.65) and sophomore Rich Cullin (32:45.71) finished third, fourth and fifth, respectively, to garner a total of 12 points for the Hawks. The other two SJU scorers on the day were junior Jerry Puryear, who placed seventh at the high jump with a leap of 6-feet, 3.25-inches, and freshman Collin Martin, who placed seventh in the steeplechase (9:34.75). Competition concludes on Sunday.