Colin Eustis captured his first career conference championship on Friday as he won the men's 10,000 meter run on the first day of competition at the 2010 Patriot League Track and Field Championships in Lewisburg, Pa. Eustis was joined in the event by third-place finisher Josh Olsen while Rachel Forcino took third in the women's 10,000 meter run.

Eustis cruised through the finish line in a time of 31:47.88, besting the rest of the field by nearly 10 seconds. The junior had entered the meet unseeded in the 10,000 but easily outdueled Lehigh's Stephen Sample, the top seed, who finished second in 31:57.24. Olsen earned a third-place finish in the event with a time of 32:16.14 after also entering the race unseeded, marking his highest-ever finish at the conference meet.

Eustis's individual title is the first of his career and the third for the Eagles in the 10,000 meter run since joining the Patriot League prior to the 2001-02 season. The victory also mark's the men's team's first individual championship at the outdoor meet since 2008. Eustis had previously finished as high as second at the Patriot League Championships but that performance came at this year's indoor meet where he was runner-up in the 5,000 meter run. At last year's outdoor meet he took third in the 10,000.

Forcino highlighted the opening day of competition on the women's side with a third-place finish in the 10,000 meter run. The senior crossed the line in 38:12.59 behind the event's winner, Elise DeRoo of Colgate, and runner-up, Katherine Pierce of Lehigh, who finished in 37:42.09 and 38:07.03, respectively. Forcino's performance matched her best-ever showing at the meet after also placing third in the 10,000 last year.

Greta Wicklund also competed in the women's 10,000 meter run and placed 10^th in a time of 40:34.02.

The men's team first took to the track in the 4x800 meter relay where the team of Jeff Brannigan, Josh Einbinder, Conor Sullivan and James Cannon placed fifth in 7:36.06. Their time is good for eighth place on American's All-Time Top-10 list and eclipsed the IC4A qualifying standard by nearly seven seconds.

After the first day of competition the men's team sits in sixth place with 18 points while the women's team is in eighth place with six points. American will return to the track tomorrow at Mathewson Stadium to compete in the men's and women's 800 meter run, 1,500 meter run and 5,000 meter run.

For more information on the 2010 Patriot League Track and Field Championships and for updated results throughout the day tomorrow, click here.