Homer Drew Region

Men’s basketball win at Cleveland State – Feb. 27, 2015

- Coming off a loss just two days earlier, the Crusader men’s basketball team headed into Cleveland for the regular season finale knowing it needed a victory to secure the outright Horizon League title and hosting duties for the league championship. Valpo was up to the task, taking the lead for good late in the first half and getting a huge 4-point play from Alec Peters with 1:11 to play to help secure the 56-53 victory. The title was Valpo’s third regular season crown in the last four seasons.

Jessica Richardson (women’s cross country) at Horizon League Championship – Nov. 1, 2014

- Competing in the final league championship meet of her career, senior Jessica Richardson ran the second-fastest 6K of her career to earn her best-ever placement at the Horizon League Championship. Richardson covered the 6K course in 21:28 to finish in third place, her fifth top-10 finish of the season. She earned First Team All-League honors for the third-place showing, the third consecutive year Richardson received the First Team All-League award.

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Football win vs. Butler – Nov. 8, 2014

- The Hoosier Helmet had not resided in Kroencke Hall since a win over their in-state rivals in 2007, but the Valparaiso football team brought it back home this year with an emphatic performance in a 17-3 win over the Bulldogs. Ben Lehman threw two touchdown passes in the second quarter, and the defense did the rest – the three points surrendered were the fewest the Crusaders had given up versus Butler since 1945, and also set a new best for fewest points given up by a Valpo team in a league game since joining the PFL in 1993.

Taylor Nadler’s (softball) on-base streak – May 2-6, 2015

- The streak started innocuously enough, as freshman Taylor Nadler knocked a single back through the middle in the first inning of the opener May 2 against Youngstown State. But in the highest-leverage games of the year – a twinbill versus YSU in which the Crusaders needed one win to secure a spot in the HL Championship, and the tournament opener four days later against Wright State – Nadler stepped up big time, reaching base in 10 consecutive plate appearances, a mark which is tied for eighth-best in NCAA history. Nadler went 7-for-7 with three walks during the stretch, while eight of her times reaching base came during innings where Valpo scored runs.

Emory G. Bauer Region

Sarah Drozdowski (women’s track and field) at Horizon League Outdoor Championship – May 1-3, 2015

- After redshirting during the outdoor season in 2014 and spending an entire year gearing up for the 2015 outdoor campaign, fifth-year senior Sarah Drozdowski went out with a bang at her final league championship meet. Competing in four throwing events, Drozdowski earned a trio of top-three finishes, as she won the hammer throw, finished second in the shot put and placed third in the javelin throw. Drozdowski was named the Outstanding Field Performer of the Meet and then was also honored as the overall outdoor Female Athlete of the Year – Valpo’s first-such honoree since joining the league.

Volleyball win at Green Bay – Sept. 26, 2014

- The Crusader volleyball team made the long trek up to Green Bay to open Horizon League play in late September, carrying the weight of a 13-1 record and 12 straight wins into league action. But it was no problem for Valpo, as Emily Campbell hit .400 with 18 kills to lead the way in a tidy sweep of the Phoenix to extend the Crusaders’ win streak to 13 consecutive matches, tied for the second-longest winning streak in program history. It was also a milestone victory, as head coach Carin Avery earned her 300^th win at the helm of the Valpo volleyball program.

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Dustin Beasley (baseball) at Western Carolina – Mar. 3-4, 2015

- It might have been spread over two days, but it was a hitter’s dream at the plate for junior Dustin Beasley in the Crusaders’ win over Western Carolina in early March. Beasley connected in the first inning on a two-run double before the rains came, and then when the game resumed the next day, tallied an RBI single in the fifth, walked in the sixth and picked up another hit in the eighth before putting the cherry on top with a grand slam in the ninth inning. Beasley ended the game 4-for-5 with seven RBIs – the most by a Valpo player in the last decade.

Women’s soccer Horizon League Championship win over Detroit – Nov. 8, 2014

- With so many great accomplishments in the books from the 2014 campaign, the Crusader women’s soccer team still needed a win in the Horizon League title match to reach the ultimate goal – the NCAA Tournament. And Valpo did it in style, as tournament MVP April Cronin found the back of the net in the 84^th minute at Brown Field for the match-winning goal in a 1-0 win over Detroit for the tournament championship. The Crusader defense, which led the way all season long, was at its best, surrendering just two shots to the Titans as Valpo extended its school-record winning streak to 12 matches and earned its 12^th clean sheet of the year.

Dr. Bill Steinbrecher region

Men’s soccer win at #7 Michigan State – Sept. 11, 2014

- They say lightning never strikes twice, but it did in this case for the Crusader men’s soccer team. Just over one year after knocking off the 24^th-ranked Spartans, Valpo returned to East Lansing and did it again, as a goal from Omar Lawrence in the 58^th minute stood up for a 1-0 win over #7 Michigan State. Nico Campbell earned the shutout in goal for the Crusaders. The win was the first victory against a top-10 side in program history.

Justin Zosso (men’s track and field) at Horizon League Outdoor Championship – May 2, 2015

- In just his second season as a collegiate athlete, sophomore Justin Zosso cemented himself as the best pole vaulter in Valpo history and the top competitor in the event in the Horizon League. Zosso entered the outdoor league championship meet already a three-time Horizon League pole vault champion, and soared to new heights on that day. Zosso broke his own outdoor school record, clearing 16’3 ¼” on his first attempt – capturing the league crown by better than a foot and coming up less than two inches shy of the Horizon League record.

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Men’s basketball Horizon League Championship win vs. Green Bay – Mar. 10, 2015

- Down by 10 with two minutes to go in the first half, playing without one starting guard, and losing another with injury for a stretch during the opening period.  Given opportunities where it could have folded, the Valparaiso men’s basketball team did what it had done all season long – stepped up to the challenge. The Crusaders scored the final two baskets of the first half and then dominated the second half, outscoring Green Bay 35-19 to earn a 54-44 victory and claim the 2015 Horizon League Championship.  A driving layup by E. Victor Nickerson with the shot clock winding down and 1:02 to play proved to be the dagger, while David Skara led the way with 12 points off the bench.

Dani Gomez Barrientos (women’s swimming) at Horizon League Championships – Feb. 25-28, 2015

- Competing in her first Horizon League Championships, freshman Dani Gomez Barrientos showed no rookie jitters. Barrientos went out on each of the meet’s first three days and set new program records in three different events. The freshman opened with a school-record time of 10:23.87 in the 1000 freestyle on day one and set a new standard of 2:08.81 in the 200 IM on day two. Barrientos capped her trio of records with a time of 57.01 in the 100 butterfly on the third day of action. She also was a part of two record-setting relay squads at the meet as well.

Rod Moore Region

Women’s basketball win vs. Butler – Nov. 14, 2014

- After falling to the Bulldogs by 15 points the previous season, the Crusader women’s basketball team came out this year and put a hurting on their in-state rivals, defeating Butler 91-57 in the 2014-15 season opener. Abby Dean led five Crusaders in double figures with 21 points, while Dani Franklin added 14 points and six rebounds off the bench in her first career game. Valpo led by 11 at the half and out-scored the Bulldogs 58-35 in the final 20 minutes to claim it’s largest-ever victory over Butler.

Women’s soccer win vs. Detroit – Oct. 25, 2014

- 52 seconds. That was all the time it would take for senior Abby Kenyon to make an impact off the bench in one of the biggest wins in Valpo women’s soccer history. Kenyon entered in the 69^th minute and, less than one minute later, delivered a flip throw-in that was headed in by Sarrah Ludwig for the lone goal in the Crusaders’ 1-0 regular season win over Detroit – a victory which ensured Valpo its first Horizon League regular season title. The win was the ninth straight for the Crusaders, setting a new program record, and was also the penultimate victory in a perfect 8-0-0 Horizon League slate.

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Men’s tennis win against Cleveland State in the Horizon League semifinals – Apr. 25, 2015

- One year after earning its first-ever win in the main draw of the Horizon League Championship, the Crusader men’s tennis team took it one step further this season, advancing to the league title match for the first time in program history with a 4-1 win over Cleveland State in the semifinals. Wins by Jeffrey Schorsch/Charlie Emhardt and Lucas Waak/Garrett Gardner secured the doubles point, and Schorsch and Emhardt quickly dispatched their singles opponents in straight sets to move Valpo within one point of the win. Dave Bacalla, who earned the clinching point in last season’s win in the tournament, again finished out a milestone win for the Crusaders, earning a three-set victory at no. 2 singles for the clincher.

Men’s golf and Zach Cutler win the CSU Cougar Classic – Sept. 22-23, 2014

- It was a tournament to remember all around for the Valparaiso men’s golf program at the Chicago State Cougar Classic. Valpo’s ‘Brown’ squad claimed the fourth tournament title since the program’s resumption in 2009, out-pacing the field by four shots and setting a new program record for lowest 36-hole tournament score. But, not to be outdone, freshman Zach Cutler – playing as a member of Valpo’s ‘Gold’ team – took it upon himself to earn individual medalist honors with an even-par two-round score of 144, which broke the program’s individual 36-hole record.