The Valparaiso men’s cross country team ran to a sixth-place finish Saturday afternoon at the 2012 Horizon League Cross Country Championships in Kenosha, Wis.

The Crusaders tallied 176 points on the meet, out-pacing Youngstown State and Green Bay to finish sixth out of the eight competing squads.  Loyola earned the team title with 22 points and also boasted the top individual finisher in Sam Penzenstadler.

Junior Matt Przybyla (Whitmore Lake, Mich./Pinckney) paced the Crusader contingent for the first time this season on Saturday, running a career-best 8K time of 26:25 to finish in 25^th place.  Sophomore David Rutkowski (Cedarburg, Wis./Living Word Lutheran) also posted a season-best time over the eight-kilometer course, placing 30^th with a time of 26:34.

Sophomore Eric Hickok (Schererville, Ind./Lake Central) covered the course in 26:49 to finish in 36^th place, while junior Mike Salguero (Ebensburg, Pa./Central Cambria) finished in 42^nd position with a time of 27:09.  Sophomore Trace Ostergren (LaPorte, Ind./Culver Academy) ran home right behind Salguero, crossing the line in 27:16 to finish 43^rd and round out Valpo’s scoring runners.

Valparaiso concludes the 2012 campaign at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional in Madison, Wis. on Friday, Nov. 9.