Nate Nunnelly (Valparaiso, Ind./Valparaiso H.S.) won the mile and finished third in the 800m run leading Valparaiso to a fourth place finish at the Mid-Continent Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday afternoon in Sterling, Ill.

Oral Roberts won the championship compiling 188 points, outdistancing Southern Utah by 55.5 points. Western Illinois finished third with 105.5 points, followed by the Crusaders with 81 points. Chicago State finished fifth with 58 points, while UMKC tallied 46 points for sixth place.

Nunnelly began his day victorious in the mile breaking the tape in 4:18.69, .92 seconds ahead of his nearest competitor from UMKC. Teammate Aaron Crague (Schererville, Ind./Lake Central H.S.) finished fifth in the same race with a time of 4:21.59.

In the 800m, Nunnelly earned six more points for the team, crossing the finish line in 1:56.39. Crague came back later in the meet to post a runner-up finish in the 5,000m. His time of 15:08.62 was just 1.73 seconds behind the champion.

The 5,000m was a big point producer for the Brown and Gold. In addition to Crague's performance, Matt Blume (Logansport, Ind./Logansport H.S.) turned in a fourth place finish in a time of 15:19.62, while Rick Wenger (Belvidere, Ill./Belvidere H.S.) finished eighth in 15:35.62.

Valpo also scored points in the sprints. Scott Hill (Goshen, Ind./Northwood H.S.) placed fifth in the 60m dash with a time of 7.17 seconds, while Nathanael Noon (Birmingham, Ala./John Carroll H.S.) finished eighth in the 60m hurdles, crossing the line in 8.75 seconds.

The final event on the track saw the 4x400m relay of Adam Wierciak (Ottawa, Ill./Marquette H.S.), Kyle Jones (Valparaiso, Ind./Valparaiso H.S.), Nunnelly, and Sean Barfield (University Place, Wash./Curtis H.S.) finished fifth with a time of 3:40.00.

On the infield the triple jump proved to be the most productive for the Brown and Gold. Brian Schultz (Sheboygan, Wis./South H.S.) leaped 42'8" to finish fifth, while Brandon Sessler was sixth, just 4½" short of Schultz's mark.

Sessler also scored a pair of points for the Crusaders in the high jump, placing seventh as he cleared 6'2". Tood Goodrick (Rochester Hills, Mich./Rochester H.S.) earned Valpo's other two points on the day, finishing seventh in the shot put with a heave of 47'8".

Valpo will conclude its indoor season next Saturday as select individuals will compete at the Alex Wilson Invitational in Notre Dame, Ind.