Valparaiso posted its first victory of the 2005 indoor season on Saturday afternoon as the Crusaders took home top honors among the six schools at the Chicago Invitational.

The Crusaders tallied 116 points, eight more than Chicago State and Saint Joseph's (Ind.). Chicago finished fourth with 106 points, followed by Illinois Wesleyan (99), and Elmhurst (64) in a tight field.

Elliot Powell (Orange, Calif./Santa Ana H.S.) won the 200m dash with a time of 22.52 seconds for the Crusaders' lone victory on the oval.

Adam Piaskowy (Crete, Ill./Crete-Monee H.S.) finished third in the mile with a time of 4:34.66, while Michael Brouch (Aurora, Ill./Marmion Academy) was third in the 5,000m run, crossing the finish line with a time of 16:37.43.

On the infield, Joshua Lee (Yellow Jacket, Colo./Montezuma-Cortez H.S.) won the long jump with a leap of 6.35m.

Bryan Bell (Bellevue, Neb./East H.S.) also posted an event win with a toss of 15.55m in the weight throw as Valpo swept the top three places in the event. Matt Larson (Arlington Heights, Ill./St. Viator H.S.) finished second with a throw of 15.26m, while Todd Goodrick (Rochester Hills, Mich./Rochester H.S.) was third with a heave of 14.71m. Goodrick also finished third in the shot put with a mark of 14.30m.

Jonathan Braun (Saratoga, Wyo./Saratoga H.S.) finished runner-up in the high jump, clearing 1.93m.

Valpo will return to action next Saturday as the Crusaders head to Bloomington, Ill. for the Redbird Invitational. Action begins at 11:30 a.m.