Friday, September 05, 2003

Elizabeth Whiting (Parma, Mich./Western H.S.) finished in third place to help lead Valparaiso University to third place finish as a team at the Crusader Invitational held at Sunset Hills Farm on Friday afternoon.

Notre Dame took home top team honors with 42 points, topping Western Michigan by three points. The Crusaders finished with 61 points, followed by IPFW (113) and Wisconsin-Green Bay (139). St. Joseph's (Ind.) finished sixth with 171 points and Chicago State had 185 points to round out the field. Notre Dame's Jean Marinageli won the overall title with a time of 22:16.

Whiting, a senior, finished with a time of 23:01 over the six-kilometer course. Rachel Nelson (Lee's Summit, Mo./Lee's Summit H.S.) was second for the Brown and Gold, and tenth overall with a time of 23:26. Freshman Danielle Nunnelly (Valparaiso, Ind./Valparaiso H.S.) finished three spots behind Nelson with a time of 23:34.

Heidi Nathan (Medford, N.Y./Patchogue-Medford H.S.) finished fourth for the Crusaders and 17th overall with a time of 23:42, while Rachel Stoehr (Antigo, Wis./Antigo H.S.) was one spot and six second back to round out the scoring.

Valpo will take next weekend off before returning to action on September 19 at the Indiana Intercollegiate Championships held in Terre Haute, Ind. The women's race will begin at 4:30 p.m.