Saturday, February 11, 2006

Melanie Wilson (Saint Louis, Mo./Rosati-Kain H.S.) posted four top-two finishes Saturday afternoon, leading Valparaiso to a fifth-place finish at the Carthage Pepsi Challenge in Kenosha, Wis.

Wilson brought home top honors in two events, starting the day with a win in the 55m hurdles, breaking the tape in 8.48 seconds, just .06 of a second off her school record. Maggie Zellner (Downers Grove, Ill./Benet Academy) moved into third on Valpo's all-time charts in the same event, finishing in 8.88 seconds, good for fourth place.

Wilson also captured the triple jump with a leap of 35'9 ¼", narrowly edging teammate Amanda Body (Harlan, Ky./Harlan H.S.), who finished in the runner-up slot with a jump of 35'8 ¾". Wilson posted second place finishes in the long jump, leaping 16'10 ¾", and the 200m dash, clocking in at 26.72 seconds.

Body also won an event of her own, beating Wilson and the rest of the field in the 200m dash with a time of 26.21 seconds. The effort moves Body into third place in Crusader history in the event. She also finished third in the long jump, recording a jump of 16'10".

Ashley Billstrom (Hales Corners, Wis./Whitnall H.S.) also had a strong day for the Brown and Gold. Billstrom won the 3000m run, crossing the finish line in 10:40.50, and also registered a time of 5:16.22 in the one mile run, good for third place. Patricia Kloth (Medford, Wis./Medford Area H.S.) came home in third place in the 55m dash with a time of 7.62 seconds.

The Crusaders scored 92 points, good for fifth place in the nine-team event. Marquette captured top team honors with 150 points.

Valparaiso returns to action next weekend, traveling to Romeoville, Ill. to take part in the Chicagoland Championships. Action begins Friday, February 17 at 4 p.m.