Valparaiso University's Agnieszka Kulaga (Tarnow, Poland/I Liceum Ogolnoksztalcace H.S.) and Evva Comans (Zonhoven, Belgium/Kindsheid Jesu Hasselt H.S.) each represented their home nation in the A Division of the U-20 European Championships which just completed in Sopron, Hungary.
Valparaiso University's women's basketball program, known for their success both on the court and in the classroom, finished the 2005-2006 school year ranked 4th in the nation in NCAA Division I for team grade point average. This is the eighth straight season the Crusaders' team has been ranked in the top-25 on the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Academic Honor Roll. The Crusaders finished tied for 15th in the country for Division I in team grade point average one year ago in 2004-2005.
Valparaiso University head women's basketball coach Keith Freeman has announced the hiring of Jon Cain to fill the position of Associate Head Coach with the Crusader program effective May 31.
Players were recognized and team awards were handed out at the Lyn Hagstrom Valparaiso University Women's Basketball Banquet on Sunday evening at the Strongbow Inn Banquet Center.
Valparaiso University women's basketball coach Keith Freeman has announced the signing of Kelly Peller to a National Letter of Intent for the 2006-2007 season.
The Valparaiso University Women's Basketball Banquet will be held on Sunday, April 23 in the Charles Room at the Strongbow Inn Banquet Center.
Valparaiso University women's basketball associate head coach Steve Bruce has announced his resignation from the Crusader basketball program.
Tamra Braun (Savage, Minn./Prior Lake H.S.) received All-Tournament Team accolades from the Mid-Continent Conference Tuesday after recording two double-doubles during the conference tournament.
Western Illinois scored the first 14 points of the second half as the Westerwinds ended Valparaiso's season on Monday afternoon with a 57-40 victory over the Crusaders in the semifinals of the Mid-Continent Conference Tournament in Tulsa, Okla.
Valparaiso will face the Mid-Continent Conference's top seed and regular season champion Western Illinois on Monday afternoon at 12 p.m. in the semifinals of the league tournament. The Crusaders and Westerwinds have regularly produced close games and are meeting in the semifinals for the second time in four years.
Tamra Braun (Savage, Minn./Prior Lake H.S.) posted her 7th double-double of the season, including a career-high 16 rebounds, as Valparaiso defeated UMKC 69-48 on Sunday afternoon in the quarterfinals of the Mid-Continent Conference Tournament to avenge a loss to the Kangaroos in last year's first round.
In a rematch of last year's Mid-Continent Conference Tournament quarterfinal, Valparaiso will head to Tulsa, Okla. on Sunday afternoon to battle UMKC. The Crusaders, the tournament's fourth seed, will look to avenge the first round upset from the Kangaroos, this year's fifth seed, that ended last season.
Valparaiso University's Tamra Braun (Savage, Minn./Prior Lake H.S.) was named to the Mid-Continent Conference First Team for the second straight season while teammates Betsy Rietema (Grand Rapids, Mich./Christian H.S.) and Carrie Myers (Stickleyville, Va./Lee H.S.) were Second Team and Honorable Mention selections respectively as the conference announced its annual award winners on Wednesday.
Valparaiso University will meet UMKC on Sunday afternoon, March 5, at 12 p.m. at the John Q. Hammons Arena at the UMAC in Tulsa, Okla. in the quarterfinals of the Mid-Continent Conference Tournament.
Valparaiso University's Betsy Rietema (Grand Rapids, Mich./Christian H.S.) has been named to the 2006 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Women's Basketball Third Team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Valparaiso saw its five-game winning streak against Oral Roberts come to an end, while dropping its third game in a row overall for the first time since the beginning of the 2003-2004 season as the Crusaders fell to the Golden Eagles 53-31 on Monday night in Tulsa, Okla. to end the regular season for both teams.
Valparaiso will look to snap a two-game losing skid as well as look to build some momentum heading into the Mid-Continent Conference Tournament as the Crusaders close the regular season on Monday evening at Oral Roberts. The Crusaders and Golden Eagles are tied for third in the Mid-Con standings with the winner earning the third seed in the league's premier event which begins on Saturday in Tulsa, Okla.
For the fourth straight year Valparaiso was unable to defeat UMKC in Kansas City, Mo. as the Kangaroos posted a 69-63 victory over the Crusaders on Saturday afternoon in Swinney Recreation Center.
Valparaiso enters the final weekend of the regular season looking to rebound from Monday night's loss to IUPUI as the Crusaders head to Kansas City, Mo. on Saturday afternoon to take on UMKC. Valpo is looking to remain in third place in the Mid-Con standings.
Valparaiso saw its 10-game winning streak against IUPUI come to an end on Monday night as the Crusaders dropped a 63-55 decision to the Jaguars in Indianapolis, Ind.
Valparaiso heads to Indianapolis, Ind. on Monday evening to begin a season-ending three-game road trip against IUPUI, the team the Brown and Gold is tied with for second place in the Mid-Continent Conference standings. The Crusaders forged the tie on Saturday afternoon with a 75-67 double-overtime victory at home against Chicago State.
Valparaiso recovered from an 11-point second half deficit to force overtime and then a second extra session before defeating Chicago State 75-67 on Saturday afternoon at the Athletics-Recreation Center on Senior Day for the Crusaders.
The Valparaiso women's basketball team will be holding its 2006 summer camps this June and July.
Saturday afternoon will mark the final home regular season appearance in the careers of three Valparaiso Crusaders as the Brown and Gold hosts Chicago State on Senior Day at the Athletics-Recreation Center. The Crusaders are looking to rebound after suffering a 53-42 setback against first place Western Illinois last Saturday afternoon.
Western Illinois held Valparaiso to just 34.1% shooting and forced 18 Crusader turnovers as the Westerwinds defeated the Crusaders 53-42 on Saturday afternoon at the Athletics-Recreation Center.
Valparaiso University's Betsy Rietema (Grand Rapids, Mich./Christian H.S.) has been named to the 2006 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District V Women's Basketball First Team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
The top two teams in the Mid-Continent Conference meet at the ARC on Saturday afternoon with first place on the line as Western Illinois travels to Valparaiso. The Westerwinds currently hold a one game lead over the Crusaders in the league standings.
Valparaiso had its second best shooting night in school history connecting on 62.7% from the floor on its way to an easy 91-44 victory over Centenary Monday evening at the Athletics-Recreation Center.
Valparaiso returns to the ARC on Monday evening as the Crusaders host Centenary to begin a three-game homestand to conclude the home portion of the 2005-2006 schedule.
Valparaiso hit nine three-pointers in the second half and 12 for the game as the Crusaders broke open a one-point halftime lead on the way to a 69-54 victory over Southern Utah in Cedar City, Utah on Saturday evening.
After downing first place IUPUI on Monday evening, Valparaiso looks to remain near the top of the conference standings on Saturday evening as the Crusaders travel to Southern Utah. Valpo is one game out of first place in the Mid-Continent Conference standings entering the weekend.
Valparaiso snapped its two-game losing skid on Monday evening using solid defense and rebounding to defeat Mid-Continent Conference co-leader IUPUI 55-48 at the Athletics-Recreation Center.
Valparaiso looks to bounce back from back-to-back losses in Mid-Continent Conference play for the first time since January, 2004, on Monday evening as the Crusaders host IUPUI at the Athletics-Recreation Center.
Down ten with 2:22 to play, Valparaiso's defense gave the Crusaders a chance to tie or win, but the Brown and Gold came up one point short falling to Oakland 68-67 at the Athletics-Recreation Center on Saturday afternoon.
Valparaiso heads into a key stretch of home contests beginning on Saturday afternoon as the Crusaders welcome Oakland to the Athletics-Recreation Center. Valpo, which is looking to bounce back from a 53-50 loss at Chicago State on Monday, plays five of its next six games at home.
Valparaiso's second half rally fell short on Monday evening as the Crusaders headed to the Windy City and dropped a 53-50 decision to Chicago State.
Having won six of their last seven games overall, the Valparaiso Crusaders look to keep pace near the top of the tight Mid-Continent Conference standings on Monday evening as the Brown and Gold head to the Windy City to battle Chicago State.
Valparaiso used hot shooting at the start of both halves to win its 11th straight home game on Saturday afternoon as the Crusaders defeated Southern Utah 77-58 at the Athletics-Recreation Center.
After dropping its first Mid-Continent Conference game of the season on Monday evening, Valparaiso will look to rebound with a victory on Saturday afternoon as the Crusaders entertain Southern Utah.
Valparaiso trailed by 14 with less than four minutes to play and cut the deficit to two, but could never get the lead as the Crusaders fell 61-57 to Western Illinois at Western Hall in Macomb, Ill. on Monday evening.
Tamra Braun (Savage, Minn./Prior Lake H.S.) and Betsy Rietema (Grand Rapids, Mich./Christian H.S.) combined for 35 points and Valparaiso extended its winning streak to five straight as the Crusaders defeated IPFW 69-52 on Thursday evening at the Athletics-Recreation Center.
Riding a four-game winning streak, Valparaiso will play its final non-conference game of the season on Thursday evening as the Crusaders welcome IPFW to the Athletics-Recreation Center. The Crusaders have won five of their last six contests overall and sit a top the Mid-Continent Conference standings at 4-0 after posting an 81-54 victory over Oral Roberts on Monday night.
Valparaiso shot 59.1% from three-point range, making 13-of-22 attempts beyond the arc, and held Oral Roberts to 24 points fewer than its season average as the Crusaders downed the Golden Eagles 81-54 on Monday evening at the Athletics-Recreation Center.
Having won three straight games to open Mid-Continent Conference play, Valparaiso returns home on Monday night to host Oral Roberts in a game that can be seen live on WYIN-56 and WHME-46.
Valparaiso University and Family Express have joined together to form the Crusader Kids Club, an opportunity for children age 12 and under to attend home men's and women's basketball games at Valpo free of charge.
Playing their fourth game in eight days, Valparaiso went on the road Wednesday evening and posted a 66-47 victory over Centenary in Shreveport, La. to improve to 3-0 in the Mid-Continent Conference.
After posting two straight victories to open up Mid-Continent Conference action, Valparaiso will return to the hardwood for the fourth time in eight days on Wednesday as the Crusaders head to Shreveport, La. for a game against Centenary.
Valparaiso University's Tamra Braun (Savage, Minn./Prior Lake H.S.) has been named the Mid-Continent Conference Player of the Week after leading the Crusaders to a pair of Mid-Continent Conference victories while also turning in a solid performance against #12/13 Notre Dame.
Tamra Braun (Savage, Minn./Prior Lake H.S.) registered a double-double and Aimee Litka (South Bend, Ind./Saint Joseph's H.S.) scored a career-high 13 points as Valparaiso went on the road and defeated Oakland 69-55 on Monday evening in Rochester, Mich. to improve to 2-0 in the Mid-Continent conference. The victory marked the 200th victory on the Crusader bench for head coach Keith Freeman.
After setting a school mark for fewest points allowed in the win against UMKC, Valparaiso takes to the road on Monday evening to open 2006 against the Oakland Golden Grizzlies.
Saying Valparaiso's defense showed up on Friday evening at the Athletics-Recreation Center would be an understatement as the Crusaders held UMKC to just 20.4% shooting on the way to a 65-31 victory to open the Mid-Continent Conference schedule.
After playing .500 basketball against rugged non-conference competition, Valparaiso begins the Mid-Continent Conference slate on Friday evening as the Crusaders entertain UMKC.
After a ten-day layoff, Valparaiso returned to action Wednesday afternoon and, after starting slow, hung with the #11 Fighting Irish of Notre Dame before falling 58-50 on the road.
After a ten day break for the holidays, Valparaiso returns to the hardwood on Wednesday afternoon for a 1 p.m. tipoff against #11/12 Notre Dame on the road. The Crusaders are coming off of a sound 83-50 victory over Loyola (Ill.) on December 18.
Valparaiso used its one opportunity to play between final exams and the Christmas holiday to the best of its ability on Sunday afternoon as the Crusaders posted a convincing 83-50 victory over Loyola (Ill.) at the Athletics-Recreation Center.
Valparaiso returns home on Sunday after three straight games away from the Athletics-Recreation Center as the Crusaders entertain Loyola (Ill.) in the Brown and Gold's final game before the Christmas holiday.
Valparaiso gave #23 Purdue all it could handle for nearly 35 minutes but Purdue finished the game on an 18-3 run to defeat the Crusaders 70-55 on Sunday afternoon at Hoopla: A Celebration of Women's Basketball held in Fort Wayne, Ind.
With only about 40 hours of turnaround time to shake off the loss to Central Michigan, Valparaiso returns to the hardwood on Sunday afternoon to battle #23/#24 Purdue in Fort Wayne, Ind. as part of Hoopla: A Celebration of Women's Basketball.
Valparaiso rallied from ten points down with three minutes to go and had a chance to tie in the final seconds, but the lay-in attempt fell missed and Central Michigan held on to defeat Valparaiso 55-49 on Friday evening in Mount Pleasant, Mich.
Valparaiso is set to take on its third Mid-American Conference opponent of the season on Friday evening as the Crusaders head to Mount Pleasant, Mich. to battle Central Michigan.
Valparaiso won for the fifth straight year at the State Farm Hoosier Classic on Sunday afternoon as the Crusaders traveled to Muncie, Ind. and defeated the event's host Ball State 61-49 to hand the Cardinals their first loss of the season.
Valparaiso will look for its first victory on an opponent's home floor Sunday afternoon as the Crusaders travel to Muncie, Ind. for the State Farm Hoosier Classic to take on undefeated Ball State.
Valparaiso's defense forced 15 first half turnovers and limited Northwestern to just 19.5% shooting from the floor in the second half as the Crusaders posted a 57-51 victory over the Wildcats at the Athletics-Recreation Center on Wednesday evening.
Valparaiso University's Carrie Myers (Stickleyville, Va./Lee H.S.) has been named a Mid-Continent Conference co-Player of the Week after helping lead the Crusaders to a second place finish at the National City Bank Xavier Invitational last weekend.
Valparaiso returns to the Athletics-Recreation Center for the first time in nearly two weeks on Wednesday night as the Crusaders entertain Northwestern.
For the second straight day Valparaiso fell behind by 17 points in the second half and made a valiant comeback, but this time it was not enough as the Crusaders fell to Xavier (Ohio) 58-44 in the title game of the National City Bank Xavier Invitational held in Cincinnati, Ohio.
After a thrilling come-from behind overtime victory on Friday, Valparaiso returns to the hardwood on Saturday afternoon to battle host Xavier (Ohio) in the championship of the National City Bank Xavier Invitational. The Crusaders rallied from 17-points down in the first round against Kent State on Friday to post a 66-62 win.
Valparaiso rallied from a 17-point deficit, Carrie Myers (Stickleyville, Va./Lee H.S.) hit a three-pointer with 3.8 seconds to force overtime, and the Crusaders defeated Kent State 66-62 in the first round of the National City Bank Xavier Invitational on Friday afternoon in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Valparaiso gets a chance to rebound from its heartbreaking double-overtime loss at Bradley when the Crusaders head to Cincinnati, Ohio on Friday afternoon for the first round of the National City Bank Xavier Invitational to face Kent State.
Valparaiso University forward Betsy Rietema (Grand Rapids, Mich./Christian H.S.) has been named the Mid-Continent Conference Player of the Week after exploding in the first two games for the Crusaders.
Valparaiso rallied from a nine-point second half deficit to force overtime, but in the end it was Bradley surviving to post a 79-71 double-overtime win over the Crusaders on Monday evening in Peoria, Ill.
Fresh off of its first season-opening victory since 1999, Valparaiso looks to move to 2-0 for the first time in 20 years as the Crusaders travel to Peoria, Ill. on Monday night to take on Bradley.
Betsy Rietema (Grand Rapids, Mich./Christian H.S.) scored 24 points, one off of her career high, and Valparaiso's defense forced 24 turnovers, as the Crusaders defeated Northern Iowa 62-48 at the Athletics-Recreation Center on Friday evening in the season opener for both schools.
Nine home and road Valparaiso University men's basketball games and two women's games will be carried live this season on WYIN 56, Channel 56 out of Merrillville, Ind., and WHME, Channel 46 in South Bend, Ind., Director of Athletics Mark LaBarbera announced today.
Valparaiso opens its 35th season of women's basketball on Friday evening as the Brown and Gold entertains Northern Iowa. The Crusaders are coming off of an 18-10 season in 2004-2005. Valpo finished 12-4 in the Mid-Continent Conference, tying for second place.
Valparaiso showed marked improvement between the first exhibition game last Saturday and tonight's contest with Saint Joseph's (Ind.) as the Crusaders posted an 84-52 win over the Pumas at the Athletics-Recreation Center.
Valparaiso University women's basketball coach Keith Freeman has announced that the Crusader basketball program has signed Katie Emig and Whitney Farris to National Letters of Intent to play for the Brown and Gold beginning with the 2006-2007 season.
Niki Reams scored 20 points and grabbed 17 rebounds to lead Grand Valley State to a 71-59 victory over Valparaiso in exhibition action on Saturday evening at the Athletics-Recreation Center.
As the 2005-2006 Valparaiso University women's basketball season tips off, optimism is high for the Crusaders. Valpo is coming off of an 18-10 season one year ago, but looks to reverse the fortunes of a disappointing first round upset in the Mid-Continent Conference Tournament this season.
WVUR (95.1-FM, Valparaiso) will broadcast 27 regular season and exhibition games plus the Mid-Continent Conference Tournament live both over the air and online beginning with Saturday's exhibition game against Grand Valley State. The university has also announced that the game time for the Valpo-Notre Dame contest in South Bend on December 28 has been moved to 1 p.m. CST.
Tamra Braun (Savage, Minn./Prior Lake H.S.) and Betsy Rietema (Grand Rapids, Mich./Christian H.S.) were each named to the Mid-Continent Conference preseason all-conference team and Valparaiso was picked to finish third in the Mid-Con according to balloting of the league's head coaches, sports information directors, and selected media outlets.
Valparaiso University will kickoff the 2005-2006 basketball season on Friday, October 14 with Valpo Basketball Madness presented by Cardinal Bus at the Athletics-Recreation Center.
Valparaiso University's women's basketball team will hold their second annual Girls' Basketball Clinic on Friday, October 21, from 6:30-9 p.m.
Season tickets for Valparaiso University basketball are now on sale for the 2005-2006 season.
Valparaiso University will be hosting its 11th Annual Basketball Coaching Clinic on Friday, September 23 and Saturday September 24.
For the seventh straight season Valparaiso University's women's basketball team has been ranked in the top-25 among the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Academic Honor Roll. The Crusaders finished tied for 14th in the country for Division I in team grade point average for the 2004-2005 school year.
The Valparaiso-Loyola (Ill.) women's basketball game scheduled for this winter at the Athletics-Recreation Center has been moved up one day to December 18, beginning at 2:05 p.m.
Valparaiso University head women's basketball coach Keith Freeman has announced that Agnieszka Kulaga has signed to play basketball for the Crusaders beginning this fall.