Sophomore Claire Johnson (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie) ran to a 20^th-place finish to lead the Valparaiso women’s cross country team as it finished ninth on Saturday morning at the 2011 Horizon League Championships in Cleveland, Ohio.

Valpo totaled 189 points for the meet to finish in ninth place, closing the meet ahead of Milwaukee and finishing just six points outside of sixth place.  Butler earned the team title and the Bulldogs’ Shelbi Burnett was the league’s individual champion.

Johnson crossed the finish line on Saturday with a time of 20:24.7 over the 5K course for her 20^th-place finish.  Freshman Jessica Richardson (Columbus, Ind./North) also finished among the top-30, covering the circuit in 20:48.0 to finish in 26^th position.

Sophomore Nicole Zehel (Wixom, Mich./Lutheran Westland) was the third Valpo runner across the line, finishing in 34^th place with a time of 21:12.0.  Junior Haley Kerlin (Rensselaer, Ind./Rensselaer) placed 61^st with a time of 22:32.5, while sophomore Grace Shemwell (Clinton, Iowa/Clinton) rounded out the Crusaders’ top-five runners with a time of 22:46.3, finishing in 66^th place.

The Valparaiso women’s cross country team closes out action in 2011 in two weekends, as the Crusaders travel to Toledo, Ohio to run in the NCAA Great Lakes Regional on Sat., November 12.