Alyssa Bradford (Mukwonago, Wis./Mukwonago) ran one of the fastest times in school history in the 800m run to lead the Valparaiso women’s track and field team as it concluded the 2010 Horizon League Outdoor Championships in eighth place.

The Crusaders tallied two points on the meet to finish in eighth place.  Milwaukee took home the team title with 217 points.

Bradford, who qualified for the finals of the 800m run by placing sixth in Saturday’s preliminary heats, matched that position in the event final Sunday, crossing the line in sixth place with a time of 2:18.12.  The time edges former Crusader cross country and track and field standout Laura Rolf for fifth-best in program history.

Elsewhere on the track, Windy Santa Cruz (Fall Creek, Wis./Fall Creek) ran a season-best time of 5:15.75 in the 1,500m run, pacing the Crusader contingent with a 14th-place finish.  Haley Kerlin (Rensselaer, Ind./Rensselaer) led Valpo in her second long-distance event of the championships, crossing the line in the 5,000m run in 17th place with a time of 19:15.78.

On the infield, Ini Umana (Hastings, Minn./Park) picked up a pair of top-ten finishes in the throws.  Umana placed eighth in the hammer throw with a toss of 148’1”, and recorded a mark of 38’3 ¼” in the shot put, good for tenth place and improving upon her fourth-best mark in school history in the event.

The league championship meet concludes Valparaiso’s 2010 season.