On Saturday, the Crusader women saw action at the DePauw Invitational in Greencastle Ind. Valparaiso collected multiple top ten finishes on the day, with Nicole Zehel (Wixom, Mich./Lutheran Westland) leading the way with a second-place finish in the steeplechase.

Zehel clocked in at 11:13.73, not only a personal best, but the second fastest time in program history.

Grace Shemwell (Clinton, Iowan/Clinton) finished eighth in the 1,500-meter run, clocking in at 5:08.03.

Valparaiso produced a pair of fourth-place finishers – Sarah Peters (LaGrange, Ill./Lyons Township) in the pole vault (10’11 ¾”) and Brooke Hinstorff (Waterloo, Wis./Lakeside Lutheran) in the javelin (106’0”). Peters’ performance in the pole vault was good for fourth-best in program history.

Erika Funk (Blue Mound, Ill./Meridian) placed fifth in the discus with a mark of 124’3”, while Ann Chapman (Washington, Ill./Washington Community) took sixth in the triple jump with a distance of 32’0 ¾”.

In her first race competing in the 400-meter hurdles, Malea Buck (Davenport, Iowa/Central) put forth a solid performance, crossing the finish line in 1:10.66 for sixth place.

The Crusader women captured 29 points on the day; good for an eighth-place finish.

Elsewhere in Stanford, Calif., Megan Howdeshell (Bourbon, Ind./Triton Junior-Senior) wrapped up the Stanford Invitational for the Crusaders with a top ten finish in the discus. Howdeshell’s mark of 130’11” was good for ninth-place.

Up next for the Crusaders are the Chicagoland Championships in Romeoville, Ill. The two day event begins on Friday, April 11^th.