Saturday, March 18, 2006

Valparaiso kicked off the 2006 outdoor season in style Saturday, setting four school records at the Louisiana Classics in Lafayette, La.

Amanda Body (Harlan, Ky./Harlan H.S.) paced the Crusaders, notching two new records in the first outdoor meet of her career. Body started by breaking the record in the 200m dash, crossing the line in 25.39, almost three-tenths faster than the previous record. She then moved onto the field events and posted a new standard in the triple jump, leaping 37'1 ¾", good for eighth place. Body also delivered the second-best long jump in school history with a leap of 17'0 ¾".

Ashley Billstrom (Hales Corners, Wis./Whitnall H.S.) delivered a victory in the 3,000m steeplechase and set a new Crusader record, finishing the course in 11:14.5. The time marked a personal best by over ten seconds for Billstrom, who finished nearly 40 seconds ahead of her closest competitor.

Melanie Wilson (Saint Louis, Mo./Rosati-Kain H.S.) posted an eighth place finish in the 100m hurdles, matching her own school record of 14.75 seconds in the process.

Danielle Nunnelly (Valparaiso, Ind./Valparaiso H.S.) and Laura Rolf (Rochester, Mich./Lutheran Northwest H.S.) continue to give Valpo a formidable threat in distance events, as the two finished 1-2 in the 5,000m run. Nunnelly broke the tape in 17:44, moving into second on Valpo's all-time list in the event, while Rolf followed with a time of 18:26.

Maggie Zellner (Downers Grove, Ill./Benet Academy) also notched a top-ten finish for the Brown and Gold. Zellner's effort of 1:08.51 in the 400m hurdles was seventh-best in the event.

Valparaiso returns to action April 1, as the Brown and Gold travel to DePauw to take part in a quadrangular meet, along with Butler and Indiana Wesleyan. The first event in the meet is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. CST.