Saturday, February 17, 2007

Laura Rolf (Rochester, Mich./Lutheran Northwest) registered one of the nation's best times this season in the mile, while Amanda Body (Harlan, Ky./Harlan) turned in three runner-up finishes Saturday as the Valparaiso women's track and field team competed at the Boilermaker Invitational in West Lafayette, Ind.

Rolf took top honors in the mile run, crossing the line in 4:44.96. Her time was nearly eight seconds better than the second-place finisher, and was the second-best effort in the event in Valpo history, less than three seconds behind Collette Liss' record. The time meets the NCAA provisional qualifying standard, and is the 20th-fastest mile in the nation this year.

Body showcased her versatility Saturday, taking home runner-up honors in the long jump with a leap of 16'6 ½". On the track, Body finished second in two sprint events, completing the 60m dash with a time of 8.00 and covering the 200m dash in 26.45.

Lakisha Lane (Topeka, Kan./Highland Park) also registered an impressive second-place finish for Valpo. The freshman finished the 400m dash in 1:02.47, the fifth-best time in school history in the event. Also posting a runner-up finish on the track was Ashley Billstrom (Hales Corners, Wis./Whitnall), who covered the 800m run in 2:22.80.

Valparaiso returns to the track on Sunday, February 25 for the two-day Mid-Continent Conference Indoor Championships. The championship meet is being held in Bloomington, Ill., where Valpo will look to post a top-three finish after placing fourth and breaking four school records at the meet last year.