Results

The Valparaiso women’s track and field team opened its outdoor campaign Saturday at the Ted Haydon Invitational in Chicago, Ill., winning five events on its way to a third-place finish.

“This was a good meet for us,” said Crusader head coach Ryan Moore.  “I think we really performed well in less-than-ideal weather conditions, and we’re ahead of where we want to be at this point in the season.”

Melanie Wilson (Saint Louis, Mo./Rosati-Kain) led the Crusaders, taking event victories in the 100m hurdles (14.93) and triple jump (37’2”) while also earning second place in the long jump (16’9 ¼”).  Also on the infield, Ini Umana (Cottage Grove, Wis./Park) took top honors in the hammer throw (131’2”) and fourth place in the discus (107’0”), while Julie Flowers (Sterling Heights, Mich./Stevenson) registered a third-place finish in the hammer (127’7”).  Amanda Body (Harlan, Ky./Harlan) had a fourth-place showing in the long jump with a leap of 16’1”.

On the track, Alyssa Bradford (Mukwonago, Wis./Mukwonago) paced Valpo, winning the 800m run (2:26.43) and coming home third in the 1,500m run (5:05.10).  Rachael Button (Farmington Hills, Mich./Farmington) took top honors in the 5,000m run with a time of 18:24.60, while Sara Christensen (Bettendorf, Iowa/Pleasant Valley) and Lauren McLaughlin (Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View) finished third and fourth, respectively, in the 3,000m steeplechase.  Patricia Kloth (Medford, Wis./Medford Area) tallied two top-five finishes, placing third in the 100m dash (12.72) and fifth in the 200m dash (27.18).

The Crusaders tallied 98 points on the meet for their third-place finish.  The University of Chicago, the host school, recorded 141.5 points for the team title.

Valparaiso returns to the track next Saturday, April 5, at the DePauw Invitational in Greencastle, Ind.  The first event is slated to begin at 11 a.m. CDT.