The Valparaiso University men’s and women’s track and field teams both increased their point totals from a day ago on the last day of the Big Blue Classic at Eastern Illinois University on Saturday. The men went home with 26 team points for a seventh-place result and the women received 22 and finished ninth. Senior Liz Owen (Freedom, Wis./Freedom) added first and second-place marks to her long list of career achievements as a Crusader runner, earning 18 points for the team.

How It Happened

• In the 3,000m steeplechase (first), Owen crossed the finish at 11:01.69 and in the 1,500m race (second), she had a time of 4:40.87, coming within seconds of passing her second-place time in team history.
• The 4x100m relay team of freshmen trio Shannon Lahey (Dixon, Ill./Dixon), Kayla Horne (Chicago, Ill./Luther North College Prep) and Jordan Houlihan (Hickory Hills, Ill./Amos Alonzo Stagg), along with sophomore Lindsey Arndt (Valparaiso, Ind./Wheeler) tallied a time of 51.98, adding the last four points to the team’s total.
• Freshman Anne Mou (Bloomingdale, Ill./Lake Park) secured an 11th-place mark in the triple jump, leaping 34-9. She also led the squad in the javelin throw (72-7).
• Horne had the top time in the 200m dash (27.18) and Arndt crossed the line at 1:08.55 in the 400m dash.
• Adding eight points to the men’s score, sophomore Alexander Bruno (Bloomington, Ill./University) finished third in the 1,500m race (3:55.30). The runner moves into fifth in Valpo history after this performance. He paved the way for the Crusaders in the 800m event on Day 2 at the meet.
• Freshman sprinter Ben Sekuloski (Lowell, Ind./Lowell) scored two points in the 400m dash, running 50 seconds flat and passing the top time from last season by three seconds.
• The 4x100m relay team of senior Jeru Lollis (Springfield, Ohio/Springfield), junior James Sampson (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley), senior Anthony Franze (Gunter, Texas/Gunter) and Sekuloski collected four points with a time of 42.41.
• Four more points were added to the total with help from the 4x400m relay (3:26.31) of sophomore Josh Yonker (West Dundee, Ill./H.D. Jacobs), freshman Bryce Otterbach (Mendota, Ill./Mendota Township), Sekuloski and Franze.
• Freshman thrower Jake Rasawehr (Celina, Ohio/Celina) launched the discus 146-9 for sixth place, collecting four points.
• Junior pole vaulter Alexander Watson (Bolivar, Ohio/Tuscarawas Valley) cleared the bar at 14-9, moving the point total up two for the Crusaders.

Next Up

Valpo resumes action next Saturday, April 8 at the DePauw Invitational. The meet will begin at 11 a.m. CT in Greencastle, Ind.