The Valparaiso University men’s and women’s track and field teams wrapped up the indoor portion of the schedule on Sunday with Day 2 of the Missouri Valley Conference Championships hosted by UNI in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Alexander Bruno (Bloomington, Ill./ University) and Emanuel Daggett (Chicago, Ill./ Gavit) earned all-conference honors by virtue of their Top-3 finishes.

How It Happened

• Bruno closed out his indoor track career in style, winning the men’s mile. He crossed the line at 4:20.78, a second faster than second place, picking up 10 points in the process. In addition to his mile victory, Bruno finished eighth in the men’s 3000-meter run with a time of 8:36.38, bringing his meet total up to 11 points.
• However, he was not Valpo’s fastest runner in the 3,000. Dominic Paoletti (Monroe, Mich./ Monroe St. Mary) recorded a sixth-place finish in that event, crossing the line at 8:36.11.
• Daggett earned a third-place finish in the 400-meter dash by virtue of his 48.91 finish. In addition to earning six points for his squad, his time surpassed Brandon Riley’s 2018 time of 49.10 for third all-time for the Brown & Gold.
• In the women’s 400-meter dash, senior Sierra Fischer (Brookfield, Wis./ Brookfield [Carroll]) sprinted to a fourth-place finish and a time of 56.67. Not only did she earn five points for her team, she also lowered her program record by 0.06.
• Zack Fortener (Byron, Ill./ Byron) finished competition in the men’s heptathlon. The junior earned a score of 4,256 and an eighth-place finish for Valpo, scoring one point. Along the way, he earned a career-best in the 60-meter hurdles (9.31) and the pole vault (12-6; 3.81m).
• Katherine Germann (Cincinnati, Ohio/ Finneytown) ran her season best time in the 3000-meter run, coming across at 10:40.07. Teammate Alaina Carpenter (Grandville, Mich./ Grandville) finished just behind her at 10:43.06, also setting a season best.
• Will Maidment (Woodstock, Ill./ Woodstock) hit 6-3¼ (1.91m) in the high jump. He finished ninth, just one bar shy of scoring.
• Senior Anne Mou (Bloomingdale, Ill./ Lake Park) recorded her season best triple jump, leaping to a mark of 35-10 (10.81m).
• In the shot put, Jake Rasawehr (Celina, Ohio/ Celina) threw for a career-best 45-5¼ (13.85m). Alek Trafton (Lockport, Ill./ Lockport) tossed it 40-9¾ (14.05m).
• In the women’s shot put, Hayley Krulik (Crown Point, Ind./ Crown Point) threw for 29-6¾ (9.01m).
• The men’s and women’s 4x400-meter relay teams set their season bests in the event on Sunday. For the women, Maranda Donahue (Delton, Mich./ Delton-Kellogg), Fischer, Taylor Justison (Catham, Ill./ Glenwood) and Shannon Lahey (Dixon, Ill. / Dixon) finished in 4:13.78. On the men’s side, Daggett, Bryce Otterbach (Mendota, Ill./ Mendota Township), Ignacio Veloz Bonilla (San Juan, P.R./ American Military Academy) and Ben Sekuloski (Lowell, Ind./ Lowell) came within a half-second of cracking the program’s top-5 with their seventh-place finish of 3:23.71.

Inside the Meet

• The men’s team finished with 24 points, more than double its previous highest total (11 in 2018). The women’s team tied their total from last year with six points.
• Bruno became the first Valpo track & field athlete to win an MVC title in an event since the program joined the conference prior to the 2017-2018 season.
• Host UNI finished first on the men’s side with 143.5 points, while Illinois State posted a team victory on the women’s side.

Thoughts from Head Coach Ryan Moore

• “Bruno was a huge highlight for the team, taking home a win. Emanuel [Daggett] and Dominic [Paoletti] also had great meets for the men, and the 4x4 was a great way to cap the season off.”
• “On the women’s side, Sierra taking fourth with another PR in the 400, and having a piecemeal 4x4 team made it all fun in the end.”
• “This was a solid day for us here. I’m thrilled with the efforts that this team gave amid some adversity and tough competition. This is a great springboard into the outdoor season.”

Up Next

Valpo will take a much deserved rest following Sunday’s conclusion of the indoor schedule. They will begin their outdoor season with the Bill Cornell Classic hosted by Southern Illinois on March 20.