Valparaiso won seven events on Saturday afternoon in the Crusaders’ home finale, but came up nine points shy against Western Illinois as the Leathernecks defeated the Brown and Gold 116-107 at the Athletics-RecreationCenter pool.

Austin Hunter (La Crescent, Minn./La Crescent H.S.) and David Sivak (Hobart, Ind./Hobart H.S.) each won two individual events and added a victory in the 200 freestyle relay.  Blake Edwards (Orange, Calif./Lutheran H.S. of Orange County) and Kevin Fedde (Fort Collins, Colo./Heritage Christian H.S.) added event wins themselves for the Crusaders while also joining Hunter and Sivak on the victorious relay.

Hunter earned victories in both the 50 free and 100 fly.  His first win of the day, in the 50 free, was by 0.57 seconds with a time of 22.62 seconds.  He then turned in a time of 53.98 seconds in the 100 fly, winning by 0.62 seconds.

Sivak posted the third fasted 400 individual medley time in Valpo history, 4:12.28, while cruising to a 24 second victory.  The junior also posted his best time of the season, 55.57 seconds, in the 100 back, winning by more than a second-and-a-half.

Edwards, the lone senior honored on Senior Day at Valpo, picked up the Crusaders’ first win of the day in the 200 free, a 1.45 second triumph with a time of 1:47.89.  He also added a runner-up finish in the 100 free with a time of 49.19 seconds, just 0.14 seconds off of the pace.

Fedde was a winner in the 500 free, turning in a time of 4:57.87, a win of more than 13 seconds.  The freshman also turned in the fifth fastest mark in school history in the 1000 free, 10:15.37, finishing runner-up.

Sivak, Edwards, Hunter, and Fedde closed the meet with a 1.44 second win in the 200 free relay with a time of 1:27.87, a top time for the Crusaders this year.

Trevor Trimpe (New Palestine, Ind./Connersville H.S.) added a second place finish in the 200 free with a time of 1:49.34.  He also finished second in the 100 breaststroke, touching the wall in 1:02.45.

Valparaiso (0-8) will have two-and-a-half weeks off before competing in the Horizon League Championships hosted by UIC in Chicago, Ill. beginning February 24 and running through February 27.  The first day’s events begin at 2 p.m.