The Valparaiso University men's cross country team opened its 2003 season on Friday afternoon at Sunset Hills Farm with a third place finish in the Crusader Invitational.

Freshman Chris Orosz (Holland, Ohio/St. John's Jesuit H.S.) led the way for the Brown and Gold with a 13th place finish with a time of 26:11 over the eight-kilometer course.

Chris Stine of Western Michigan took home top individual honors with a time of 25:09, while also leading the Broncos to the team title with 23 points. Notre Dame finished second with 32 points, followed by the Crusaders with 91 points. Wisconsin-Green Bay placed fourth with 114 points, followed by IPFW (151), St. Joseph's (Ind.) (166) and Chicago State (185).

Senior Matt Blume (Logansport, Ind./Pioneer H.S.) finished one spot in back of Orosz with a time of 26:16. Nate Nunnelly (Valparaiso, Ind./Valparaiso H.S.) turned in a 26:52 effort to take 25th place overall. Rick Wenger (Belvidere, Ill./Belvidere H.S.) placed fourth on the team and 30th overall with a time of 27:09, while Adam Piaskowy (Crete, Ill./Crete-Monee H.S.) rounded out the scorers in 35th place, crossing the finish line in 27:24.

Valparaiso will take next weekend off before returning to action on September 19 at the Indiana Intercollegiate Championships that will be held in Terre Haute, Ind. The men's race is slated to begin at 5:15 p.m.