Valparaiso University's men's cross country team finished in sixth place at the Mid-Continent Conference Championships held Saturday morning in Rochester, Mich.

The Crusaders totaled 145 points for the day, just three more than fifth place Oral Roberts. Southern Utah was the champion with 18 points, followed by IUPUI, Western Illinois, and Oakland. UMKC finished seventh with Chicago State and Centenary rounding out the field.

Senior Adam Piaskowy (Crete, Ill./Crete-Monee H.S.) led the way for the Brown and Gold with his 12th place finish in a time of 27:30.2. Dennis Kabara (Chuka, Kenya/Meru H.S.) was the second Crusader across the finish line, finishing 22nd with a time of 28:47.4.

David Iott (Fort Wayne, Ind./Bishop Dwenger H.S.) placed 37th overall with a time of 29:53.6., while Michael Brouch (Aurora, Ill./Marmion Academy) was two places behind with a time of 30:12.6. Josh Parker (Roselle, Ill./Lake Park H.S.) rounded out the scorers for the Crusaders with a 40th place finish, completing the eight-kilometer course in 30:15.5.

Valparaiso will close out its 2004 season in two weeks, competing in the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships held in Ypsilanti, Mich. The men's race begins at 11 a.m. CST on November 13.