Joel Hartenberger (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia) posted an impressive ninth-place finish Friday at the Crusader Open at Sunset Hills Farm in Valparaiso, leading the Crusader men’s cross country squad to a third-place team finish.

The Crusaders totaled 75 points on the evening for their third-place finish, outpacing fellow Horizon League foe Green Bay.  Notre Dame took the team title with a perfect score of 15 points, while the Irish’s Spencer Carter took top individual honors.

Hartenberger was the sole runner able to crack Notre Dame’s stranglehold at the front of the pack, as he was the only non-Irish runner in the top-11.  The junior crossed the line in 20:07, cutting 27 seconds and ten places off of his performance at the same meet last season.  Freshman Wally Bradford (Mukwonago, Wis./Mukwonago) put up an impressive run in his first outing as a Crusader, finishing 15th with a time of 20:26.

David Carter (Arlington Heights, Ill./John Hersey) came home in 20th place, finishing the 6K course in 20:53, while Jordan Piaskowy (Crete, Ill./Illiana Christian) posted a time of 20:59 to finish 23rd.  Nick Fagan (Sycamore, Ill./Sycamore) rounded out the top-five Crusaders with a 26th-place showing, finishing the race in 21:09.

Valparaiso returns to action in two weekends as the Crusaders travel to Nashville, Tenn. to compete in Vanderbilt’s Commodore Classic.  The 8K men’s race is slated for a 9 a.m. start.