The Valparaiso track and field teams had four athletes honored as part of the Horizon League’s Outdoor Track and Field Academic All-League squads for the 2008 campaign.  Rachael Button (Farmington Hills, Mich./Farmington) represented the Crusader women, while Steve Bartholomew (Valparaiso, Ind./Morgan Township), Chris Honig (Glen Ellyn, Ill./Glenbard South [Indiana]) and Chris Stohs (Shawnee, Kan./Shawnee Mission North) all earned spots on the men’s side.

Button placed fourth in the 10,000m run at the Horizon League Outdoor Championships, running the fourth-fastest time in Crusader history in the event, and also finished eighth at the league meet in the 5,000m run.  In the classroom, she carries a 3.71 cumulative grade point average as an English major and earned Horizon League Academic Honor Roll accolades for both the Fall 2007 and Spring 2008 semesters.

Bartholomew was named the Horizon League’s Outstanding Field Athlete for the Outdoor Championships after setting a new school and league record in the hammer throw while also earning the victory in the discus throw.  The two-time Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season earned top-20 regional finishes in both events as well.  In the classroom, Bartholomew owns a 3.34 cumulative GPA as a management major and had previously earned Academic All-League accolades during the indoor campaign.

Honig captured the league championship in the 3,000m steeplechase during the outdoor season, earning First Team All-League honors, and went on to place 19th at the NCAA Mideast Regional meet in the event.  A history major, Honig owns a 3.63 cumulative GPA as a history major and had previously earned Academic All-League honors during both the cross country and indoor track and field seasons.

Stohs earned a top-10 finish at the Horizon League Outdoor Championships as a sophomore, placing eighth in the shot put.  A member of the league’s Academic Honor Roll during both the fall and spring semesters, Stohs carries a 3.83 GPA as a history major and earned U.S. Army Horizon League Scholar-Athlete of the Week honors on April 8 after registering two top-10 finishes at the DePauw Invitational.