On Saturday, the Crusader men traveled to Miami (Ohio) University to compete in the Redhawk Invitational; the team’s last chance to prepare for the Horizon League Outdoor Championships. Valparaiso took advantage of its opportunity, posting three third-place finishes and season-bests in nearly every event.

Antwon Hatchett (Indianapolis, Ind./Warren Central) finished with a third-place finish in the 400-meter hurdles, clocking in at a season-best 56.00 – the fourth fastest time in program history.

Jacob Frey (St. Paul, Minn./Roseville Area) finished third in the in the hammer throw, clearing 177’4”. Jacob Smutz (West Lafayette, Ind./Harrison) finished sixth in the same event with a mark of 173’6”.

Frey also finished sixth in the discus throw with a mark of 125’0”.

Jeremy Getz (Colorado Springs, Colo) posted a third-place finish in the javelin throw with a mark of 174’1”. In the same event, Elijah Owen (LaPorte, Ind./LaPorte) took seventh (158’7”) while Smutz finished ninth (141’6”).

Owen also took eighth in the long jump, clearing 20’1 ½” – a season-best.

In the 3,000-meter steeplechase, Michael Salguero (Ebensburg, Pa./Central Cambria) finished fourth with a time of 10:03.58.

The 4x400-meter relay team of Alex Vasile (Valparaiso, Ind./Valparaiso), Kevin Adamik Elmhurst, Ill./York Community), Don Middlebrook (Deerfield, Ill./Deerfield), and Anthony Franze took fourth in the event, finishing with a season-best time of 43.40.

Dan Walters (Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point) nearly missed out on a top-five finish in the 800-meter run, finishing sixth. Walters finished in 2:02.69; a season-best.

In the 200-meter dash, Franze clocked in at a season-best 22.36 for eighth-place in the event. Franze also finished with a season-best in the 100-meter dash (11.15).

Jordan Kelly (Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point) cleared 14’1 ¾” in the pole vault for eighth-place.

In shot-put, Cory VanArnum (Jacksonville, Fla./Admiral Farragut Academy) posted a season-best mark of 42’8 ¾” for eighth-place. VanArnum also finished ninth in both the discus throw (116’0”) and the hammer throw (148’4”).

Valparaiso now sets its focus on the Horizon League Outdoor Championships which will begin on Friday, May 2^nd and run through Sunday, May 4^th. Youngstown State’s Farmers National Bank Field will play host for the event. Live video and stats will be made available through ValpoAthletics.com.