The Valparaiso men’s cross country team kicked off the season Friday afternoon at the annual Crusader Open, held at Sunset Hills Farm in Valparaiso.  The Crusaders finished second as a team, and were led by junior Chris Honig’s (Glen Ellyn, Ill./Glenbard South [Indiana]) fourth-place finish.

Notre Dame captured the team title with 33 points.  Valpo scored 63 points for its runner-up finish.  The Crusaders downed all three Horizon League foes that competed in the event, as the team scoring was rounded out by Milwaukee, Wright State, Saint Joseph’s (Ind.) and Green Bay.

Honig crossed the line for Valpo in 20:12, just two seconds behind the third-place finisher.  The next highest Crusader finish was an eighth-place performance by Leandro Schultz (Valley View, Ohio/Brecksville-Broadview Heights), who covered the 6K course in 20:24.

Jim Turchyn (Batesville, Ind./Batesville), Rich Krupar III (Elyria, Ohio/Midview) and Jordan Stanfill (Goshen, Ind./Goshen) rounded out the team scoring for Valpo.  Turchyn placed 14^th with a time of 20:48, while Krupar finished 16^th in 20:56.  Stanfill closed out the Valpo top-five with a 22^nd place finish, crossing the line in 21:12.

Valparaiso splits its squad next weekend for two different meets.  Some Crusaders will run at the Boston College Open, while others will run at the Indiana Intercollegiates in West Lafayette, Ind.  Both races will be contested over eight kilometers on Friday, Sept. 14.