Saturday, February 11, 2012

The Valparaiso women’s track and field team had three different athletes post top-ten finishes Saturday as the Crusaders competed with over 50 other schools at the GVSU Big Meet in Allendale, Mich.

Valpo’s best individual finish on Saturday came in the shot put from sophomore Sarah Drozdowski (Roselle, Ill./Lake Park), who placed sixth with a toss of 42’10 ¼”.  Drozdowski’s effort improved upon her third-best mark in Crusader history in the event.  The sophomore also posted a 15^th-place finish in the weight throw with a throw of 50’9 ½”.

Other top infield performances came from sophomore Kelley Freeman (Valparaiso, Ind./Chesterton) and freshman Marissa Crafton (Chesterton, Ind./Chesterton) on Saturday.  Freeman finished in 11^th place in the pole vault, clearing 10’6” to finish just outside the top-ten.  Meanwhile, Crafton paced the Crusader contingent in the long jump, leaping 16’4 ½” to finish in 19^th place.

On the track, freshman Jessica Richardson (Columbus, Ind./North) picked up Valpo’s top finish, coming home in seventh place in the 3,000m run with a time of 10:32.47, besting her previous season best by six seconds.  The Crusaders also had a pair of top-12 finishes in the one mile run, as sophomore Claire Johnson (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie) placed ninth, crossing the line in 5:08.62, while fellow sophomore Nicole Zehel (Wixom, Mich./Lutheran Westland) tallied a 12^th-place finish with a time of 5:13.87, both season bests.  Meanwhile, freshman Kelli Wosick (Mount Prospect, Ill./Saint Viator) cracked Valpo’s all-time top-five in the 400m dash, crossing the line with a time of 1:01.89.

Valparaiso has its final tuneup for the 2012 Horizon League Indoor Championships next weekend, as the Crusaders make the short trip to Purdue to compete at the Boilermaker Invitational on Saturday, Feb. 18.  Action is slated to start at 10 a.m. CST.