Valparaiso hosted the first day of competition of the inaugural Crusader Classic at Inman’s Recreation Center on Friday afternoon, ending the day in third place out of the five competing squads with 3,528 total pins.

UW-Whitewater leads the pack with 3,736 pins, while Minnesota State-Mankato sits second with 3,615 total pins.  The Crusaders lead Elmhurst (3,466 pins) and Adrian (3,265 pins) after day one.

Valpo started off the day with a solid 779-656 victory over Adrian, as Friday’s action was contested in four-game baker format.  The Crusaders followed with a 767-701 win against Elmhurst.

The Crusaders rolled a 645 in their third match of the day, contested without an opponent due to the odd number of teams in the field.  Valpo’s fourth match was a 662-642 loss to Minnesota State-Mankato, while the Crusaders closed Friday’s bowling with a 778-695 loss to UW-Whitewater.

“The first day of competition saw us get off to a solid start,” said Crusader head coach Stephen Anthony.  “As the conditions changed, we had a little trouble adjusting while unfortunately facing two very strong programs.  I felt our focus was present and we had some good shots down the stretch in our last match.  I believe we learned some things about how to play for day two and I'm certainly looking forward to getting back to the lanes.  Bowling is certainly a sport where you have to have short-term memory and I believe our team has the maturity to work through the tough times and they will be ready to go tomorrow.”

Valparaiso (16-16) finishes hosting duties tomorrow at the Crusader Classic on the second of the two days of competition.  The first roll Saturday is scheduled for 9 a.m.