The Valparaiso University men’s cross country team split into two groups this weekend, as some Crusaders stayed closer to home at the Gil Dodds Invitational in Warrenville, Ill., while most of the squad traveled to San Diego, Calif. for the USD Invite. The Crusaders finished fifth as a team in San Diego, while the men finished 12th at the Gil Dodds Invite. The women’s team traveled along to California for the USD Invite as well, garnering a sixth-place finish.

The Valparaiso University cross country teams opened their respective seasons Friday evening with the 28th Annual Crusader Open, as the Crusaders had four runners from each team cross the finish line in the top-ten. Notre Dame took home the team title in both the men’s and women’s races.

Valparaiso University opens its 2016 men’s and women’s cross country season this Friday, Sept. 2 in the 28th Crusader Open at Sunset Hills Farm. This will be the 23rd straight year in which this meet serves as the Crusaders’ season opener. Valpo will be joined by the men’s and women’s squads from Notre Dame Friday. The women’s 5K race is set to begin at 5 p.m., with the men’s 6K to follow at 5:45 p.m.

Six Valparaiso University student-athletes earned spots on the Horizon League Fall Academic All-League teams, as announced by the league office this morning. The men’s soccer program had two student-athletes honored, while women’s soccer, volleyball, men’s cross country and women’s cross country each boasted one honoree.

The Valpo men's and women's cross country teams concluded its respective seasons Friday at the NCAA Great Lakes Regionals in Madison, Wisconsin. Liz Bloy led the Crusader women with a 23:35.5 time in the 6K while Jesse Greenhagen paced the men following his 34:10.2 time in the 10K.

Junior Liz Bloy stopped the clock at 22:44.25 in the 6K race en route to a 14th-place finish. More importantly, she earned All-League honors for the second consecutive season. The Valpo men's cross country team recorded an 8th-place finish at Saturday's Horizon League Championships held in Cedarville, Ohio. Meanwhile, the women's squad finished in 9th place.

The first Horizon League Championship of the 2015-16 academic year is up for grabs this weekend in Cedarville, Ohio. Follow @HorizonLeague on Twitter, Instagram, Periscope, and Snapchat and check out facebook.com/horizonleague for the latest updates as the Valpo cross country teams return to the Ervin R. King XC Course for their penultimate event of the season.

Juniors Max Morello and Liz Bloy led the effort for the Valpo cross country teams at Friday's Pink Classic held by Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. Morello covered the 8K course in 26:07.5 while Bloy crossed the line in 22:14.3 in the 6K race. The men recorded a 22nd place finish while the women registered a 28th place result.

Junior Liz Bloy paced the Crusader pack for the third straight meet as the Valparaiso women's cross country team finished in 19th place in Friday afternoon at the Joe Piane Invitational in Notre Dame. The 5k time was her fastest of the 2015 season thus far. Meanwhile, the men's team finished in 102nd place, led by junior Adam Bruno's 26:35.4 result in the five-mile race.