The Valparaiso University men’s and women’s cross country teams competed in the Joe Piane Invitational, hosted by Notre Dame on Friday. Evan Walda (Fort Wayne, Ind. / South Side) turned in another strong performance to highlight the day for the Brown & Gold.

How It Happened

• Walda finished the five-mile race in 25:02.5, ranking in the top 30 of a competitive field of 130 runners. He finished 28^th, besting upward of 100 competitors including numerous from power-five institutions.
• Joining Walda in the top 50 was Simeon Ehm (Castle Rock, Colo. / Heritage), who finished in 25:16.6 to place 45^th.
• Sophomore Joseph Scheele (Mahomet, Ill. / Mahomet-Seymour) finished in 25:28.2 to place 55^th, while freshman Karson Hollander (Crystal Lake, Ill. / Crystal Lake) rounded out the top four on the men’s side at 25:57.3.
• In the women’s 5K, senior Grace Aurand (Highland, Ind. / Highland) led the way with a time of 18:25.0. She finished in the top 50 in a 161-runner field, placing 47^th.
• A rookie was the next Beacon to cross the finish line in the women’s race as Lauren Wroza (Rochester, Mich. / Rochester) completed the course in 18:55.9.
• The top four Beacons in the women’s race was rounded out by Alina Worzella (Martinsville, Ind. / Martinsville) at 19:19.4 and Joely Overstreet (Genoa, Ill. / Genoa-Kingston) at 19:38.8.
• The Valpo men finished 12^th, beating Western Illinois, Green Bay, Otterbein and Central Michigan. The host Fighting Irish won the team title. The women finished 16^th, beating Green Bay, Cleveland State and Otterbein. Akron owned the top spot in the women’s 5K.

Up Next

The team will return to competition on Friday, Oct. 13 at the Bradley Pink Classic in Peoria, Ill.