Valparaiso University president Mark A. Heckler, Ph.D., announced today that the University has accepted an invitation to join the Missouri Valley Conference on July 1, 2017. The Crusaders will begin competing for MVC championships in the 2017–2018 academic year.

Valparaiso University junior Max Penn (Columbus, Ohio/St. Charles Prep) broke his own school record twice in the 200 backstroke Saturday, highlighting the Crusaders’ performances on the final day of the Horizon League Swimming Championships in Chicago as their 2016-17 season came to a close.

The Valparaiso University men’s and women’s swimming team wrapped up day three of the Horizon League Championships on Friday in Chicago, setting more milestones in the water. Junior Max Penn (Columbus, Ohio/St. Charles Prep) broke his own school record in the 100-yard backstroke, while seniors Rachel Law (Wayne, Pa./Villa Maria Academy) and Emily Trimpe (New Palestine, Ind./New Palestine) and sophomore Dylan Kirar (Arvada, Colo./Ralston Valley) also placed in event finals on Friday.

The Valparaiso University men’s and women’s swimming teams competed on day two of the Horizon League Championships in Chicago on Thursday. Three individual races and one relay captured the attention of the swimmers today and sealed several top times in Crusader history.

The Valparaiso University men’s and women’s swimming teams took part in day one of the Horizon League Championships at UIC on Wednesday. Young relay squads posted some of the top times in program history as both teams participated in two events each.

The Valparaiso University men’s and women’s swimming teams competed against Eastern Illinois University at the ARC on Saturday, celebrating Senior Day in the process. The men earned a 137-125 victory, while the women suffered a close defeat, 149-113.

The Valparaiso University men’s and women’s swimming teams completed day two of a back-to-back meet weekend Sunday afternoon with respective sixth-place finishes from both teams at the Butler Invitational in Fishers, Ind. The Crusaders had several top-ten individual performances to highlight their day.

The Valparaiso University men’s and women’s swimming teams finished competition at the Calvin College Winter Invitational Saturday, with the men ending the three-day event in fifth place and the women placing seventh. Two Crusader swimmers earned top-five finishes, as senior Emily Trimpe (New Palestine, Ind./New Palestine) hit the wall at 2:25.34 in the 200-yard breaststroke for a fifth-place finish and junior Max Penn (Columbus, Ohio/St. Charles Prep) swam his way to a fourth-place finish in the 200-yard backstroke (1:52.40).

The Valparaiso University men’s and women’s swimming teams competed on day two at the Calvin College Winter Invitational on Friday, with the men sitting in sixth place and the women in seventh place after 38 events. The Crusaders’ highlight of the day was freshman Paige Wright (Surprise, Ariz./Paradise Honor) breaking the school’s 24-year old 100-yard backstroke record with a time of 58.68.