Valparaiso dove into the pool for the first time in the 2006-2007 season on Friday evening and finished in sixth place at the Dennis Stark Relays in Notre Dame, Ind.

The Crusaders scored 70 points on the night, while the host Fighting Irish won the meet with 273.

Valpo got its top performance of the evening in the final event as Jaclyn Krause (Rochester, Mich./Notre Dame Prep H.S.), Rachel Majercik (Schaumburg, Ill./Conant H.S.), Elizabeth Thompson (Norman, Okla./North H.S.), and Amanda Gregory (Carmel, Ind./Carmel H.S.) finished in fifth place with a time of 3:43.67.

The Brown and Gold will return to the pool on October 15 as the Crusaders travel to Carmel, Ind. to compete against Butler, Saint Louis, and Evansville. The first race begins at 11 a.m. CDT.