Led by a victory in the weight throw from sophomore Sarah Drozdowski (Roselle, Ill./Lake Park), the Valparaiso women’s track and field squad opened this year’s indoor campaign on Saturday at the Mastodon Opener in Fort Wayne, Ind.

Drozdowski dominated the field in the weight throw Saturday, winning the event by better than three feet with a toss of 55’11 ¾”.  The mark was easily a PR for the sophomore, topping her previous collegiate best by two full feet, and was just six inches off of Valpo’s all-time record.  Drozdowski also posted a sixth-place finish in the shot put with a mark of 39’11 ½”.

On the track, freshman Kelli Wosick (Mount Prospect, Ill./Saint Viator) moved into third on Valpo’s all-time chart in the 600m run in her collegiate debut, crossing the line with a time of 1:43.65.  A pair of Crusaders made their mark on Valpo’s indoor long jump top-five as well Saturday, as freshman Alycia Corral (Hobart, Ind./Hobart) finished in third place with a leap of 17’7 ½” and sophomore Marissa Crafton (Chesterton, Ind./Chesterton) placed fifth with a jump of 16’7 ¾”.  The marks rank third and fifth in Crusader history in the event, respectively.

Sophomore Kelley Freeman (Valparaiso, Ind./Chesterton) posted a top-five finish of her own Saturday, clearing 10’5 ½” in the pole vault to finish in fourth position.  Meanwhile, freshman Sara Greer (Union Mills, Ind./South Central) earned an eighth-place finish in her first career meet in the weight throw, registering a toss of 42’5 ½”.

Valparaiso will now take over a month off for the holiday break before returning to the track, as the Crusaders will next compete in the Dick Pond Open in Romeoville, Ill. on Jan. 13.  The meet is slated for a 4 p.m. start.