Melanie Wilson (Saint Louis, Mo./Rosati-Kain H.S.) smashed her own school record in the triple jump Saturday, leading Valparaiso to a fifth-place finish at the Mid-Continent Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Macomb, Ill.

The Crusaders tallied 74 points over the three-day meet, finishing 24 points out of fourth place. Oral Roberts earned the team championship with 229 points.

Wilson earned runner-up honors with her leap of 39'4", surpassing her previous best by 1'4 ¼". She finished on the podium in the 100m hurdles as well, crossing the line in 14.90 seconds for third place.

Danielle Nunnelly (Valparaiso, Ind./Valparaiso H.S.) earned the only other podium finish for the Brown and Gold on Saturday, leading three Crusaders in the top-six in the 1,500m run. Nunnelly finished in third place with her time of 4:44.51. Laura Rolf (Rochester, Mich./Lutheran Northwest H.S.) and Ashley Billstrom (Hales Corners, Wis./Whitnall H.S.) placed fourth and sixth with times of 4:45.76 and 4:49.35, respectively.

Nunnelly also registered an eighth-place finish in the 5,000m run (17:59.08) on Saturday, while Rolf recorded the fifth-best time in Valpo history (2:18.16) to take fifth place in the 800m run.

In the sprints, Amanda Body (Harlan, Ky./Harlan H.S.) came home fifth in the 200m dash with a time of 25.27, narrowly missing her own school record. Body added a fifth-place finish in the triple jump with a leap of 37'1". Maggie Zellner (Downers Grove, Ill./Benet Academy) took sixth place in the 400m hurdles, navigating the barriers in 1:07.03.

On the field, Vanessa Schwoegler (Chesterton, Ind./Chesterton H.S.) led the Valpo effort in the javelin, recording a throw of 93'9", good for eighth place. Julie Flowers (Sterling Heights, Mich./Stevenson H.S.) posted a ninth-place finish in the discus with a toss of 104'5".

Billstrom will continue her season Saturday, May 27 at the NCAA Mideast Regional Track and Field Championships, hosted by the University of Tennessee. Billstrom earned the regional berth by virtue of her victory Friday in the 3,000m steeplechase. Billstrom and the rest of the steeplechase field will run at 6:45 p.m. CDT.