The Valparaiso University men’s and women’s cross country teams traveled Terre Haute for the John McNichols Invitational, hosted by Indiana State on Saturday. The squads were led by seniors Alexander Bruno (Bloomington, Ill./ University) and Katherine Germann (Cincinnati, Ohio/ Finneytown).

How It Happened

• Bruno began his redshirt senior season with an 8K time of 25:21.2, finishing 42^nd in a large field of 268 runners. Germann recorded the top time on the women’s team, finishing the 5K race in 19:15.3.
• Valpo used pack running to its advantage, as three runners finished within 10 seconds of each other. Sophomores Ignacio Veloz Bonilla (San Juan, P.R./ American Military Academy) and Jack Worman (Hanover Parks, Ill./ Hoffman Estates) finished in 26:02.3 and 26:07.3, respectively. Junior Dominic Paoletti (Monroe, Mich./ Monroe St. Mary) followed closely at 26:12.0.
• Sophomore Alaina Carpenter (Grandville, Mich./ Grandville) completed her second race with a new PR, finishing with a time of 19:39.
• Eric Carothers (Fishers, Ind./ Hamilton Southeastern) ran the first 8K of his college career with a time of 27:12.9, finishing even with senior Victor Fortin (East Peoria, Ill./ Peoria Notre Dame).
• Teammates Danielle Durak (Joliet, Ill./ Joliet West) and Kathleen Neal (Zionsville, Ind./ Zionsville) finished side-by-side on Saturday, clocking in at 21:51.8 and 21:51.9, respectively.
• In a 21-team field, the Valpo men’s team finished 12^th with 327 points, while the women’s team finished 14^th with 431 points.

How It Happened

• The men’s race featured five of the Top 25 teams in the nation, according to the U.S. Track & Cross Country Coaches Association. The group of teams competing included No. 1 Northern Arizona, No. 5 Iowa State, No. 7 Stanford, No. 16 Indiana and No. 24 Purdue.
• The women’s race also had five of the Top 25 – No. 3 Washington, No. 4 Michigan, No. 5 Arkansas, No. 8 Stanford and No. 24 Indiana.
• This meet had the fastest field in the country to date. It was headlined by Northern Arizona, the three-time defending NCAA champion.

Thoughts from Head Coach Mike Straubel

“This was the toughest field of teams in the country to date, and the weather was very humid. The course was generally slow for everyone. Our fifth woman, Maranda Donahue, ran with a foot injury. The men did beat Indiana State, which was a goal of ours, but we didn’t have a great day and can run faster in the meets to come.”

Up Next

Valpo’s next action comes on Oct. 4, when the team heads to Notre Dame for the Joe Piane Invite.