Five Beacons Enter Program Record Book in 10K

Friday, November 11, 2022

The Valparaiso University men’s cross country program finished out the 2022 season on a high note as five team members cracked the program’s all-time top 10 in the 10K at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional, hosted by Indiana State at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Ind. on Friday. Ignacio Veloz Bonilla (San Juan, P.R. / American Military Academy) was the forefront of a solid day for the Valpo men by posting the third fastest 10K in program lore.

How It Happened

Veloz Bonilla stopped the clock in 31:59.1, establishing a new personal best. He now ranks third in program history in the 10K behind only Alexander Bruno (2018, 31:54.5) and Aaron Crague (2001, 31:56.4).
Not far behind was Simeon Ehm (Castle Rock, Colo. / Heritage), who turned in the fourth-fastest 10K in program history at 32:05.0.
Three more Beacons all stopped the clock under 33 minutes, accounting for spots five through seven in the program record book. Evan Walda (Fort Wayne, Ind. / South Side) finished in 32:19.2, while Eric Carothers (Fishers, Ind. / Hamilton Southeastern) bettered his previous PR by crossing the finish in 32:21.6.
As only a freshman, Joseph Scheele (Mahomet, Ill. / Mahomet-Seymour) also cracked the program’s all-time top 10 with a time of 32:38.9 that ranks seventh.
As a team, the Valpo men placed 18^th of 29 in a large and competitive field. This marked the best NCAA Regional finish in program history. The Beacons finished ahead of Purdue Fort Wayne, Dayton, Oakland, Milwaukee, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Marquee, Xavier, Green Bay, Wright State and Detroit Mercy.
The Valpo women were led by Maranda Donahue (Delton, Mich. / Delton-Kellogg), who posted a 6K time of 23:20.8, shattering her previous personal best.
Ellie Roeglin (Delafield, Wis. / Lake County Lutheran) was second among Valpo women at 23:46, followed by Kaitlynn Leady (Chesterton, Ind. / Chesterton) at 24:04.1 and Joely Overstreet (Genoa, Ill. / Genoa-Kingston) at 24:05.2.