Valparaiso finished its final tune-up for the Mid-Continent Conference Championships with a fifth place finish at the Chicagoland Championships held in Romeoville, Ill. on Saturday.

The Crusaders tallied 55 1/3 points for the day, 14 2/3 points behind fourth place Saint Joseph (Ind.). Lewis won the event with 197 points.

On the track, Elliot Powell (Orange, Calif./Santa Ana H.S.) placed fourth in the 55m dash with a time of 6.51 seconds, while teammate Chris Daniels (Peoria, Ill./Notre Dame H.S.) was two places back with a time of 6.59 seconds. Powell also finished second in the 200m dash, crossing the finish line in 22.38 seconds.

Matthew Wheeler (Dixon, Ill./Dixon H.S.) earned one point for the Brown and Gold in the 400m dash, finishing eighth with a time of 52.05 seconds.

In the hurdles, Sean Barfield (University Place, Wash./Curtis H.S.) was seventh in the 55m event with a time of 8.09 seconds, while Mark Reddel (Melrose Park, Ill./Walther Lutheran H.S.) was fifth in the 200m hurdles, finishing in 26.97 seconds.

Josh Lee (Yellow Jacket, Colo./Montezuma-Cortez H.S.) finished fourth in the triple jump with a leap of 21'9". Jon Braun (Saratoga, Wyo./Saratoga H.S.) cleared 5'11 ½" in the high jump to tie for eighth.

In the throws, Todd Goodrick (Rochester Hills, Mich./Rochester H.S.) finished second in the shot put with a toss of 51'7 ¾", while Bryan Bell (Bellevue, Neb./East H.S.) was seventh in the same event with a mark of 46'4 ¾". Bell also finished fifth in the weight throw with a heave of 50'6 ¾". Matt Larson (Arlington Heights, Ill./Saint Viator H.S.) was second in the weight with a toss of 52'6".

Valpo will head to the Mid-Con Championships next Monday and Tuesday, February 28 and March 1. Events begin on Monday at 11 a.m. CST in Flagstaff, Ariz.