The Valparaiso University men’s and women’s track and field squads competed in their final meet prior to the 2016 Horizon League Indoor Championships on Friday, as the Crusaders traveled to Milwaukee’s Panther Tune Up.

The Crusader men posted seven top-three finishes at Milwaukee, six of which came on the infield. The meet was highlighted by an event win in the pole vault for freshman Zachary Topper, who cleared 14’1 ¼”. Fellow rookie Evan Snow matched Topper’s mark of 14’1 ¼” to finish in second after the tiebreaker. Sophomore Jonny Heagy set a PR in the high jump, clearing 6’4 ¼” to finish in second place.

In the throws, senior Jacob Smutz and sophomore Andrew Guzek finished second and third, respectively, in the weight throw with marks of 62’6” and 57’3”. Guzek also posted a third-place finish in the shot put with a toss of 50’2 ½”. On the track, freshman Joshua Yonker placed third in the 400m dash, crossing the line in 53.43 seconds.

The Crusader women received a pair of top-five finishes in the 200m dash, as freshman Lindsey Arndt closed out the sprint in 28.10 seconds to finish fourth, while teammate Laura Lacquement was right behind Arndt in fifth place with a time of 28.79 seconds. Sophomore Janelle Wigal came home fifth in the 400m dash with a time of 1:05.58, while the Valpo 4x400m relay squad placed first out of the three competing teams.

For the women on the infield, senior Sarah Peters vaulted 11’3 ¼” in the pole vault to earn a third-place finish. Freshman Abby Jankowski registered a top toss of 39’4 ½” in the shot put to finish fourth, while Nellie Bonham placed fifth in the same event with an effort of 38’9”.

Valparaiso travels to Youngstown State next weekend for the Horizon League Indoor Championships. The two-day indoor meet begins Saturday, Feb. 27.