Several Valparaiso University men’s cross country runners faced off with elite competition on Friday by participating in the men’s gold five-mile race at the Joe Piane Invitational, hosted at Burke Golf Course in Notre Dame, Ind. In addition, the Valpo women’s squad saw collective improvement from its previous 5K race.

How It Happened

• In the women’s open 5,000m, Valpo was led by Grace Aurand (Highland, Ind. / Highland), who turned in a time of 19:19.4. She improved her 5K time of 19:41.6 from her most recent 5K, the season-opening Winrow Open.
• Sophomore Joely Overstreet (Genoa, Ill. / Genoa-Kingston) was also a key contributor as she was the second Beacon to cross the finish line at 19:36.4. She too improved her time from the 5K at the Winrow Open last month.
• The third Valpo runner to complete the race was Maranda Donahue (Delton, Mich. / Delton-Kellog) at 19:46.9, while Brianna Splaine (Sussex, Wis. / Arrowhead) finished in 19:59.1 to round out the team’s top four. Both continued the trend of achieving season-best times in the 5K.
• In the men’s gold five-mile race, Eric Carothers (Fishers, Ind. / Hamilton Southeastern) placed 64^th in a 152-runner field while battling elite competition. He clocked a time of 26:06.6 to pace the Beacons, while Ignacio Veloz Bonilla (San Juan, P.R. / American Military Academy) was not far behind at 26:17.1 to place 72^nd.
• Valpo also had several individuals run in the men’s open five mile, led by Sean Curran (Plainfield, Ill. / Plainfield North) at 28:58.7.

Up Next

Valpo will return to the course for the Bradley Pink Classic on Friday, Oct. 15 in Peoria, Ill.