The Valparaiso University women's swimming and diving team saw its 2003-2004 season come to a close on Saturday evening with a sixth place showing at the Midwest Classic Championships held in Indianapolis, Ind.

The Crusaders concluded the three-day meet with 317 points. Miami (Ohio) was the meet champion with 790 points, followed by Northern Colorado with 711 points and Eastern Illinois with 542 points. Western Illinois finished in fourth place with 496 points, while IUPUI was fifth with 406 points.

Valpo began the final session with Britt Nelson (Cortland, N.Y./Homer H.S.) earning a ninth place finish in the 1650 freestyle. The sophomore touched the wall in 18:23.49. Maggie Kroemer (Brown Deer, Wis./Milwaukee Lutheran H.S.) also scored for the Brown and Gold in the mile, finishing 14th with a time of 18:53.48.

In the 200 backstroke, freshman Katie Jajtner (Port Washington, Wis./Port Washington H.S.) turned in a ninth place effort touching the wall in 2:15.52. Teammate Lauren Bambach (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman H.S.) finished 13th in the event with a time of 2:18.23.

Amanda Gregory (Carmel, Ind./Carmel H.S.) was the lone Crusader to score in the 100 free. The freshman touched the wall in 55.90 seconds, placing 16th.

The 200 breaststroke saw Allison Clark (Shorewood, Wis./Shorewood H.S.) earn the Crusaders top finish with a tenth place showing in a time of 2:32.95. Sarah Deardorff (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove H.S.) also finished 14th in the breast with a mark of 2:39.89.

In the final individual event of the meet, the 200 butterfly, Leah Schneider (Sussex, Wis./Arrowhead H.S.) turned in a fourth place performance with a time of 2:12.52. Senior Katie Urbas (Ballwin, Mo./Marquette H.S.) concluded her career at Valpo with a seventh place finish in the same event with a time of 2:13.83. Kroemer was the third Crusader to score in the event for the Brown and Gold, finishing 11th with a time of 2:17.55

The final event of the day saw Valpo turn in a sixth place finish in the 400 free relay. The team of Gregory, Nelson, Clark, and Schneider touched the wall in 3:41.63.

In the one-meter diving competition, Britt King (Dayton, Ohio/Oakwood H.S.) earned a 15th place finish with a score of 99.10.

Valpo concluded its season with a 2-8 dual meet record and finished fourth in the Mid-Continent Conference Championships to go along with its sixth place finish at the Midwest Classic.