The Valparaiso University men’s and women’s track and field teams stayed in Indiana as they traveled to Greencastle for the DePauw Invitational on Saturday. The men’s team garnered four first-place marks, three coming in field events, while the women tallied one, which also came in a field event. The Crusader men finished in third with 96 points and the women ended the invitational in sixth with 46 points.

How It Happened

• Junior Alexander Watson (Bolivar, Ohio/Tuscarawas Valley) cleared the bar at 15-3 to earn first for Valpo. This height is two inches higher than his previous career watermark and is team’s all-time second-best height.
• Sophomore Malik Riley (Romeoville, Ill./Romeoville) launched himself 21-6 in the long jump to receive first, adding almost a foot to his previous season top time.
• Sophomore thrower Keith Nagel (Las Vegas, Nev./Faith Lutheran) tossed the javelin 160-1 for a first-place mark, three feet farther than his previous best this year. Sophomore Drew McKissick Jr. (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley) came in second with a distance of 159-6.
• For the runners, freshman Bryce Otterbach (Mendota, Ill./Mendota Township) crossed the line ahead of the pack and earned first (57.03) in the 400m hurdles.
• In the 5,000m run, freshman Victor Fortin (East Peoria, Ill./Peoria Notre Dame) finished in second, with a time of 15:59.57, one second faster than the team’s best time from last season.
• The sprinting duo of junior James Sampson (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley) and freshman Ben Sekuloski (Lowell, Ind./Lowell) finished fifth and sixth respectively in the 200m dash. Sampson (22.93) crossed the finish three-hundredths of a second sooner than his teammate, who finished at 22.96.
• Senior sprinter Anthony Franze (Gunter, Texas/Gunter) led the Brown and Gold in the 100m dash, crossing in 11.45, good for a seventh-place finish.
• Sophomore Quinten Holley (Goshen, Ind./Goshen) paced the Crusaders in the 110m hurdles and junior Jonny Heagy (Mt. Lebanon/Pittsburgh, Pa.) tallied the top height for Valpo in the high jump.
• Capturing the team’s only first-place result at the Invitational, freshman Anne Mou (Bloomingdale, Ill./Lake Park) nabbed a distance of 16-9.75 in the long jump. Sophomore Chidimma Ozodi (South Milwaukee, Wis./South Milwaukee) finished in second after her teammate, with a distance of 16-8.5.
• The Crusaders other top-two result occurred in the 400m dash. Freshman sprinter Kayla Horne (Chicago, Ill./Luther North College Prep) earned second (1:00.06), removing a second off her previous season best.
• Senior Grace Nelson (Oregon, Ill./Oregon) led the squad in the 3,000m Steeplechase, receiving sixth (13:35.60). Teammate sophomore Katherine Germann (Cincinnati, Ohio/Finneytown) completed the race right after, finishing in seventh (13:53.67).
• Freshmen Celia McGhiey (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) led the team in the 5,000m race, Jordan Houlihan (Hickory Hills, Ill./Amos Alonzo Stagg) in the 200m dash and Shannon Lahey (Dixon, Ill./Dixon) in the triple jump.

Next Up

Valpo travels to Lisle, Ill. for Day 1 of the Benedictine University Relays on Friday, April 14. The meet will begin at 10 a.m. CT at the Village of Lisle-Benedictine University Sports Complex.