VALPARAISO, Ind. - The men's and women's cross country teams swept the season-opening Crusader Open on Friday afternoon. Jeremy Craven was the top overall finisher on the men's side, while Hope Schmelzle ran away with the women's race.
Craven won for the first time in his Purdue career. The sophomore ran a 6,000-meter time of 18:44.6 to help the Boilermakers win with an almost-perfect score of 17. Tate Schienbein was right behind Craven. He finished second just 0.2 of a second behind his teammate with a time of 18:44.8. Sophomore Matthew Grider took third in his second race as a Boilermaker. He had his best career finish with a time of 18:47.1.
Freshman Ethan Hoeft had a strong debut, finishing fourth for Purdue and fifth overall. Hoeft ran a time of 18:52.0. Caleb Kerr rounded out the scoring with a sixth-place finish with a time of 18:56.2. The men's side finished with seven guys in the top 10.
The Purdue men were first with a score of 17. Notre Dame was second with 43, while Valparaiso was third with 75.
On the women's side, Schmelzle picked up her first win as a Boilermaker. The junior ran a 5,000-meter time of 17:46.8, 10 seconds better than any other competitor. Katie Hoevet was the second finisher for Purdue and third overall. Hoevet finished with a time of 18:01.5. Sharise Lund was third for the Boilermakers and fourth overall. The senior, who paced the second group, finished with a time of 18:17.7. Kendall Hacker finished fifth and Mary Abramson was sixth in her Purdue debut. Hacker finished with a time of 18:21.2, while Abramson crossed the finish line in 18:29.9. Alyssa Christoffer and Grace Lachmund also finished in the top 10 overall.
The Purdue women won with a score of 19. Notre Dame was second with 44, while Valparaiso took third with 74 points.
The Boilermakers will be back in action on Sept. 25 at the Coast to Coast Battle in Boston.