Barkley Named to NFF Hampshire Honor Society
Valpo football graduated senior Stuart Barkley (Overland Park, Kansas/Blue Valley Northwest) was among the 826 total players selected nationwide as members of the 2015 National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) Hampshire Honor Society.
Barkley was named to the 2015 Hampshire Honor Society in its ninth year of existence. Qualifications to be considered for membership in the NFF Hampshire Honor Society include being a starter or a significant substitute in one’s final year of eligibility, achieving a 3.2 cumulative grade point average through undergraduate study, and meeting all NCAA-mandated progress towards degree requirements.
The 2015 graduate achieved a 3.76 grade-point average as a mechanical engineering major. On the field, Barkley was a two-time Academic All-Pioneer Football League (PFL) member while also being named to the PFL Academic Honor Roll all four years as a student-athlete.
Barkley joins 16 previous Crusaders to have been selected for the honor: Mike Gerton, Travis Anderson, Nate Blair, Grant Bushong, Nate Goergen, Like Kanclerz, Ryan Koepke, Ryan Kozey, Tim Kratz, Tom Oswald, Adam Rundh, Alex Soller, Matt Watkins, Ross Wiemer, Justin Wiler and Bobby Wysocki.
Valpo Charges into Horizon League Outdoor Championship
Coming off their final tune-up at the inaugural Crusader Open last weekend, the Valparaiso women’s track and field team heads to Oakland on Friday for the Horizon League Outdoor Championship.
The Crusaders have 16 top-ten marks in the Horizon League this season, eight in field events and eight in running events.
Senior Sarah Drozdowski (Roselle, Ill./Lake Park) holds four top-ten marks alone. At the Illini Twilight on April 18, she set the school record in the hammer throw by almost 11 feet with her moonshot of 57.22m/187-9. She holds the top spot in the Horizon League by 25 feet and is 31st in the nation. She also ranks second in the shot put, and holds the second best school mark, (13.53m/44-7.5), fourth in the discus (39.34m/129-1) and sixth in the javelin (32.56m/106-10).
Crusaders Ready for Horizon League Outdoor Championship
One week after hosting the inaugural Crusader Open at Warren G. Hoger Track, the Valparaiso men’s track and field team will head north to Rochester, Mich. for the Horizon League Outdoor Championship on Friday.
The Crusaders have been especially strong in the field events this season, with 19 top-ten marks in field events among the Horizon League this season and 24 overall.
After a third-place performance in the javelin at last year’s championship, senior Jeremy Getz (Colorado Springs, Colo.) has been a man on a mission this season. Already the school record holder in the event (modern-era), Getz bested that mark by over four feet with his throw of 64.84m/212-9 at the Tennessee Relays on April 11. He owns the top mark in the league by over 22 feet and his throw is the only one over 200 feet. He ranks 37th in the nation. Freshman Dylan Antonides (Wauconda, Ill./Home school) holds the third best mark in the league (54.53m/178-11).
Crusaders to Host YSU to Close Regular Season
Next Up in Crusader Softball: The final weekend of the regular season is upon the Valparaiso University softball team, and it is a critical one, as the Crusaders take on Youngstown State in a three-game set beginning Friday afternoon. Valpo seniors Tarah McShane and Lindsey Norway will be honored prior to the start of Saturday’s doubleheader in Senior Day ceremonies.
Previously: Valpo went 1-2 last weekend at Detroit, taking the middle game of the series but falling in the opener and the finale. The Crusaders then dropped a mid-week decision, 2-0, at Bowling Green.
Following the Crusaders: All three games this weekend will be broadcast live on WVUR (95.1 FM, Valparaiso) and online at ValpoAthletics.com, which will also have live stats available. The @ValpoSoftball Twitter account will also have live coverage.
Head Coach Kate Stake: Kate Stake was hired as head coach of the Valparaiso softball program on July 23, 2014 and owns an 12-33 record in her first season as head coach. Stake arrived at Valpo with eight seasons of assistant coaching experience at the Division I level, most recently serving as an assistant at mid-major power Hofstra.