VALPARAISO - The largest Athletics-Recreation Center crowd of the year was well on its way home and the cleaning crew was nearly done sweeping the bleachers by the time Ben Krikke emerged from the Valparaiso locker room on Saturday night.

With his teammates long gone and the coaches deep into a staff meeting, Krikke made the lonely walk down the hallway back into the arena which had been so full of life 45 minutes earlier.