Alan Peterson begins his sixth season with the Loyola University Chicago cross country and track & field programs in 2021-22. After serving three seasons as an assistant coach, the Ironwood, Mich. native, who works primarily with the Ramblers' women's middle distance and distance runners, was promoted to associate head coach in December 2019.
During his time with the Maroon & Gold, Peterson has mentored 42Â All-Missouri Valley Conference selections, a group that includes 15Â MVC champions.
Peterson's crew enjoyed another wildly successful campaign in 2020-21. Loyola cruised to its second straight Missouri Valley Conference cross country crown, totaling 26 points in another dominant showing at the league meet. The Ramblers were again led by Anneka Murrin, who captured her second straight individual conference title en route to repeating as The Valley's Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Year. Murrin went on to be just the third female in program history to appear at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, where she placed 67th overall. The Yarmouth, Maine native continued to impress during the track & field campaign, taking home MVC titles in the mile run and 1,500m run, highlighting an impressive group of eight All-Valley selections for the Maroon & Gold's women's distance and mid-distance teams across the indoor and outdoor seasons. Murrin (1,500m, 5,000m), Claire Hengesbaugh (5,000m), and Kathleen Simms (10,000m) all went on to represent Loyola at the NCAA West Preliminary, as the Ramblers finished the year ranked nationally in the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Associationb (USTFCCCA) Event Squad Ratings in both the 5,000m (#28) and 10,000m (#21) runs.
The shortened 2019-20 campaign proved to be arguably Peterson's finest season to date in Rogers Park. Loyola's women's cross country team turned in a dominant performance at the MVC Women's Cross Country Championship, scoring a MVC-record low 17 points en route to its first Valley title in program history. Murrin became the third Rambler in as many seasons to win The Valley's individual title and be named the MVC Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Year, headlining a group of five First Team All-MVC selections for the Maroon & Gold. Peterson went on to guide the Ramblers to a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Midwest Regional, marking the second highest finish in program history. Sophomore Kathleen Simms paced the Loyola attack at the meet, taking home All-Region honors from the USTFCCCA following a 19th-place finish. That momentum rolled right into the track & field season, with Tarynn Cullings claiming the league's 3,000m run title as part of an MVC Indoor Championships that saw Peterson's crew rack up four All-Valley nods.
In 2018-19, Lindsey Brewis captured her second Missouri Valley Conference Cross Country title in as many years, cruising to victory in the women's 5k race. The cross country season also saw the rise of the pairing of Mimi Reimers and Claire Hengesbaugh, both of whom were named First Team All-Valley selections, alongside Brewis, as Loyola earned its top finish in program history at the MVC Cross Country Championship, placing second overall. Following a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Midwest Regional that earned her USTFCCCA All-Region accolades for a second-straight season, Brewis became only the second female in program history to qualify for the NCAA Cross Country Championships, where she finished 56th overall.The success of Peterson's crew continued into the track & field season, with Brewis sweeping the 3,000m run and 5,000m run crowns at the MVC Indoor Championships, while Reimers placed third in the latter race. Reimers picked up the first MVC title of her career at the outdoor league meet, claiming the 10,000m run championship in dominant fashion. Brewis, who captured the league's outdoor 5,000m run title, capped off her historic career by make her second appearance at the NCAA West Preliminary in as many seasons, qualifying in both the 5,000m run and 10,000m run.Â
Brewis enjoyed a breakout 2017-18 season for the Ramblers, becoming Loyola's first MVC Cross Country Champion after winning the women's 5k race at the league meet with a time of 17:07.8. The Dearborn, Mich. native would lead Loyola at the NCAA Midwest Regional, securing USTFCCCA All-Region honors following a 14th-place finish. She went on to lay claim to the conference's indoor 5,000m crown (17:16.33) before earning a runner-up finish (17:16.06) in the event at the MVC Outdoor Championships. Brewis made her postseason debut shortly after at the NCAA West Preliminary, where she clocked a 5,000m run personal best of 16:10.70.
Peterson's work was also evident with the development of Emma Hatch, who emerged as one of The Valley's top distance athletes during her final two seasons in Rogers Park. Hatch closed out her cross country career in 2018 by placing 23rd at the NCAA Midwest Regional, earning a spot on the USTFCCCA's All-Region squad. She captured the conference's 10,000m run title in both 2017 and 2018, running an impressive 36:06.30 as a senior. Like Brewis, Hatch, who earned All-MVC honors in cross country as a junior, went on to the NCAA West Preliminary, where she posted a sparkling 34:24.07 in the 10,000m run to move to second all-time at Loyola in the event.
Bloch, who came to Loyola as a walk-on, experienced unbridled success under Peterson's tutelage. As a junior, Bloch earned third-place finishes in both the mile (4:57.95) and 1,500m run (4:38.85). During her senior season, she turned in a personal-best showing of 4:48.64 in the mile to claim the conference title in the event and move to second all-time in Loyola annals.
Peterson arrived in Rogers Park following a standout career at Grand Valley State in Allendale, Mich. He was a two-time All-American selection in cross country by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) during his time with the Lakers and helped lead the team two a pair of national runner-up finishes in 2013 and 2014. Peterson also earned numerous All-Conference honors from the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference (GLIAC) in both cross and track & field. Peterson also excelled in the classroom, twice earning USTFCCCA All-Academic accolades.
Following the completion of his collegiate career, Peterson went on to the national stage as he qualified and competed at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in both 2016 and 2020.
Peterson received his Bachelor's in Exercise Science in 2014 from Grand Valley State before earning his Master's in Higher Education two years later from the university.
