National Catholic Championships Final Results 

NOTRE DAME, Ind. (September 15, 2017) – Junior Julia Demko and sophomore Riley DeMeulenaere both earned top-10 finishes as the Loyola University Chicago cross country teams competed at the National Catholic Championships in Notre Dame, Ind. this afternoon.
 
Demko led the way for the Ramblers in the women's 5k open race.  Making her 2017 debut, the Birmingham, Mich. native took home a runner-up finish as she came across in 18:50.3.  Demko trailed only Courtney Dugan of Marquette (18:29.3).  The senior duo of Sophie Meads and Emily McCoy were separated by just over 45 seconds.  Meads checked in at 20:21.4 to take 22^nd, while McCoy finished 34^th at 21:07.2.  Junior Emily Karl (37^th, 21:35.6) and sophomore Pilar Glaser (22:15.7) rounded out the top five for the Maroon & Gold.
 
"Today was a chance to give more people an opportunity to race," Loyola assistant cross country coach Alan Peterson commented.  "Julia opened up here season very well and showed that she will be competing for those top spots later on in the year.  We now will focus our effort on training and getting prepared for upcoming meets."
 
DeMeulenaere was the first from Loyola's men's side to finish in the men's 5-mile race.  The Brookfield, Wis. product clocked in at 27:14.2 to claim eighth place.  Also landing in the top 20 on the individual leaderboard was fellow sophomore Demetri Panici, who took 18^th at 27:53.2.  The senior pairing of Kyle Whitney (28:59.5) and Nicholas Prajka (29:51.4) came in 33^rd and 44^th, respectively.  Senior Peter Schaible finished 46^th with a time of 29:58.0.
 
"This was the first cross country race of the year for this group that saw action today," Loyola assistant coach Mircea Bogdan commented.  "Overall, I thought they turned in a nice showing.  As always, I do expect our team to continue to grow and look forward to a solid performance when we return to Notre Dame in two weeks."
 
Following a week away from competition, the Maroon & Gold will split its squads as Loyola's men return to Notre Dame, Ind. for the Notre Dame Invitational on Sept. 29, while the Rambler women compete at the Greater Louisville Classic in Louisville, Ky. on Sept. 30.