CHICAGO (July 22, 2019) – For the second time in as many years, five student-athletes from the Loyola University Chicago track & field teams have been named to the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association's All-Academic Teams, it was announced on Monday.  Loyola's men's and women's teams were honored with the organization's team award for a seventh consecutive year as well.
 
Leading the way for the Maroon & Gold was the pairing on redshirt junior Kevin White (Wooster, Ohio/Wooster) and junior Eric Burns (New Carlisle, Ind./Culver Academies), both of who are now three-time All-Academic honorees. 
 
White closed the indoor season ranked 21^st nationally in the 800m run, posting a time of 1:48.53 at the Alex Wilson Invitational that moved him to third all-time at Loyola.  The Wooster, Ohio native went on to earn a runner-up finish in the event at the Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships before advancing to the 1,500m run quarterfinals at the NCAA West Preliminary.  White sports a 3.90 cumulative grade-point average as a Political Science, Environmental Science, and Environmental Policy triple major.
 
Burns captured the first league title of his career during the indoor campaign, taking home The Valley's long jump crown at the MVC Indoor Championships.  Out of New Carlisle, Ind., Burns, a Biology major with a 3.57 cumulative grade-point average, went on to qualify for the regional meet in the same event following a leap of 24-08.25 (7.52m) at the Bryan Clay Invitational. 
 
Loyola's distance crews were represented by redshirt senior Lindsey Brewis (Dearborn, Mich./Divine Child) and junior Riley DeMeulenaere (Brookfield, Wis./Marquette High School).  Both members of the duo were honored back in May on the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Google Cloud Academic All-District Teams.
 
Now a two-time All-Academic selection, Brewis capped off a decorated career in Rogers Park with a phenomenal final season.  The Dearborn, Mich. product swept the MVC's indoor 3,000m run and 5,000m run titles this past February, before cruising to the outdoor 5,000m run league crown in May.  Brewis, who earned her Master's Degree in Supply Chain Management with a 3.69 cumulative grade-point average, qualified for the NCAA West Preliminary in both the 5,000m run and 10,000m run.
 
DeMeulenaere developed into one of the region's top competitors in the 3,000m steeplechase as a junior.  A native of Brookfield, Wis., DeMeulenaere enjoyed a breakout performance at the MVC Outdoor Championships, battling through rain and strong winds to claim the league title in the aforementioned event.  He advanced on to the regional meet in the 3,000m steeplechase, placing 37^th overall.  DeMeulenaere holds a 3.98 cumulative grade-point average as he pursues a degree in Biology.
 
Rounding out Loyola's quintet of All-Academic honorees was freshman Ilhame Tamrouti (Kampen, Netherlands/Almere College Kampen).  Tamrouti, who arrived at Loyola by way of Kampen, Netherlands, quickly established herself as a force in the javelin, breaking the program record in the event in her collegiate debut at the Black & Gold Invitational.  She unleashed a season-best toss of 157-08 (48.06m) the following week at the Texas Relays to clinch a berth at the NCAA West Preliminary.  Tamrouti, an International Business major with a 3.49 cumulative grade-point average, cruised to the MVC title in the event, besting her next closest competitor by nearly 20 feet at the outdoor league meet.
 
To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team, a student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade-point average of 3.25 and have met either of the following athletic standards: for the indoor season, a student-athlete must have finished the regular season ranked in the national top 96 in an individual event or ranked in the national top 48 (collective listing) in a relay event on the official NCAA POP list provided by TFRRS.org; for the outdoor season, a student-athlete must have participated in any round of the NCAA Division I Championships (including preliminary rounds).