CHICAGO (November 6, 2021) – Following a program-best showing at the Missouri Valley Conference Championship last week, six members of the Loyola University Chicago cross country teams have been selected to the MVC Scholar-Athlete Teams, it was announced by the league office on Saturday.
 
MVC Scholar-Athlete honors require athletes to meet performance standards, as they must finish among the first 20 runners at the conference championship, hold at least a cumulative 3.3 grade-point average, and be a sophomore in athletic and academic standing to earn distinction.
 
After securing its third straight MVC title, Loyola's women's side racked up a Valley-high four selections.  Leading the way for the quartet was senior Anneka Murrin, who took home her third MVC Women's Scholar-Athlete of the Year nod in as many seasons.  An exercise science major, Murrin became the first female competitor in MVC annals to win three straight individual conference titles, as she clocked a 6k personal-best 20:35.3 last Friday at the Weibring Golf Course in Normal, Ill.
 
Graduate student Mimi Reimers (MBA) and the senior duo of Kathleen Simms (Visual Communications) and Claire Hengesbaugh (Environmental Science & Restoration Ecology), all three of whom joined Murrin as First Team All-MVC honorees, also took home Scholar-Athlete accolades.
 
Coming off their top finish at the league meet since 2013, the Rambler men had a pair of student-athletes recognized, highlighted by senior Chantz Visse.  A philosophy major, Visse recorded the top individual effort by a Rambler at the MVC Championship since 2017, running 24:39.7 en route to a fourth-place finish that saw him recognized as a First Team All-Valley honoree.
 
Fellow senior Blake Buysse (Finance) joined Visse as a Scholar-Athlete Team selection.
 
Loyola is back in action on Friday, November 12 when it visits Iowa City, Iowa for the NCAA Midwest Regional.