CHICAGO (May 20, 2021) – The Loyola University Chicago track & field teams will send five student-athletes to the NCAA West Preliminary in College Station, Texas, it was announced on Thursday. Juniors
Adam Clayton (Glasgow, Scotland/Williamwood),
Claire Hengesbaugh (St. Charles, Ill./Rosary),
Anneka Murrin (Yarmouth, Maine/Yarmouth),
Kathleen Simms (Louisville, Kent./duPont Manual/Furman), and
Ilhame Tamrouti (Kampen, Netherlands/Almere College Kampen) have all secured berths to the regional meet.
Now a two-time regional qualifier for her career, Tamrouti enters the postseason as the top-rated Rambler on the NCAA West Region leaderboard, sitting 22
nd in the javelin throw following a toss of 165-0 (50.30m) back on March 19 at the Missouri Spring Opener that saw the Kampen, Netherlands native break her own school record in the event. She went on to secure her second straight Missouri Valley Conference title this past weekend, reaching 161-10 (49.34m) at the MVC Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Loyola's women's distance crew will be well-represented in The Lone Star State by the trio of Hengesbaugh, Murrin, and Simms.
Out of Louisville, Kent., Simms will see action in the 10,000m run after posting a time of 34:11.69, the third fastest mark in school history, back on March 25 at the Raleigh Relays. Just 24 hours after, Murrin punched her ticket in the 5,000m run, clocking in at 16:24.30, a time that currently ranks fourth all-time in Rambler annals. Three weeks later, the Yarmouth, Maine product secured a spot in the 1,500m run at the Rick Erdmann Twilight on April 17, finishing with a time of 4:19.85 that put her behind only former Loyola great Gina Valgoi. She went on to take home the MVC 1,500m run crown in 4:24.82 last weekend at the MVC Outdoor Championships. On the same evening as Murrin's terrific 1,500m run effort, Hengesbaugh, a native of St. Charles, Ill., climbed up to third all-time in the 5,000m run, crossing in 16:24.25 to lock up a postseason berth after battling injuries for the majority of the 2019-20 season.
Rounding out the Maroon & Gold's quintet of qualifiers is Clayton, who will be the first Rambler to compete in a sprinting event at a regional meet since Jaz Hayes, Kevin Glastetter, and Chris Strup all saw action at the 2015 NCAA West Preliminary. The Glasgow, Scotland product will make his postseason debut in the 200m dash after he broke Hayes' school record on May 1 at the Illinois State Invitational, racing through in 20.92.
The NCAA West Preliminary will be hosted by Texas A&M University at E.B. Cushing Stadium, May 26-29. SEC Network Plus will provide coverage of select events on all four days of competition.
