MECHANICSVILLE, Va. (October 29. 2022) – Led by a staggering nine all-conference selections, the Loyola University Chicago cross country teams completed a clean sweep of the men's and women's team titles this morning at the Atlantic 10 Cross Country Championships in Mechanicsville, Va.  The two championships are the first team titles in any sport since Loyola joined the Atlantic 10 Conference and marks the first time since 2012 that the Ramblers have swept the team crowns at a league meet.
 
After being picked fourth in the A-10 Preseason Poll, Loyola's men put up 37 points to edge preseason favorite La Salle (48 points) by 11 points for the team title, while the Rambler women defended their top preseason ranking, tallying 57 points to outdistance the Explorers (77 points) and take home the program's fourth conference title in as many seasons.  Loyola Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Gavin Kennedy was named both the men's and women's Atlantic 10 Cross Country Coach of the Year.
 
As was the case in Loyola's last two meets of the regular season, the graduate student pairing of Chris Devaney and Ryan Martins spearheaded the Loyola attack.  The duo took over in the closing stages of the men's 8k race, with Devaney finishing in 23:59.6 to win the individual title, while Martins was right on his hip in 23:59.7 to place second.
 
Graduate student Blake Buysse also fought his way into the top 10, checking in ninth at 24:19.5.  Making his first cross country postseason appearance for the Maroon & Gold, freshman Jason Clayton ran 24:27.9 to claim 11^th, while graduate student Sean O'Connell used a closing kick to get inside the top 15, taking 14^th with an 8k-personal best time of 24:36.3.
 
Led by Devaney, who was tabbed the Atlantic 10's Most Outstanding Male Performer, all five members of the Ramblers' top five secured A-10 All-Conference recognition.
 
In the women's 5k race, Loyola was led by the trio of sophomore Nora Wollen, freshman Lily Mataway, and graduate student Claire Hengesbaugh.  Wollen added another chapter to a terrific 2022 season, clocking a 90-second personal best as she crossed in 16:57.0 to place fifth overall.  Close behind was Mataway in sixth, who continued a breakout freshman campaign by running 17:06.3 in her first collegiate 5k.  Hengesbaugh rounded out a trio in the top 10 for the Maroon & Gold, shaving 30 seconds off her previous top 5k time as she came in at 17:22.6 to take eighth.
 
Sophomore Grace Jostock kept her impressive second season in Rogers Park rolling right along, running well over 90 seconds better than her fastest 5k effort, placing 13^th with a time of 17:38.7.  Fellow sophomore Ali Gillooly closed out the Ramblers' top five on the morning with a personal best of her own, battling through in 18:02.1 en route to a 22^nd-place finish.
 
For their efforts, the quartet of Wollen, Mataway, Hengesbaugh, and Jostock all earned Atlantic 10 All-Conference accolades, with Mataway also being recognized as the A-10 Most Outstanding Female Rookie Performer.
 
Loyola is back in action in just under two weeks when it visits Columbia, Mo. for the NCAA Midwest Regional.