NORMAL, Ill. (April 2, 2022) – Freshman Gabe Smit was victorious in his collegiate outdoor debut, highlighting a successful day as the Loyola University Chicago track & field teams battled through wet and windy conditions to post multiple strong performances at the Redbird Invitational in Normal, Ill.
 
Smit turned in a terrific effort this afternoon at the Redbird Track & Field Complex.  Competing in the 800m run, the Savage, Minn. native rolled to a heat victory in 1:57.37, a time that ultimately topped the field of 26 competitors.  Fellow freshman Jack Slaughter also turned heads, coming through in 1:58.64 to secure a fourth-place finish.  On the women's side of the event, senior Anneka Murrin paced the Maroon & Gold in her return to the track, checking in at 2:22.86.
 
Sophomore Melissa Parrella enjoyed a big afternoon both in the field and on the track.  Out of Graz, Austria, Parrella opened her day in the long jump, hitting on a top leap of 19-05.25 (5.92m) as she solidified her number four mark on the program's all-time outdoor record board en route to a runner-up finish.  Parrella went on to the 100m dash, winning her preliminary heat in 12.16, the seventh fastest time in Rambler annals, as she ultimately took fifth (12.64) in the event final.
 
Fellow sophomore Jayla Johnson matched Parrella's showing in the 100m hurdles preliminaries, cruising to a heat victory 14.44, a time that fell just shy of her week-old personal best.  The Ann Arbor, Mich. product secured a runner-up finish in the final, coming across in 14.55.
 
Multiple Ramblers posted big efforts in the 1,500m run.  Freshman Grace Kuhn led the charge in the women's section, finishing in 4:40.58, a time that saw her secure fourth place, while graduate student Elizabeth Aho (4:44.53) and senior Olivia Orr (4:47.33) recorded the top times of their collegiate careers.  In the men's 1,500m run, senior Sean O'Connell (8^th; 3:59.35) and graduate student Kenny Wallace (9^th; 3:59.64) turned in top-10 finishes, while sophomore Cameron Arkesteyn ran a personal-best 4:00.35 as part of a runner-up heat finish.
 
Freshman Erin Connors narrowly missed out on a climbing into the top 10 in program history in the 400m hurdles following a time of 1:05.97 that saw her place third overall.  Connors went on to join forces with senior Marygrace Golden, sophomore Madi McLain, and fellow freshman Petra Cokaric in the 4x400m relay, where the quartet took third in 4:20.32.
 
Seeing action in the men's 400m hurdles, junior Timothy Harris battled to a fourth-place finish in 57.19, while sophomore Jevan Terry raced his way to eighth in the 200m dash, posting a time of 23.15.
 
Loyola heads to Champaign, Ill. next weekend for the Illini Classic, April 8-9.