CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (April 9, 2022) – Senior Claire Hengesbaugh turned in a sparkling effort to punctuate an evening filled with multiple personal bests for the Rambler distance crews as the Loyola University Chicago track & field teams saw action at the Illini Classic today in Champaign, Ill.
 
Competing in the 1,500m run, Hengesbaugh clocked a time of 4:28.64 that saw her place sixth overall and ascend to seventh all-time in program history in the event.  Five Ramblers in total posted new 1,500m run personal bests, with senior Tarynn Cullings (4:38.64), freshman Grace Kuhn (4:40.27), sophomore Fran Hendrickson (4:50.93), and freshman Aiden Grasse (5:00.23) joining Hengesbaugh.  Cullings shaved just over seven seconds off her previous top effort, while Hendrickson's time marked an 11-second improvement in the event.
 
The Rambler men enjoyed a standout showing in the 5,000m run, led by senior Sean O'Connell.  Out of Claredon Hills, Ill., O'Connell knocked well over a minute of his personal best, surging to a fifth-place finish with a time of 14:27.45 that falls narrowly outside the program's top 10.  Fellow senior Stephen Pipilas turned in a big personal best of his own, coming in 34 seconds in front of his previous best time, placing 10^th in 14:32.38.  Seniors Nathan Kolbus (14:36.96), Nick Chudzik (14:37.28), and Ian Cummings (14:40.66) also all established new personal bests, with Chudzik improving his time by 20 seconds.
 
Graduate student Elizabeth Aho led the Maroon & Gold in the women's 5,000m run, finishing fourth with a time of 17:12.24.  Senior Olivia Orr joined her in the top 10, taking 10^th in 17:33.78.
 
In the men's section of 1,500m run, freshman Gabe Smit continued the fast start to his outdoor campaign, checking in seventh in 3:56.83, while junior Cameron Arkesteyn battled his way to a personal-best 3:58.81 en route to a ninth-place finish.
 
Freshman Jack Slaughter and sophomore Ethan Dupas both turned in strong efforts in the 800m run.  Slaughter notched an outdoor personal-best 1:58.20, with Dupas following in 2:01.02, the top time of his collegiate career.
 
Sophomore Jayla Johnson again carried the banner for Loyola's sprints crew on a windy afternoon in Champaign, taking second in the 100m hurdles with a time of 14.46 that is just nine one-hundredths of a second shy of her personal best.  Competing in the 100m dash, freshman Cameron Woods ran 10.97 to secure third.

In the field, sophomore Melissa Parrella hit on a leap of 18-00.25 (5.49m) to wrap up her second runner-up finish in as many outings in the long jump.  Junior Kevin Szczepaniec matched Parrella's finish on the men's side of the event, reaching a season-best 21-00.00 (6.40m).
 
Loyola ventures west to Southern California next weekend, April 15-16, for the Bryan Clay Invitational and Mt. SAC Relays.  A group of Ramblers are also slated to be in action back in the Land of Lincoln at the Redbird Challenge in Normal, Ill.