CHICAGO (May 11, 2022) – With their outdoor regular season slate now complete, the Loyola University Chicago track & field teams will begin postseason competition at the end of the week as they travel to Des Moines, Iowa for the Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
 
Set to be hosted by Drake University at historic Drake Stadium, action in Iowa's state capital will open on both Friday and Saturday morning at 10 a.m. with events in men's decathlon.  The men's triple jump and men's discus throw will kick off Sunday's schedule at 11:30 a.m., with the women's 4x400m relay bringing the three-day meet to a close at 4:05 p.m.
 
In a pre-championship poll of The Valley's head coaches, Loyola was picked to finish seventh in both the men's (29 points) and women's (37 points) team races.  Indiana State, which swept the conference titles at this past February's MVC Indoor Championships, was tabbed as the favorite to take home both league crowns.
 
Loyola enters the postseason will multiple athletes ranked in the top 10 on the MVC leaderboards.  Leading the way for that group is the distance quartet of seniors Kathleen Simms, Claire Hengesbaugh, Blake Buysse, and freshman Jason Clayton.
 
Simms rolls into Des Moines with The Valley's top 10,000m run time (33:43.12) and also ranks fourth in the 5,000m run (16:35.13).  Hengesbaugh is in the midst of a terrific 2022 campaign that has seen her put herself at the top of the MVC's 5,000m run chart (16:02.99). 
 
Like Simms, Buysse holds the conference's top 10,000m run effort (29:22.49) and also sits fourth in the 5,000m run (14:17.87).  Clayton has burst onto the scene this season, moving to third on the league leaderboard in the 1,500m run (3:42.33).
 
In the field, senior Ilhame Tamrouti will go after a third consecutive javelin title as she begins her postseason journey as the MVC leader in the event (162-01; 49.40m).  Fresh off a personal and Valley-best leap of 20-01.75 (6.14m) in the Maroon & Gold's regular season finale just under two weeks ago, sophomore Melissa Parrella looks primed to challenge in the long jump.  Senior Jana Rokitta, who resides in third on the high jump leaderboard (5-07.25; 1.71m), hopes to build off an All-MVC performance at the indoor league meet when she sees action in the event this weekend.
 
Sophomore Jayla Johnson will seek to put an exclamation point on a breakout season in the 100m hurdles.  Johnson shattered the program record in the event in back-to-back outings this season, the last of which saw her put up the third fastest time (13.95) in the MVC.
 
The Valley on ESPN will provide live coverage of select events from all three days of action in Des Moines.  Links to watch live, along with those for live results, can be accessed to the right or through the Missouri Valley Conference Championship Central page, which includes a full schedule of events.  Fans are also encouraged to follow the official Twitter account of Loyola Track & Field, @RamblersTFXC, for updates throughout the weekend.