KINGSTON, Rhode Island (February 25, 2023) – The Loyola track & field team was in action Saturday afternoon, competing in the program's first-ever Atlantic 10 Indoor Track & Field Championships.
 
As a team, the men's squad is in fourth place with 19 points while the women sit in a tie for sixth with 14 points.
 
Finals were run in two events Friday evening, the 5000m and distance medley relay (DMR). In the men's DMR, the quartet of Cameron Arkesteyn, Jason Clayton, Jack Slaughter and Gabe Smit teamed up to post a time of 9:55.00, the fifth-fastest in program history, to finish second overall. The women's DMR squad finished the race in 12:04.78 to finish in eighth position and collect a point towards the women's team total.
 
Chris Devaney paced a trio of Ramblers in the top-8 of the men's 5000m final, finishing second overall in a time of 14:15.04 to earn eight points for Loyola. Ryan Martins placed seventh (2pts) in the event with a time of 14:26.98 while Blake Buysse was less than second behind Martins with an eighth-place effort (14:27.58) to add a point to the tally.
 
Four Ramblers finished in scoring position in the women's 5000m run, including three in a row. Nora Wollen placed fourth in the event to earn five points when she finished with a time of 16:51.43. Ali Gillooly crossed in fifth position (4pts) with a time of 17:09.83 while Grace Jostock was sixth overall (3pts), posting a time of 17:14.82. Sophia Manners also earned a point for the Ramblers with an eighth-place showing (17:26.07).
 
Prior to Saturday night's finals, a number of events held preliminary heats to qualify for Sunday's finals. Jayla Johnson, competing in the women's 60m hurdles, punched her ticket to the finals with the seventh-fastest time in the field. Johnson finished the event with a time of 8.77 to match her personal best, the second-fastest time in program history.
 
Miguel Abaitua finished in second in heat of the men's 1000m to advance to Sunday's finals with a time of 2:30.03.
 
Erin Connors finished one one-hundredth of a second out of the final qualifying spot in the women's 500m, posting a time of 1:17.00, the fourth-best time in program history, to finish ninth in the field.
 
Championship Sunday for Loyola will begin at 11:15 a.m. (ET) inside Mackal Fieldhouse.
 
Team Standings
Men
1.George Mason – 46
2.Rhode Island – 42
3.VCU – 31
4.Loyola – 19
5.Saint Louis – 15.5
6.Davidson – 13
7.St. Joseph's – 11
8.LaSalle – 9
9.Fordham – 4.5
10.UMass – 4
11.St. Bonaventure – 0
12.Duquesne – 0
13.Richmond – 0
14.George Washington – 0
 
Women
1.George Mason – 68
2.VCU – 33
3.LaSalle – 28
4.Davidson – 19
5.Richmond – 16
T6.Loyola – 14
T6. Duquesne - 14
8.UMass – 12
9.Rhode Island – 8
10.Dayton – 7
11.Fordham – 0
12.George Washington – 0
13.Saint Louis – 0
14.St. Bonaventure – 0
15.St. Joseph's – 0