CHICAGO – The two-time defending Atlantic 10 champions are set to begin an action-packed 2024 slate. With four-time Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year Gavin Kennedy at the helm, the Loyola University Chicago cross country team will compete in five events before the conference championships at Pole Green Park, Va., this November.

The race to a third-straight championship sweep begins on Aug. 30 as the Ramblers participate in the Winrow Valparaiso Open. Loyola Chicago will circle back to the Hoosier State on Sept. 20 to compete in the Notre Dame National Catholic Championships.

The Loyola cross country team will host the 45th annual Sean Earl Loyola Lakefront Invitational at the Sydney R. Marovitz Golf Course on Chicago's north side on Oct. 4. The meet will consist of two races per gender. The Tom Cooney Championship Races will kick off the action with the women's 6k at 10 a.m. and the men's 8k at 10:40 a.m. CT. The women's Open Division 6k will follow at 11:20 a.m., and the men's Open Division 8k will start at noon.

The Loyola Lakefront Invitational, started in the 1970s, was renamed the Sean Earl Loyola Lakefront Invitational in 2000 to honor former Rambler Sean Earl, who passed away from testicular cancer that year. Former LUC coach Marc Burns led the renaming to give the race, already with a 28-year history, a new purpose in Earl's memory.

Following the Lakefront Invitational, Loyola Chicago will stay in-state and race at the Bradley Pink Classic on Oct. 18 before heading north for Wisconsin's Pre-National Invite.

The Loyola men and women will look to defend their titles at the 2024 A-10 Cross Country Championships on Nov. 2. The last time an A-10 school had both programs win back-to-back championships was in 2006 and 2007 when La Salle brought home the titles. The Rambler women have won five-straight league titles, dating back to their 2019 Missouri Valley Conference Championship first-place showing. 

The Ramblers ended the 2023 campaign with six men and three women earning All-Conference accolades. Chris Devaney capped the season with an All-American performance at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. Additionally, the Maroon and Gold had seven student-athletes represented across the All-Rookie and All-Academic Teams.