SOUTH BEND, Ind. – James Lawrence of the Loyola University Chicago men's track team shattered a 35-year-old school record for the indoor 3,000 meters Saturday at the Meyo Invite inside the Loftus Center.
Racing in the premier Ryan Shay 3K, Lawrence broke Rambler legend Jim Westphal's record of 7:55.70 with a personal best of 7:52.32, finishing fourth—3.38 seconds faster than the previous mark. His performance currently ranks No. 24 in the nation and No. 1 in the Atlantic 10 this season.
Francois Guilhot also raced in the same event, earning a top-15 finish with a time of 8:09.51.
In the men's open 3K, Nate Boutin moved to No. 8 all-time at Loyola with a personal best of 8:07.62, finishing sixth overall. Close behind was Jake Phillips, who also set a personal record with a time of 8:09.92 to place ninth. Miles Clisham (8:26.18) and Cael Mulholland (8:31.18) finished in the top 25.
In the women's 3K final, Roisin Treacy had a standout performance, setting a personal best of 9:24.85 to finish 13th. Her time now ranks second in Loyola history. Emma Watcke also had a solid performance, posting a time of 9:38.65.
In the men's indoor Meyo mile, Samuel Field narrowly missed a personal best, racing a 4:02.74 to finish fifth overall.
In the men's open mile, Gabe Smit improved his personal record by 0.08 seconds, clocking a time of 4:04.70. He remains No. 8 all-time at Loyola. Izak Bibile also set a personal best, finishing 15th with a time of 4:10.26.
Alessandra Rodriguez was Loyola's sole representative in the women's 800 meters, finishing 10th with a time of 2:12.63.
In the women's 5K, Eileen Seebon (17:18.33) and Aiden Grasse (17:40.56), who set a personal best, finished in the top 30.
Back in Chicagoland, another group of Ramblers participated in the Windy City Rumble, hosted by UChicago at Ted Haydon Track. The team competed in both the men's and women's mile events, with Alex Morris leading the Loyola women with a second-place finish in 5:15.31. Trent Anderson paced the men, finishing 11th with a time of 4:27.00.
Aidan Collins, Kyle Knutson, Gabe Ryan, and Jack Slaughter followed Anderson, finishing in that order. Priscilla Ravera, Jo Collins, Madison Perez, and Charlotte Wilson followed Morris, rounding out the Loyola women's performances.
LUC will next compete this Saturday (Feb. 8) at the Blue Demon Alumni Classic.
