VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Loyola University Chicago track opened competition at the Atlantic 10 Indoor Track and Field Championships on Friday at the Virginia Beach Sports Center with a runner-up finish, multiple top-three performances and a pair of qualifiers for Saturday's 800-meter finals.
In the men's 800-meter preliminaries,
Miguel Abaitua and
James Howell each clocked identical times of 1:52.85 to advance to the final. Howell placed third in his heat, while Abaitua earned a heat victory to secure his spot in Saturday's championship race.
Jake Phillips led the way in the men's 5,000 meters, taking second overall in 14:02.65.
Hayden Healey added a ninth-place finish in 14:22.07, followed by
Cael Mulholland in 12th at 14:34.23.
On the women's side,
Eileen Seebon delivered a podium performance in the 5,000 meters, finishing third in a personal-best 16:50.23.
Angy Salado Fernandez placed sixth in 17:05.70,
Pippa Carcas finished 10th in 17:22.11 and
Ali Gillooly crossed in 17th at 17:46.72.
The men's distance medley relay team of
Izak Bibile, Howell, Abaitua and
Colby Revord claimed second overall in 9:55.44. The mark ranks seventh-fastest in program history and stands as the 68th-fastest time in NCAA Division I this season.
Loyola's women's distance medley relay squad of
Leah Klapatauskas,
Natalya Kuchenbuch,
Lindsey Kiehl and
Maggie Powers placed sixth in 11:55.64, recording the eighth-fastest time in school history.
Competition resumes Saturday with finals action inside the Virginia Beach Sports Center.
Â