COLUMBIA, Mo. (November 11, 2022) – Graduate student Ryan Martins secured a berth to the NCAA Championships, highlighting a banner day for the Loyola University Chicago cross country teams at the NCAA Midwest Regional today in Columbia, Mo.
 
Battling cold and blustery conditions at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course, Loyola's men's team recorded the top regional finish in program history, totaling 156 points to edge out Wichita State (184 points) for fourth place.  On the women's side, the Ramblers put up 245 points, outdistancing host Missouri (349 points) to claim eighth place, the third highest finish on the women's side in Rambler annals.
 
Martins, who placed second at the Atlantic 10 Cross Country Championships, used an inspired closing kick that saw him check-in under three minutes across each of the men's 10k race's final four splits, ultimately crossing with a time of 29:41.3, a near two-minute personal best, to finish second overall and claim an automatic individual berth to the national meet.  Martins' showing today marks the top individual finish by a Rambler at the NCAA Midwest Regional and will see him become the first male since Sam Penzenstadler (2014) to represent the Maroon & Gold on the national stage.
 
Graduate student Chris Devaney joined Martins inside the top 20 on the individual leaderboard.  The reining Atlantic 10 Most Outstanding Male Performer, Devaney raced through in 30:02.9, a 25-second 10k personal best, to secure 20^th.
 
By virtue of finishing in the top 25, both Martins and Devaney were recognized as All-Region honorees by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
 
The pairing of graduate students Blake Buysse and Sean O'Connell came in within two seconds of one another.  Buysse took over 90 seconds off the previous top 10k time of his career, crossing 38^th in 30:22.9.  Not far behind was O'Connell, who came in well under two minutes better than his old personal best, running 30:24.6 to land 39^th.  Fellow graduate student Chantz Visse provided the exclamation point on a showing that saw all five members of the Ramblers' top five record new personal bests, as he surged across in 58^th with a time of 30:39.5.
 
Graduate student Claire Hengesbaugh spearheaded an attack in the women's 6k race that saw a trio of Ramblers post new 6k personal bests.  Out of St. Charles, Ill., Hengesbaugh came in 30 seconds better than her previous top collegiate effort, finishing 30^th overall in 20:50.3. Just three tenths of a second back of her way sophomore Nora Wollen, who closed out an impressive second campaign with the Ramblers by crossing in 20:53.6 to take 31^st.
 
Less than two weeks removed from being named the Atlantic 10 Conference's Most Outstanding Rookie Female Performer, freshman Lily Mataway dazzled in just her second collegiate 6k, posting a personal-best 21:06.1 en route to finishing 48^th.  Sophomore Grace Jostock put an emphatic stamp on a terrific cross country season of her own, shaving 48 seconds off her top 6k time as she crossed 59^th in 21:16.8.  Graduate student Kathleen Simms rounded out the Ramblers' top five on the morning, as she closed out a decorated cross country career with a time of 21:22.8 to place 66^th.
 
Martins will now set his sights on Stillwater, Okla., site of the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships on Saturday, November 19.