CHICAGO – The Loyola University Chicago track team opens the outdoor portion of its 2026 schedule this weekend, sending athletes to meets in North Carolina and Missouri.

Competition begins Thursday, March 26, as Loyola travels to Raleigh, N.C., for the Raleigh Relays, hosted by NC State. The meet runs through Saturday, March 28, and features one of the nation's premier distance showcases. The Ramblers will compete in the men's and women's 3K steeplechase, women's 5K, men's 800m, men's 1,500m, and men's 10K.

On Friday, March 27, a separate group of Ramblers will open their outdoor campaigns at the SLU Speed/Power Festival in St. Louis, hosted by Saint Louis University. Loyola will race in the men's and women's 1,500m as well as the women's 400m.

These two meets mark Loyola Chicago's first outdoor competition following a successful indoor season highlighted by numerous personal bests, program records, and top finishes. Most recently, the Ramblers earned seven medals at the Atlantic 10 Indoor Track and Field Championships, including four second-place and three third-place finishes.

Jake Phillips led the way with a second-place finish in the men's 5K (14:02.65), while the men's distance medley relay of Izak Bibile, James Howell, Miguel Abaitua, and Colby Revord took silver in 9:55.44, the seventh-fastest mark in program history. Nate Boutin was second in the men's 3K (8:19.16), and Roisin Treacy finished second in the women's 3K (9:30.24). Eileen Seebon earned bronze in the women's 5K with a personal-best 16:50.23, Revord placed third in the men's mile (4:14.81), and Howell added a third-place finish in the men's 800m (1:51.22 PB).