Introducing the Loyola Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2023

Since 1927, Loyola Athletics has won many championships, set hundreds of records and graduated thousands of student athletes who have propelled Loyola to popularity, according to the NCAA. Three of these athletes — Marcia Faustin, Declan Murray and Blake Schlib — were recently recognized by the university and inducted to the Loyola Athletics Hall of Fame as the class of 2023. All three former student athletes were inducted during the men’s basketball game against George Mason University Feb. 4 at Gentile Arena. 

Faustin, a former Loyola track & field high-jumper, graduated in 2007 after a record-setting career as a Rambler. Some of her biggest moments include winning eight Horizon League high-jump titles and being the only athlete in Horizon League history to sweep the high-jump title four times, according to Loyola Athletics. Faustin still holds the program record for high-jump after clearing a Horizon League record of 1.74m in 2004. 

Following her time at Loyola, Faustin attended post-baccalaureate at Southern Illinois University where she graduated in 2009 and finished her medical studies at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine in 2013. Faustin then completed her residency and fellowship at the University of California-San Diego. 

Faustin now works as a family and sports medicine physician at the University of California-Davis and is best known for her work as a co-head team physician for the USA gymnastics women’s national team, working with athletes such as Simone Biles, Jordan Chiles and Suni Lee. 

Faustin said her experience at Loyola best prepared her for a career in medicine because of the connections and relationships she made. It also helped her better understand the athletes she works with on a daily basis. 

“I can see myself in the athletes,” Faustin said. “I remember it so vividly — the challenges that were there, the excitement, the hardships. I have a level of empathy I’m able to provide because I’ve literally walked those shoes, and so I understand some of the nuances they’re talking about.” 

Also a former track and field athlete, the second member of the Hall of Fame Class of 2023 is distance runner Murray, who graduated in 2013. During his career as a Rambler, Murray was a five-time Horizon League champion as an 800m runner. He also set records in the 4×4 relay, which qualified him to reach a third place finish in the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships in 2013. 

A Cleveland native, Murray came to know about Loyola through his family, who is flooded with Loyola alumni. Over 10 years, Declan, Sean, Brigid and Ciara Murray were all Loyola athletes. Murray said though he had his siblings at Loyola with him, the athletic department as a whole felt like a family and made him feel he could have personalized attention to hone his craft. 

“I landed in a program where I wasn’t the fastest, but there weren’t 10 guys ahead of me there — there was one or two,” Murray said. “I was able to step into a leadership role early on as I got faster and started to show that I could do it on the track and then was able to take on more of that leadership role on the team in the locker room and off the field.” 

Following his time at Loyola, Murray went on to run professionally for three years, competing in the European Track & Field Championships in 2014, 2015 and 2016, with his best performance in the 2015 Championships in Prague when he advanced to the semi-finals for the 800m event. He now works in sports and entertainment marketing for JP Morgan and Chase. 

Schlib, a former Loyola men’s basketball team guard, was the third member of the 2023 Hall of Fame class. Schlib, who was unable to reach for comment, was a three-time First Team All-Horizon League honoree, First Team All-District pick by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) in 2007 and is the only Loyola player in history to record 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 400 assists throughout his career, according to Loyola Athletics. 

After graduating from Loyola in 2007, Schlib went on to play professionally in Europe since, most recently competing at the 2020 Summer Olympics, representing the Czech Republic. 

Though Murray and Faustin have since moved on from their athletic careers, both reflected on their time at Loyola as integral to their lives today. 

Faustin particularly recalled an interaction she had with Dr. Tom Hitcho, or “Hitch” — the senior associate athletics director of operations — at the 2018 final four game in San Antonio. 

“We walked into the Loyola hotel and there was Hitch, and I hadn’t seen him in 10 years, and we walk in, and he said, ‘Hi Marcie, how’s California? How’s medicine?’” Faustin said. “I think that exemplifies what Loyola is, right? To always make each person feel special and to feel remembered. And that’s exactly what he did.”