Looking Forward to Springing Into 2023 Sports

The 2022 fall semester marked the first time Loyola competed in the Atlantic 10 (A-10) after its departure from the Missouri Valley Conference. Sports like women’s volleyball and men’s and women’s cross country brought conference titles to the university in their first season participating in the A-10. Now that their seasons are over, some of the Loyola sports finishing or beginning their seasons in the spring of 2023 will attempt to do the same. 

The Loyola men’s basketball team started its season with an 88-82 overtime win against Fairleigh Dickinson University Nov. 7. Despite their 4-5 record, the Ramblers have already played two overtime thrillers at Gentile Arena and conference competition has yet to begin. 

The men’s basketball team will play its first of 18 conference games when it hosts George Washington University Dec. 31. The Ramblers will look to finish conference play with a strong record to earn the best possible seeding in the A-10 conference tournament. The A-10 Championship will begin March 7 and will take place in the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York — home of NBA team Brooklyn Nets — until the championship final March 12.

Despite Loyola’s slow start, they were ranked fourth in the A-10 preseason poll, just behind the University of Dayton, Saint Louis University and Virginia Commonwealth University. Additionally, Loyola Head Coach Drew Valentine said in a press conference Nov. 11 he has no idea what his starting lineup will look like after the departure and arrival of several players. After experimenting with different rotations, fans can look forward to a more concrete plan for Valentine’s team.

The women’s basketball team started its season with a 60-51 win against Western Michigan University under first-year Head Coach Alison Guth. The team also welcomed several new players, including twins and senior forwards Sophia and Emma Nolan. Sophia was quick to make an impact on the team by averaging 10.8 points per game, making her the team’s second-highest scorer.

Guth’s team currently holds a 3-6 record and will begin conference play Dec. 28 when it travels to Saint Louis to face the Billikens. Despite being voted 14th in the A-10 women’s basketball preseason poll, the Ramblers are guaranteed a spot in the A-10 Championship, which spans from March 1-5 in Wilmington, Delaware.

Participating in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA), the men’s volleyball team will encounter different rivals in conference play Feb. 10 when it travels to Quincy, Illinois to face Quincy University.

The men’s volleyball team will finish its regular season the same way they finished in 2022 — with a game against The Ohio State University April 8. Last year, the Ramblers fell to the Buckeyes to finish the regular season second in the conference. This year, they get to close out the season in Columbus, Ohio, and seek revenge. The MIVA tournament is set to start April 15, with the location of the tournament to be determined.

Track and field started its season Dec. 3 in the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener in Boston, Massachusetts. Graduate student Ryan Martins ran a 13:52.61 to beat his personal record by 33 seconds and break a 30-year-old school record. On the women’s side, first-year student Lily Mataway got a runner-up finish, posting the fifth best time in program history at 16:30.86.

Though the season is already underway, the majority of the track and field season will take place in the 2023 spring semester, competing in a total of eight events compared to two in the 2022 fall semester. The A-10 Conference Indoor Championships are set for Feb. 25 and 26 in Kingston, Rhode Island.

Men’s and women’s golf will be making a return after placing 9th and 6th, respectively, in their final invitationals of the spring 2022 semester. The men’s team will hit the green again on Feb. 6 when it travels to Dade City, Florida to compete in the Earl Yestingsmeier Match Play. The women’s team will be making its return Feb. 13 in Jacksonville, Florida in the Sea Beast Intercollegiate.