Ramblers Cross Country Prepares For Postseason At Pre-Nationals

Loyola cross country competed in their last race of the regular season at the Under Armour Pre-National Invitational at the LeVern Gibson Cross Country Course Oct. 16. The men’s team managed 16th out of 44 schools while the women finished 38th out of 43. The meet served as a preview for athletes at the NCAA Division I Championship, which is held at the same course. 

Both the men’s and women’s team took a step back from their previous performance at the Lakefront Invitational Sept. 25. The only runners to set a personal best were newcomers first-year Erika Koelman and second-year Eugene Niox-Chateau. Koelman recorded the first time of her collegiate career at 21:40.5 and placed 214th in the 6k. Niox-Chateau ran 24:52.5 in the 8k, good enough for 221st and an improvement from the 25:46.4 he ran at the 2025 Lakefront Invitational while unattached. 

Fourth-year Jake Phillips led the way for the Ramblers in the 8k, finishing 54th at 24:00.9 while third-year Nate Boutin followed closely behind with a 24:06.3, coming in 65th. The trio of graduate Scott Fagan, third-year Izak Bibile and fourth-year Cael Mulholland rounded out Loyola’s score of 499 with times of 24:20.3 (105th), 24:28.8 (136th) and 24:29.9 (144th), respectively. 

In the 6k, graduate Allison Dougherty was in front for the Ramblers, clocking in at 21:32.8 and taking 201st place. Right behind were fourth-year Eileen Seeborn in 205th at 21:36.0 and fourth-year Angy Salado Fernandez at 21:36.4 in 208th. Third-year Leah Klapatauskas finished at 21:47.5 in 229th, following Koelman and capping off the Ramblers’ score of 1021. First-year Sienna Rowe and fourth-year Bárbara Neiva finished it off for Loyola, crossing the finish line at 21:58.6 in 258th and 22:09.9 in 274th. 

The Ramblers look to improve their times as they begin their postseason at the Atlantic 10 Championships in Mechanicsville, Va. Oct. 31.