Loyola names Rick Wemple new Cross Country/Track and Field head coach

Nov. 8, 2006

Chicago, Ill. - Rick Wemple, who has served as the head cross country coach at nearby Lewis University for the past two seasons, has been appointed head cross country/track and field coach at Loyola University Chicago, director of athletics John Planek announced today. Wemple, an accomplished coach, replaces Marc Burns who resigned earlier this season.

"The Loyola University Chicago cross country and track programs have had a reputation of excellence on and off the track," Planek said. "With a tradition that has included Olympic competitors and a number of All-Americans, it was very important that we hired an individual that continued the success. Rick Wemple has the skills, background and knowledge to do this. As an outstanding runner at Yale and with coaching experiences that included a stint at Brown, it was evident that Coach Wemple had a firm grasp on the meaning of the term student-athlete. He will be a great addition to our coaching staff."

In his short stay at Lewis, Wemple`s influence helped Andy Tremble to back-to-back Great Lakes Valley Conference individual championships in addition to All-America honors in 2005. Three of his track student-athletes garnered All-America accolades as well.

Prior to coming to the Midwest, Wemple served stints as an assistant coach at both Brown (1998-2005) and Yale (1994-98), where he helped coach three teams to the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships. In 1999, he led the Brown women's cross country squad to the Heptagonal League title, giving the Bears their first team and individual cross country champions in the history of the program.  Brown went on to finish ninth at the NCAA Championships in its first-ever national appearance and then also qualified for the national meet in 2000 and 2001.

"I am really excited to take over the track and field and cross country program at Loyola, " Wemple said. "Over the past year, I have fallen in love with the city of Chicago, so moving on to Loyola makes sense for me personally and professionally. There is already a good nucleus of talented athletes on the teams, which will provide a foundation to start with, and I intend to build the program into one that is consistently represented at the national level by both teams and individuals. The academic reputation of Loyola, the history and national-class runners from this program and the population in the Chicagoland area alone are all factors that will help with recruiting. This is going to be a fun endeavor for all involved - student-athletes, parents, alums, administrators and coaches."

A 1992 graduate of Yale University with a degree in biology, Wemple was an All-American in 1991 and placed ninth at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. During his career, Wemple brought home nine All-Ivy honors in cross country and track and field. Wemple also earned his master's degree in exercise physiology from The Ohio State University.

Loyola's men's team tied for second, while the women's squad claimed sole possession of second place at the 2006 Horizon League Championships in October.

Story provided by Loyola Sports Information