Loyola Sweeps at Horizon League Cross Country Championships

2012 HL Men's XC Championship Results | 2012 HL Women's XC Championship Results

KENOSHA, Wis. – On a crisp Saturday morning in southeastern Wisconsin, the Loyola Ramblers ran away with the Horizon League Cross Country Championships, led by senior Gina Valgoi (Detroit, Mich.) in the women’s race and sophomore Sam Penzenstadler (Oshkosh, Wis.) in the men’s race.

In the women’s 5K, Valgoi broke away from the pack early and by the one-mile mark had taken a commanding lead. The runner-up last season in Cleveland, Valgoi won this year’s championship with a time of 17:05, just four seconds shy of the Wayne E. Dannehl Championship Cross Country Course record set in 2008.

Valgoi finished the race 58 seconds ahead of junior teammate and runner-up Alyvia Clark (Circleville, Ohio). Loyola freshman Sydney Stuenkel finished in third place to earn Newcomer of the Year honors.

Led by Valgoi, Clark and Stuenkel, the Ramblers took the women’s team title with 28 points, followed by UIC with 53 points and Youngstown State with 116.

The men’s 8K race was a tighter contest, with a lead pack of nearly a dozen runners all reaching the three-mile mark in 15:05. As the runners came to the four-mile mark, a trio of Milwaukee senior Jake Reilly (Waunakee, Wis.) Loyola’s Penzenstadler and Jake Autio (St. Michael, Minn.) had broken away from the pack.

After the trio had entered the homestretch, Penzenstadler sprinted ahead to take the men’s individual title with a time of 24:59, five seconds ahead of Autio, who finished second. Reilly took third with a time of 25:11.

Paced by Penzenstadler and Autio, Loyola won the men’s team championship with just 22 points.  UIC again finished second with 60 points while Milwaukee took third with 90. Flames freshman Pat Niyork (Villla Park, Ill.) took seventh place with a time of 25:29 and was named the Newcomer of the Year.

Thanks to the sweep, Loyola head coach Randy Hasenbank was voted both the men’s and women’s Coach of the Year. Hasenbank became the first Ramblers coach to earn the men’s Coach of the Year award since Marc Burns in 2001 and the first to win the women’s Coach of the Year award since Rick Wempletook the honor in 2008.

Valgoi was Loyola’s first women’s individual champion since Kristyne McGuinnin 2001. Penzenstadler was the Ramblers’ first men’s individual champion since Eddie Slowikowski paced the field all the way back in 1989.

Men’s Coach of the Year:

Randy Hasenbank, Loyola

Men’s Newcomer of the Year:

Pat Niyork, UIC

Men’s First Team All-Horizon League:

Sam Penzenstadler - So., Loyola (24:59)

Jake Autio - Jr., Loyola (25:04)

Jake Reilly - Sr., Milwaukee (25:11)

Oscar Aguinaga - Jr., Loyola (25:19)

Alex Thornburg - Jr., Loyola (25:22)

Angelos Karkalis - Jr., UIC (25:27)

Pat Niyork - Fr., UIC (25:29)

Men’s Second Team All-Horizon League

Dan Shafer - Jr., Wright State (25:36)

Martin Nelkie - Jr., Detroit (25:38)

Jared Skrabacz - So., Loyola   (25:45)

Marcus Garcia - Fr., UIC (25:45)

Jason Bruns - Sr., Wright State (25:53)

Nick Miller - Fr., Loyola (25:53)

Bob Radlich - Sr., Detroit (25:55)

Women’s Coach of the Year

Randy Hasenbank, Loyola

Women’s Newcomer of the Year

Sydney Stuenkel, Loyola

Women’s First Team All-Horizon League

Gina Valgoi - Sr., Loyola (17:05)

Alyvia Clark - Jr., Loyola (18:03)

Sydney Stuenkel - Fr., Loyola (18:14)

Jessica Richardson - So., Valparaiso (18:18)

Louisa Coppola - Jr., Detroit (18:18)

Tess Ehrhardt - So., UIC (18:20)

Megan Janezic - Jr., Loyola (18:21)

Women’s Second Team All-Horizon League

Brittany Stockmaster - So., Youngstown State (18:33)

Emma Preston - Fr., UIC (18:34)

Rebecca Zaiter - So., UIC (18:41)

Monica Ciarniello - Jr., Youngstown State (18:42)

Lauren Lindholm - Fr., UIC (18:44)

Samantha Woller - Jr., Milwaukee (18:49)

Katey Heney - So., Youngstown State (18:50)