The men’s and women’s cross country teams both placed in the top five at the Southern States Athletic Conference Championship.

They traveled to the Oakville Indian Mounds Park in Danville, Alabama for the competition. 

The men’s team went against six other colleges and finished second overall. 

Three members of the team had individual top ten finishes after the eight-kilometer race. Senior Hayden Ricca finished fifth, senior Christian Hanson eighth, and junior Gabe Jacobson tenth. 

Ricca’s 26:08:60 earned him another spot in the Loyola record books as the ninth-fastest finish in program history. According to Wolf Pack Athletics, Ricca has four top ten times on the list. 

The women’s team finished fourth overall after running the five-kilometer race. 

Junior Madisyn Acosta had the fastest time for the Wolf Pack and recorded a personal best. She ran a 19:34:85, which was enough for eighth place at the meet as well as 10th place in Loyola history for that distance. 

Junior Amber Bryd finished in 15th place after running a 20:28:60. Jasmine Martinez, also a junior, was the final member of the women’s team to make the top 20. She ran a 20:38:07, a personal best. 

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics’ Championships are set for Friday, Nov. 19 in Vancouver, Washington.