Loyola men, women take GCAC Titles; Bouckaert, Sargent take individual titles

Clinton, Miss.– It was a clean sweep this weekend for the Loyola men's and women's cross country teams as the two teams took the team titles as the GCAC Champions. The Wolfpack's Richard Bouckaert and Natalie Sargent each took the individual titles.

In the men's 8,000 meter race, Bouckaert came across the line first

with a time of 28:39. Teammate Matt Cagigal was a close second finishing one second behind Bouckaert with a time of 28:40. Other competitors for the Loyola men's team included Pablo Guth in 30:22 for sixth place, Andrew Fell in 30:44 for seventh place, and Mitch Wallace in 14th place with a time of 32:44. Bouckaert, Cagigal, Guth, and Fell were each named to the All-GCAC team. The last Loyola men's runner to win the GCAC Championships was Sean Fitzwilliam in 1999.

Loyola topped the men's team standings with 30 points. Xavier was second with 52 points. Other schools competing were Spring Hill with 81 points, Belhaven with 104 points, Dillard with 113 points, Tougaloo with 130 points, and SUNO with 140 points. In the women's 5000 meter meet, Natalie Sargent became the first woman in Loyola history to win the GCAC women's individual championship.

Loyola had the top three finishers in the meet. Sargent ran the course in a time of 20:32. Mary Erin Imwalle was second with a personal best 20:36 and Jean Cassandra was third in 20:46. Loyola's Natalie Miller and Sara Miles St-Clair were named to the All-GCAC team with Sargent, Imwalle, and Cassandra. The Loyola women won the team title for the second consecutive year. Coach Al Seither was named Coach of the Year for the men's and women's All-GCAC teams.

'Pack Notes: Children 18 and under are always free at Loyola home athletic events. For more information on Loyola athletics please see our website http://wolfpack.loyno.edu. For more information on the GCAC and the NAIA see http://www.gcaconf.com and http://www.naia.org.