Nov. 1, 2011

CHICAGO - Josh Stein (Aurora, Ill./Marmion Academy) and Ann Vrdolyak (Flossmoor, Ill./Marian Catholic/Iowa) have been selected as Loyola University Chicago's Athletes of the Month for October, it was announced today. The duo excelled on their respective courses during the month, turning in excellent individual performances to help their teams to success.

Stein put together some impressive races in October and finished fifth overall to earn First Team All-Horizon League accolades for the third straight season and help Loyola to a runner-up team finish at the Horizon League Cross Country Championship in Cleveland, Ohio last weekend. The Aurora, Ill., native finished with a time of 26:20 in the 8k race at the League Championship.

He also was Loyola's top finisher at both the Sean Earl Lakefront Invitational (Oct. 1), clocking in at 25:39 in the 8k to help the Ramblers to a fourth-place finish, then placing 18th out of 188 runners with a 25:21 as Loyola captured fifth place as a team at the Bradley Classic (Oct. 14).

Vrdolyak continues to shine after getting off a fast start last month. The senior finished atop the leaderboard to earn medalist honors in two of the Ramblers' three tournaments in October. After tying for 15th place with a 165 (84-81) at the NIU Huskie Classic, Vrdolyak broke her own school record for 36-hole score with a 148 (75-73) to finish first overall and lead Loyola to the team title at the WIU Autumn Invitational, October 9-10.

She closed out the fall portion of the 2011-12 season by tying for first place with a 78 at the Chi-Town Showdown on October 22, and with a 76.7 stroke average is on pace to shatter Lucy McGovern's school-record of 78.2 set in 2009-10.