Matt McCabe took eighth in the men's race at the Vincentian Cup Invitational
 
Matt McCabe took eighth in the men's race at the Vincentian Cup Invitational
 
 
Loyola Men Take Crown, Women Settle For Second In Season-Opening Vincentian Cup Invitational

Freshman Andy Fenske grabs third place in first collegiate outing

Sept. 4, 2010

Lincolnwood, Ill. - Freshman Andy Fenske finished third individually as Loyola opened the cross country season with a strong showing at the Vincentian Cup Invitational, hosted by DePaul, this afternoon in Lincolnwood, Ill. The Rambler men's team finished in first place while the women's team, led by sophomore Gina Valgoi, settled for second.

"I think it was a great start today," said head coach Rick Wemple. "I wanted relaxed pack running and got it from both the men and women today. Three Minnesota guys were our first three men's finishers and I was pleased with how Gina and Catherine performed today."

While two DePaul runners grabbed the top two individual spots in the men's four-mile race, Loyola placed six of the next seven across the finish line. Fenske (21:03) led the contingent, with Ned Brady (21:06) and classmate Jake Autio (21:10) finishing fourth and fifth. Juniors Peter Grimson (21:30) and Matt McCabe (21:32) took seventh and eighth while freshman Khushpal Sangha took eighth in a time of 21:37.

Mike Janusek (21:50) also turned in a solid effort, finishing 15th, while freshmen Ryan Van Portfliet (21st, 22:24) and Alex Thornburg (27th, 22:43) and junior Jim Winings (35th, 24:07) rounded out the Rambler squad.

On the women's side, Valgoi paced the LU team with a time of 15:50 over the 4K course, good for 10th place overall. Her effort placed her slightly ahead of Catherine Crisler (12th, 16:02) and Kelly Egan (13th, 16:07) while freshmen Megan Janezic (16th, 16:15) and Mary Whitmore (18th, 16:23) also impressed in their first meet.

Three other Ramblers finished within eight seconds of each other, as Danielle Locascio (20th, 16:26), Alyvia Clark (21st, 16:30) and Alison Rack (22nd, 16:34) wrapped up Loyola's group.